A review of anatomical adaptations in the middle ear of living aquatic Tetrapods
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1984-5154.v24p1-8Keywords:
Tetrapods, aquatic, dive, pressureAbstract
Tetrapods have evolved from aquatic vertebrates and have conquered and diversified in the terrestrial habitat. While most species have well adapted to inland forms, some of them have returned to the aquatic environment due to increasing competition on Earth’s surface. Studies regarding these species have been focused on hearing anatomy and auditory processes, neglecting the adaptations developed throughout evolution to compensate for pressure in the middle ear during dives. This review compiles the available information of mechanisms employed by tetrapods to prevent middle ear barotrauma underwater and how these processes have changed during evolution. The results show that throughout the evolution process, different lineages have developed distinct, and occasionally shared, mechanisms to avoid middle ear barotrauma underwater. Also, the results evince the lack of information on some Tetrapods lineages regarding middle ear evolution, from unique species, such as the Galápagos marine iguana, to marine mammals.
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