Dr. Matthew Mason: Further Information...
University Physiologist Tel: +44 (0)1223 333829, Fax: +44 (0)1223 333840, E-mail: mjm68@cam.ac.uk
Mason, M.J. (2015) Functional morphology of rodent middle ears. In: Evolution of the Rodents: Advances in Phylogeny, Functional Morphology and Development, pp. 373-404. Cox, P.G. & Hautier, L. (eds). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
This book chapter contains a comprehensive review of middle ear morphology in all major living groups of rodents, together with a brief overview of the structure and function of the middle ear in general. I consider some of the main points of structural difference between the ears of the Ctenohystrica, squirrel-related clade and mouse-related clade, among others, and consider the likely functional meaning of these differences in the light of recent experimental evidence. It is hoped that this chapter will be of use to morphologists and palaeontologists who want to get a perspective on the function of the middle ear, and it may also be helpful for experimental physiologists who want to consider how representative their model species might be, in the context of rodents more widely or mammals in general.