9 research outputs found
The Effect of Exposure to Cd and Pb in the Form of a Drinking Water or Feed on the Accumulation and Distribution of These Metals in the Organs of Growing Wistar Rats
Microvascularization of the pineal gland in the freshwater turtle, Pseudemys scripta elegans (Reptilia): A scanning electron microscopic study of vascular corrosion casts
Heavy metals contamination in soil, surface water, crops, and resident blood in Uthai District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Thailand
The impact of environmental cadmium exposure on type 2 diabetes risk: a protocol for an overview of systematic reviews
Adaptive geospatial modeling of soil contamination by selected heavy metals in the industrial area of Sheikhupura, Pakistan
Evolutionary Specialization of the Tongue in Vertebrates: Structure and Function
A conspicuous feature of extant tetrapods is a movable tongue that plays a role in food uptake, mastication, and swallowing. The tongue is a muscle mass covered by a mucosal sheath, but the tongues of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are diverse in general morphology and function. For example, in frogs and toads, a component of the musculus genioglossus serves as an intrinsic tongue muscle, with the anterior part of the tongue attached to the floor of the oral cavity. Nevertheless, these features of the tongue have allowed Anurans to diversify and disperse worldwide. On the other hand, the salamander tongue is connected to the oral cavity by a root with a cartilage or a bony skeleton, and it is mainly comprised of projection and retractor muscles. In this respect, the salamander tongue seems more similar to that of reptiles and mammals than to those of frogs and toads. The morphology and function of the tongues of some reptiles, such as chameleons, and some mammals, such as nectar-feeding bats, are examples of extreme specialization. Finally, the tongue has become almost vestigial in a few species of anurans, turtles, and birds. This review summarizes and discusses many specializations of tongue form and function among tetrapods