The Biology and Systematics of Southeast Asian Voiceless Frogs

犹他大学的莎伦·爱默生提议对产于东南亚的蛙属无声青蛙进行多方面的研究。艾默生的目标是了解一组与青蛙生殖生态和繁殖行为(无声)相关的第二性特征的进化，这些特征似乎在婆罗洲的四个物种中两次进化。为了获得这一理解，爱默生提出了一种基于形态特征的、独立于次生性特征的功能复合体的东南亚蛙科动物的系统研究。将在婆罗洲进行实地研究，以确定这四个物种的繁殖生物学细节，并确定第二性特征的功能意义。血液激素水平的分析将在这些物种和其他物种的林蛙身上进行，以确定睾丸激素水平与声音发育不足之间的关系。爱默生假设，失声的进化可能是由睾丸激素水平降低的进化所调节的。

Sharon Emerson, at the University of Utah, proposes a multifaceted study of voiceless frogs in the genus Rana that occur in southeast Asia. Emerson's goal is to gain an understanding of the evolution of a suite of secondary sexual characters, associated with the frogs reproductive ecology and breeding behavior (voicelessness), that appears to have evolved on two separate occasions among four species in Borneo. To gain this understanding, Emerson proposes a systematic study of the southeast Asian Ranids based on morphological characters independent of the functional complex of secondary sexual features. Field studies will be conducted in Borneo to determine the details of the breeding biology of the four species and to determine the functional significance of the secondary sexual characters. Assays of blood hormone levels will be made in these species and in other species of Rana to determine the relationship between testosterone levels and the lack of vocal development. Emerson hypothesizes that the evolution of voicelessness may be mediated by the evolution of reduced testosterone levels.