Upgrade to remove ads
Only $2.99/month

Herpetology Exam 2

Terms in this set (146)

Amphibian Water Balance Mechanisms
Do not drink, they absorb through skin, in dry habitats make moist micro habitats
Reptile Water Balance Mechanism
Do drink, dry environments have special adaptations
Reptile Water Balance Sources
Fog from ocean, droplets from vegetation
Horned Lizard and Moloch Lizard Water Balance Adaptations
Channeled by capillary action along scales to lizard mouth
Viper Bitis peringueyi; NA Massasauga Rattlesnake Water Balance Adaptations
flattens body and drinks droplets off scales
Desert Tortoise Gopherus agassizii Water Balance Adaptations
excavate catchment basins at bottom of slopes, drink there when rain falls
African Tortoise Water Balance Adaptations
raises hind legs and front legs prone alongside head to channel water down carapace like gutter to mouth
Water Uses in Organisms
transportation and dilution of metabolic wastes
Amniote Kidney Use
handle water reclamation and dilutes and excretes nitrogenous waste products
All amniotes produce ____ in the egg
uric acid
Ureotelic
mammals and turtles, excrete most nitrogenous astes as urea, turtles can also excrete uric acid-conserves water
Uricotelic
true diapsids, secrete mainly uric acid, crocodiles excrete a lot as ammonia
Water Sources
liquid water, eating other animals (70-80% water)
Eating insects provides excess_____
potassium
Eating plants provides excess_____
sodium, potassium, and bicrbonate
Salt Glands
remove excess ions with little water loss, little extra stress on kidney's
Sea Turtle Salt Glands
lacrymal glands, near eye, only visible on land, constant secretion
Lizard Salt Glands
nasal salt glands, sneeze to get rid of salts
Sea Snake Salt Glands
sublingual salt gland, underneath the tongue
Crocodile Salt Glands
Lingual glands, on underside of tongue
Cellular Metabolism Water Yields
1g starch=.56g water
1g fat=1.07g water
1g proteins (urea end)=.4g water
1g proteins (uric acid end)=.5g water
Stemming Water Loss
Amphibians-mucous coating, multiple skin sheds, places with higher humidity
Reptiles-burrow, beta keratin in scales
Surface Area and Heat Loss
smaller surface area gains and loses heat faster
Temperature Regulation Mechanisms
postural changes, change in position, change in colors, scale texture, evaporation, panting, gular fluttering, cardiovascular shunting
Cardiovascular Shunting
shunt blood to lungs or skin surface to absorb or radiate heat by: change in heart rate, dilation/expansion of bv, capillary shunting
Ectotherms Use Metabolic Heat Production to Raise Body Temperature
leatherback seaturtle-very oily fat filled body, large pythons twitch when incubating eggs
Why Amphibians Hibernate
Seek refuge that will allow body temp to remain above freezing point-deep in ground or near heat source, under water
Close to surface and tolerate exposure to below freezing temps
Native MI Amphibians that Hibernate
Neotenic salamanders and AQ ranids stay under water
Bufonids and TR salamanders burrow under frost line
Early breeding hylids (peepers, chorus frogs, Hyla) and wood frog hibernate shallowly and tolerate partial freezing
Wood Frog Freeze Tolerance
tolerate repeated freeze thaw cycles at 4 degC, sustained over 6 deg C are fatal, more than 4 weeks continuously may be fatal
Cryoprotectants
glucose-wood frogs, spring peepers, chorus frogs
Glycerol-gray tree frogs
Frozen Frog Characteristics
motionless, hard, not breathing, heart slow basically stopped, cell metabolism is anaerobic-increase in lactic acid and alanine levels-limits lethal level
Temperate Zone Reptiles and HIbernation
burrow or go in water, tolerate sub freezing temperatures-most can't do
Adult AQ Turtles Hibernate
over winter in water, can absorb some oxygen through skin and/or pharyngeal and buccal membranes, largely depends on anaerobic metabolism, can survive short periods, free radicals from reoxidation combated with antioxidants
Turtle Supercooled State
very unstable, if they move or are disturbed then bacteria invade and may freeze rapidly
Temperate Zone Snake Hibernation
Can burrow deep enough, follow mammal burrowers and tree roots and basements...
Home Range
The area in which an animal spends most of its time and carries out its normal activities
Territory
An area within the home range, occupied more or less exclusively by an animal and held through overt defense, display, or advertisement
Territorial Defense Necessary Due to Competition
space/shelter, food, mates/repro opportunities, nesting/breeding sites...
Anurans Agression Call
call intensively at dusk while returning to calling sites, call intensively as they return to daytime shelters and nest sites at dawn
Female Anuran Territory Defense
lunge, kick, bite, hold intruder's head in her mouth for 45 minutes
Male Anuran Territory Defense
shoving and wrestling in hylids and ranids, biting, pushing under water, deflating vocal sacs
Anuran Size Up
by voice if not by visual contact, smaller males retreat from confrontation, fights between similar sizes
Satellite Males
males that wait and reap the benefits of other males, swoop in
Salamander Territory Defense
TR nests defended violently, marked by pheromones, glandular secretions, feces, size related to defense and dominance
Plethodon Territorial Defense
bite tail-tail loss reduces fat reserves, naso labial grooves-scarring impairs chemosensory function
Amphibian Dear Enemy Recognition Behavior
close neighbor defending an adjacent territory is tolerated, strangers challenged agressively
How to Describe 3D Home Ranges
most described are 2D, different ranges, may change depending on weather and local conditions
Homing Behavior
The ability to return home after voluntary or involuntary displacement
Voluntary Displacement
leave the normal home range during breeding, nesting, or searching for food
Involuntary Displacement
by floods, other natural disasters, or human experimentation
Navigation During Homing
anurans-visual cues
caudates-olfactory cues
Magnetic Maps
sensing subtle changes in Earth's magnetic field, respond to electromagnets
Shoreline Orientation
Stereotypical movements in relation to a shoreline, AKA Y axis orientation
Shoreline Orientation Requirements
light information from the sky, general familiarity with the shoreline, time sense
Extra Retinal Receptors (ERPS)
pineal body-lies just below the skull roof and has photoreceptors, found in amphibia and some reptiles
frontal organ-small capsule with photo receptors on top of head between eyes, connectedd to pineal body by the frontal nerve
Pineal Mechanisms
responsible for control of daily rhythms and some color changes, melatonin is a pineal hormone
Ectotherm Efficient Transfer
low rates of energy use, low resting metabolic rates, low heat loss, high digestion rate
Types of Senses
Cutaneous-lateral lines, ampullary organs, infrared receptors, mechanoreceptors
Auditory
Visual
Nasal organs
Internal senses-proprioceptors (muscle/tendon), taste buds
Ce-equal combination of sensory inputs or 1 or 2 inputs Dependencies
Evolutionary, adaptation, morphological constraints, hard wiring of neurological system
parthenogenesis
asexual reproduction in which growth and development of embryos occur without fertilization, females are genetically identical to their mothers
gynogenesis
Sperm activates cell division, but
genome is not incorporated into zygote.
Hybridogenesis
Hybrid females mate with males and
both contribute genetic material to the offspring. But when the female offspring produce their own eggs, the eggs contain no genetic material from their father, only the chromosomes from the offspring's own mother. (In gametogenesis, the male's genome is eliminated and the female's is duplicated, yielding a diploid female
offspring). Hemiclonal (only female's genome is inherited
species that exhibit parthenogensis
Teidae: Cnemidophorus, Aspidoscelis
Lacertidae: Lacerta
Gekkonidae
1 each Agamidae, Chameleonidae, Typhlopidae
lizards skin grafts and parthenogenesis
skin grafts are usually rejected between members of the same species, but were not rejected-shows parthenogenesis is same genetic makeup
asexuals
all females, interspecific hybrids
parthenogenesis chromosome numbers
can be 2N or 3N, but triploids result from back-crosses.
pseudo males
females that are post ovulary with high levels of progesterone and low levels of estrogen, used to stimulate ovulation and egg development
facultative parthenogenesis
non hybrid induced
cons of parthenogenesis
end of genetic diversity, may hinder long term adaptations
parthenogenetic species mentioned
Ramphotyphlops braminus (Flowerpot Snake); Indo-Pacific Gecko (Hemidactylus garnotii); whiptails; some pythons; komodo dragon; Aspidoscelis uniparens; garter snakes, indian pythons, rattlesnakes
lateral line system
senses pressure changes in water, positive selection due to increased survivorship
alligator apical pits
black bumps along jaw, like lateral line system to sense pressure changes in water
cutaneous systems
ampullary organs-electroreceptors that detect disturbances in the electrical field around the animal on the heads of some larval salamanders and caecilians.
• pain and temperature receptors
•tactile sense organs
•mechanoreceptors-intraepithelial, to measure tension or stretching in
skin and muscles-dermal and epidermal (tactile senses)
pit organs
cutaneous, in snakes, contain infrared heat receptors
mammal ear bones are homologous to jaw bones in lizards
2 bones in mammal skull form to ear, same two bones in lizard egg form into jaw bones
extracolumella bone
in all amphisbaenians except 2, transmits aerial sounds or other low-displacement vibrations from
the anterior cheek surface to the inner ear, allows them to detect the subterranean vibrations of their prey
turtle hearing
can detect low frequencies, can detect walking but not talking
turtle vocalizations
Giant South American River turtles-communicate underwater with low-pitch
used to help them travel together and find mates, made by adults and hatchlings, helps the hatchlings migrate to the right location.
turtle vocalizations in the nest
help synchronize hatching and excavating
crocodile hearing
can hear low frequencies, can hear airborne sounds and those transmitted through the ground or water
Crocodile vocalizations
threats, distress, hatching, mating
tuatara hearing and vocalizations
frequencies peak at 200 Hz, low grunt
lizard hearing
varies
snake hearing
low frequencies, sound conducted through lower jaws, but also through ventral scales to quadrate via spinal nerves, can detect airborne sounds
eye cones
contain special light sensitive pigments that detect narrow range of wavelengths (color), visual pigments of rods are sensitive to all wavelengths, so just register light and dark.
eye rods
Rods operate especially to enhance low-light (night) vision
amphibian rods and cones
have green and red rods, 2 cones
reptile rods and cones
turtles and crocodiles have 1 rod and 2 cones, snakes have rods and cones but less diversity
chemoreception
the physiological reception of chemical stimuli, important in salamanders, caecilians,
turtles, most squamates
sensory types in nasal area
olfactory epi, vomero-nasal organ epi
olfactory system
picks up airborne and aquatic odors
vomero nasal organ system
detects substances brought into the mouth, naso labial groove channels odors to system via cilia, organ lines with olfactory cells, Impulses travel to the accessory olfactory
bulb then to areas of the
hypothalamus associated with sexual
behavior, feeding behavior, and,
possibly, social interactions.
iguanians vs scleroglossans
iguanians use tongue for manipulating or catching food, scleroglossans use tongue for chemosensory
aquatic turtle courtship general
initiated by male, initial attraction to movement and shape, identification by color and pattern, chemical cues
deirochelines vs geoemydines
stripes vs splotches
bottom walking turtle species courtship
Chelydra serpentina and Emydoidea blandingii, simple courtship prior to mounting
aquatic turtle courtship
Trachemys scripta and Chrysemys picta may have rather elaborate pre-mounting courtship behaviors.
snapping turtle courtship
neck-swaying courtship, but more often the male simply rushes in and mounts the female, followed by biting at the female's neck and head
blanding's turtle courtship
rush in and grab, male rubs his chin on the female's snout, vigorous horizontal neck swaying, blows bubbles over females head
wood turtle courtship
mates at shallow edges of streams, rush in and grab, but males and females sometimes engage in extended sessions of horizontal neck swaying,
which may be some kind of recognition and assessment behavior. Once mounted, the male will often raise up, by straightening his legs, and then slam down on the female's carapace repeatedly, in increasing tempo, and may serve to keep the female
from walking away
turtle mating hierarchies
Wood Turtles form social hierarchies, usually dominated by the largest males.
• Fierce fighting may determine rank.
• Dominant males will push subordinate males off of females— they are attracted to the "thumping!"
• Research shows that dominant males fertilize most of the females.
• Many matings do not result in fertilization— a "copulatory lock" is required, which may last over
an hour
deirochelines mating general
use long fingernails to stimulate females
tortoise communication
the most complex, use visual, tactile, chemical, and
acoustic signals
Sphenodon Communication generals
head bobbing and shaking, dorsal crest erection, throat inflation, open mouthed threat display
tuatara vocalizations general
minor wats, short grunt, possible chemical signals, VN organ
tute tingue
unspecialized for chemo reception, still flick for sensory input
squamate communication general
chemo-sensory, visual, acoustic
iguanian tongue
tongue to capture prey, visual food finding
scleroglossan tongue
chemoreception, more flexible jaws than iguanas, less visual
tuatara skull
rigid, complete diapsid
iguana skull
streptostyly, upper end of quadrate moveable
geckos skull
mesokinesis, additional flex point behind eye, scleroglossan
viperid skull
prokineses, flex point in front of eye, extreme mobility, scleroglossan snake, rotating maxilla
iguanian communication
visual signals, males territorial, head bobbing and push ups are common
iguanian male throat colors
blue-monogomous, can beat yellow and lose to orange
yellow-sneakers, mimic females and mate with their females
orange-aggressive, mate with many, usurp territories
no single color can win
anole communication
don't want to show off too much because of predators, dewlaps with bobs and pushups can be stopped around danger
anole dewlpar shapes and colors
species recognition, reproductive isolation, change when females enter territory
green anole display change
change tempo of bobbing and dewlap, non aggression, stimulates female, males better off establishing territories before breeding season so aggression doesn't bother females
iguanians and UV light
can see and secrete UV light that show information about reproduction
skink communication
cloacal secretions and colors, visual displays are primary
gecko communication
vocal communication to mark territories, varies between species
lingual luring
snakes use their tongue to lure prey
snake communication
hormones and pheromones released through skin for courting behavior, sex and reproductive condition
snake courtship
tongue flicks, tactile stimulation, chin rubbing, spasms, biting, spurs
reptile egg shapes
round, elliptical, oblong
reptile egg laying
mostly underground and covered, not incubated by females
symmetryor asymmetry in eggs
results from constrictive forces in uterus
snakes don't lay spherical eggs
because of their body shape, pressure
sperical eggs general
larger species, large clutch size, greater need for gas exchange-less surface area, can be deposited more than one at a time
elongated eggs general
max offspring with constraints of female pelvic canal size, need increased surface area for gas exchange (in moist humid nests)-minimal contact with other eggs
egg shell types
hard-brittle rigid-may break down from calcium or chemicals, soft-pliable, hard-expansible(hard then absorb water during incubation)
synapsidia eggs
roughly spherical, very thin membranous shells
diapsid (squamate) eggs
mostly elongate and pliable eggs
diapsid (archosaur) eggs
harder, rigid, elliptical to almost spherical
egg shell
fibrous inner layer, calcareous outer layer with varying mineralization
hard shell eggs
outer mineral layer is thick or structurally cohesive-hard and rigid, thin or noncohesive-soft and pliable, environments at high risk for dessication predation or infection
eggshell mineral
calcium carbonate
soft eggshells
moist areas where gas exchange is needed, beaches and sandbars
egg characteristics
reptile eggs have more yolk than birds-energy reserve for hatchlings, hardshell eggs have more dry mass and more lipids, more lipids in overwintering hatchlings
optimal egg size model
tradeoffs between clutch size, egg size, and degree of energy provisioning; larger young-greater survival-larger reserves, fewer predators, but smaller clutches and fewer young
crocodile communication
most vocal of all reptiles, acoustic, visual, olfactory, tactile signals
alligator communication
bellowing defines territories and attracts mates, head slapping, HOTA
alligator male aggressive displays
chasing, biting, lunging, HOTA
alligator courtship
female place snout on male, snout rubbing and cough like vocalizations, male subaudible vibrations, blow bubbles
optimal egg size models in the same species
little evidence to show that there are any advantages
major factors that influence reprodecution
egg size, number, reproductive frequency
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...