Herpetology Exam 1

The Gibbs reading talks about similarities and differences between amphibians and reptiles. One similarity is that amphibians and reptiles are _____

ectothermic

What are two of the outcomes of ectothermy that Gibbs covers and what is his rationale?

ectotherms can be smaller since they don’t rely on their surface area needing to be greater than their body volume, ectotherms also dont use as much energy

why would wake and koo be biased researchers?

they’re from temperate regions so they see temperate species'

Compare and contrast the global distribution of the three orders of amphibians.

anura- widespread, largest range

caudata- mainly north america

gymnophiones- south america, smallest range

the top threat to amphibians worldwide is?

habitat loss and degradation

what is herpetology

study of ectothermic tetrapods

compare ectothermy and endothermy in terms of food

they don’t need food to create energy for body heat

why could ectothermy not be as good as endothermy

restricts activity based on time of day/year

outcome of ectothermic energy savings- according to gibbs

increased biomass

4 reasons why amphibians and herps are grouped together

• data deficient

• small (most under 10 grams)

• ectothermic

• highly threatened

3 Orders of Amphibia

Anura Caudata Gymnophiona

what defines a clade

Group of organisms believed to have evolved from a common ancestor

science of classifying organisms

taxonomy

synapomorphies

synapomorphies are shared characteristics between ancestor and descendents

example of a diagram that can represent synapomorphies

phylogenic tree, cladogram

point at which common ancestor gives rise to 2 sister lineages or branches

node

region between 2 nodes

stem

clade definition

common ancestor and all its descendent taxa

all descendants and their ancestor

monophyly

some descendants and their ancestor

paraphyly

descendants and no ancestor

Polyphyly

herpetofauna are what type of phyletic group

paraphyly

differences between reptiles and amphibians (at least 3)

amps have slimy permeable skin and lay eggs for moist environments that undergo metamorphosis, reptiles have dry scaly skin and usually lay eggs in dry areas like birds with “mini” adults that don’t need metamorphosis

why is the term “cold-blooded” not correct

ectotherms can be warmer than endotherms (warm-blooded) based on the environment’s heat

this order of amphibia is concentrated the most in Appalachia

Caudata- sals and newts

a symbol of fire and power

salamanders

1 main feature of caudata’s anatomy

extremely moist permeable skin that secretes toxins

this order of amphibia is extremely cryptic…if they’re not underground, they’re underwater

gymnophiona, caecillians

characteristics of gymnophiona anatomy

long vertebrate, blind, leg-less, skull, 2 rows of sharp teeth and an extremely powerful jaw, muscular

this order of amphibia uses electroreception in tentacles between their eyes and nostrils

gymnophiona

gymnophiona maternal contributions (not all caecilian species but some)

nutrient-rich outer layer of skin that offspring feeds from

most populated (88%) and most diverse order of amphibia

anura

which order of amphibia is the most studied? why?

caudata, they live where white guys live

pros/cons of caudata tail

predator defense and display of dominance, but it uses a lot of fat, is costly on locomotion and the immune system (more susceptile to disease)

caudata life history

4 limbs, elongate trunk and tail, mainly aquatic eggs that turn into aquatic larvae

amphibia usually have

3 chambered heart (2 atria, 1 ventricle), skin adaptations, complex life cycles

Unkenreflex

ability to show hidden bright colors while releasing poison from glands to warn preds

Transect sampling

walking in a line to search for herps

pigment for yellow, orange, red

xanthophores

types of searches

active, easy-passive, intensive-passing

active searching

visual encounter protocol

list 3 types of survey types

point survey, dip net survey, egg mass survey

paedomorphism

retains juvenile characteristics throughout life

vernal pool

non-permanent water body that amphibians like to lay eggs in

salamanders in larval stage vs post metamorphosis adult

larval- external gills and tail fin

adult- resorption of gills and closure of slits, reduction of tail fin, tooth maturation

salamanders are herbivores as larvae

false, they’re always carnivorous

how does water temp impact anura larval development

the warmer water means faster development

2 most dangerous time periods for frogs

1. when motionless as larvae, absorbing yolk sores (eyes and mouth start working, operculum covers gills)

2. metamorphosis when reducing tail makes it hard to swim but cant yet jump

amphibians with the most change to their digestive tract during metamorphosis

frogs

what are amphibians mostly made of

water

how frogs gain water

drink patch and good posture

brumation

moving from environment with temperatures too cold to live (moving underground, underwater, etc)

wood frog adaptability in winter

freeze tolerance by producing glucose-based antifreeze

aestivation

become inactive and reduce metabolism to prevent death by dehydration

using technology to monitor amphibians without trapping them

easy passive sampling

using tech to monitor amphibians with traps

intensive passive samplingsn

snout-vent length SVL

used to measure size for all amphibians

list 3 marking methods

toe clipping, photo id, pain