ECCB 315 - Lecture & Lab (written portion) - Exam 1

Herpeton meaning

crawling organisms

What are two reasons why reptiles and amphibians are studied together

1. Linneaus (father of taxonomy) didn't differentiate reptiles from amphibians

2. Similar means of finding both (flipping rocks, etc.)

Describe Edward Drinker Cope's Tainted Legacy

Although Cope made notable discoveries in the fields of Icthyology and study of anurans, he's condemned for his social views regarding eugenics and anti-women sentiment.

The Journal of Icthylogy was named what before it got renamed again?

Copeia

Biomutualism

Concept where nature inspires industries in a positive feedback loop, building upon each other

What's the force by which geckos are able to adhere to walls with their setae?

Van der Waals Forces

What are functions of a gecko's active tail?

1) used for static balance and counterbalance

2) defense mechanism

3) communication mechanism

The use of a Gecko's tail when gliding has also led to questions about what?

The origins of flight

If a gecko slips or falls, what does its tail do

acts as an air-righting response to help it stablilize while in the air

Which organism has a life history that is not optimal in theory?

Hint* Also the shortest lived tetrapod on Earth

Furcifer labordi (Labord's Chameleon)

What is the largest herp genus

Eleutherodactylus (~450 species)

Smallest known reptile

Brookesia nana

largest known reptile (weight and size average)

Eunectes murinus

named the 4 symplesiomorphic characters between reptiles and amphibians

1. Tetrapoda

2. Jacobson's organ

3. Cloaca

4.Ectothermy

Advantages of Ectothermy

1. Smaller percentage of diet goes towards metabolic heat production

2. Allows size variability (mostly small)

3. metabolic energy efficiency based on external environment over internal energy use

4. Much more efficient at biomass conversion (25 times more)

Disadvantages of Ectothermy

1. dependence on environment

2. generally lowered metabolic activity (when/where herps can be active)

3. some other constraints on performance

What is life history?

1) Key traits that determine how the species' population persists

2) a set of coevolved traits that affect an individuals survival and reproductive potential

What are the components of a life history?

1. Reproductive mode & output

2. Foraging mode

3. lifespan and reproductive lifespan

4. age at 1st reproduction, costs of reproduction, frequency of reproduction

5. survivorship and age

What influences a life history strategy?

Natural Selection that's influenced by environmental conditions

life history is linked to what?

Population biology/ population dynamics

A winning life history involves coping with...?

natural ups and downs

Difference between reptile and amphibian life histories

Amphibian life histories focused on the life cylce and larval stages while reptile life histories focus on costs of reproduction/fecundity, energy allocation, growth, and survival

Reproductive effort

amount of energy devoted to reproduction during a defined time period

Energy budget

the estimate of the expernditure of available energy between activity/metabolism and reproduction

Two components of reproductive effort

1. Energy invested (clutch mass)

2. Division of energy (number of eggs)

A trend between energy invested and division of energy shows that...

smaller clutches produces larger hatchling

Residual Reproductive Value

The number of offspring expected in the future after the present breeding season

two extremes within reproductive effort

1. Breeds once in a lifespan

2. Repeated reproduction throughout lifetime

Species with high reproductive investment early in life,generally have...

short lifespans (e.g. frogs and salamanders)

Species with low reproductive investment in eachepisode generally have...

long lifespans (e.g. turtles and crocodiles)

Clutch mass also increases exponentially in Sceloporus, but linearly in...

Anolis sp.

Describe Landwer's experiments with Urosaurus

Landwer manipulated a female Urosaurus ornatus, to lay fewer eggs, showing that females that lay fewer eggs have longer lifespans and higher growth rates.

Survival costs of reproduction in reptiles

1. gravid females run slower and have less endurance

2. gravid females bask more, exposing them more

Morphological costs of reproduction in reptiles

1. flat lizards have a constrained clutch size

2. turtles are constrained by their shells

phenotypic plasticty

The same genotype can manifest a different phenotype depending on environment

colubrids could be

viviparous and oviparous

All elapids and viperids are...

viviparous

lizard life history variation

Single-brood lizards can be categorized:

1. Oviparous, delayed maturity, large brood

2. Oviparous, small broods

3. Viviparous species

Multiple-brooded species

1. Small size, early maturing, small broods

2. Large size, early maturing, large broods

When resources are low, female-side blotched lizards (Uta stansburia) reproduce less. This is an example of what?

Phenotypic plasticity

In Mexican Spadefoot Toads (Spea multiplicata), the 1st clutches in a pool are typically herbivories while...

the 2nd clutch in the same pool will produce carnivore morphs that eat the tadpoles of the 1st clutch

What are the 3 life history gradients

1. Juvenile survivorship

2. Fecundity/brood size

3. Generation time

K-selected species life history gradients

1. delayed maturation

2. small brood size

3. infrequent and unpredictable frequency of production

r-selected species life history gradients

1. rapid maturation

2. large brood

3. frequent reproduction

k-selected species geographic and exploitation gradients

1. small, fragmented geographic range

2. small, scattered area of occupancy

3. High pressure to exploit

r-selected species geographic and exploitation gradients

1. large geographic range

2. large, area of occupancy

3. low pressure to exploit

The discovery of which plethodontid salamnder surprised researchers due to it's geographic range?

Karsina Koreana (Korean Crevice Salamander)

How many species, genera, and families of salamanders are there?

644, 67, 10

Basic Caudate characterstics (name 3)

1. long tails

2. smooth skin

3. elongate bodies

what are the 3 skin glands found in salamanders? Name their function

1. Mucous - protects from dessication and allows for gas exchange

2. Granular - poison glands

3. Mixed - mix of both mucous and granular

What are the 2 kinds of bone found in the salamander skeleton

1. cartilage to bone

2. membranous bones

What is the earliest known salamander and when did it appear?

Karaurus; jurassic

How do scientists know Karuarus was terrestrial?

it had dermal sculpturing

what creates difficulty in recognizing relationships among salamanders

Paedomorphosis

What time period did most caudate families appear?

mesozoic era

What are the 2 basal families of salamanders?

Cryptobranchidae and Hynobiidae

Which is the sister family to modern salamanders?

Karauridae

T/F: Relationships within Salamandroidea are controversial

True

Placement of which salamander family is most problematic for taxonomists?

Proteidae

Synapomorphies of Cryptobranchoidea

1. External Fertilization

2. Females lay 2 egg sacs

3. Angular and prearticular bones are separate

Characteristics of Cryptobranchidae

1. live in running water

2. large floppy skin

3. incomplete metamorphosis - retain gill slits, no eyelids

4. 4 finger and 5 toes

Characteristics of Hynobiidae

1. Terrestrial but reproduce in water

2.complete metamorphosis, lack gills and have eyelids

3. most have large lungs

4. Lack of courtship

5. external fertilization

Although salamanders in Hynobiidae have functional lungs, Which two genera are exceptions?

Onychodactylus and Ranodon (reduced)

There is debate on Sirenoidea on whether it should be...

a separate order or remain a suborder

Synapomorphies of Sirenoidea

1. primitive and derived characters

2. High chromosome count

3. derived spinal nerve pattern

4. external fertilization

Characteristics of Sirenidae

1. Paedomorphic

2. no eyelids, have gills

3. no pelvic girdle

4. only have forelimbs

5. have interventicular septum

6. Horny beak instead of teeth

7. eggs attached to vegetation

Characteristics of Proteidae

1. Neotenic form

2. lack eyelids

3. no upper jaw

The Geographic range of which salamander in the family Proteidae has been influenced by people?

The Olm (Proteus anguinus)

Synapomorphies of mole salamanders (Dicamptodontidae, Ambystomatidae, and Rhyacotritonidae)

1. Laterally compressed tails

2. lungs

3. Costal Grooves

4. Internal fertilization

5. Terrestrial, but reproduce in water

Characteristics of Dicamptodontidae

1. Distinct Spinal nerve pattern

2. lacrimal bones

3. prefers cold water streams

4. columella is free

Salamanders in the family Dicamptodontidae eat...

other salamanders

Characteristics of Ambystomatidae

1. obligate or facultative neotenics

2. fossorial most of the year

The hybrid offspring of which two species salamander in the genus Ambystoma are female? How do they reproduce?

A. laterale (Blue-spotted) & A. jeffersonianum (Jefferson’s);

Hybrids must mate with a male of one of the two species; however, the female may CHOOSE whether she wants to incorporate the sperm or not. Many times, sperm is simply used as a “start button“ to activate egg development and may not be used at all (kleptogenesis)

Characteristics of Amphiumidae

1. 1, 2, 3 toed species

2. eel-like body

3. aquatic, neotenic, undergo partial metamorphosis

4.no eyelids, no tongue, 1 pair of gill slits

Characteristic of Salamandridae

1. larvae develop in water and build up fat for terrestrial winder

2. spend 1/2 life in water

3. Skin is granular except when aquatic

4. Most are amphibious

Characteristics of Plethodontidae

1. No lungs and pterygoid

2. Direct development

3. posess nasolabial grooves

4. some are neotenic cave salamanders

5. Mental glands in males

What kind of geographic distribution describes Ensatinas?

Ring geographic distributions around the Sierra Madre Mountains. downward, parallel Evolution.

What is the most speciose family and genus of salamanders?

Plethodontidae; Bolitoglossa

What are the three feeding categories of salamanders?

1. Lungless, Aquatic, Terrestrial

What is the hyobranchial apparatus and it's function?

a set of "tongue" bones that supports the gills and allows the buccal cavity or pump to expand

Buccal cavity

empty space in the mouth

Describe the aquatic feeding style in salamanders

The salamander lunges forward, allowing the Hyobranchial apparatus to expand the buccal cavity, which creates a suction to draw in prey

Describe the terrestrial feeding style in salamanders

The bottom jaw is pressed against the bottom substrate, and the hyobranchial apparatus allows the tongue to portrude and shoot outward to catch prey. The apparatus is used to pump air in and out of the lungs for respiration.

Describe the lungless feeding style in salamanders

Hyobranchium is elongated to project tongue and is modified since there are no lungs to pump in & out air

T/F: Tongue projection evolved independently in salamandrids and plethodontids

True

T/F: The class reptilia is paraphyletic?

True

Apoda is made up of what?

Caecilians and their extinct relatives

Synapomorphies of Gymnophiona

1. Reduced or vestigial eyes

2. long and limbless

3. ossified skull

4. internal fertilization via Phallodeum

5. Annuli

T/F: Caecilians have short or absent tails.

True

Stegokraptophic skull

skull with fused bones (ossified); found in gymnophiona

Dermatophagy/keratophagy

Skin-eating; seen in juveniles of some caecilian species.

Caecilian diet?

Invertebrates

Main differences between Dermophiidae and Typhlonectidae

1. Presence of secondary annuli in former

2. Latter is mostly aquatic

3. many in latter are laterally compressed with a dorsal ridge

Unlike Dermophiidae where some are oviparous and viviparous, all typhlonectoids are...?

viviparous

Synapomorphies of Anura

1. Columella bone

2. Ear ossicles

3. Pedicellate teeth

4. External fertilization

Synapomorphies of Caudata

1. long tail

2. elongate bodies

3. fertilization via spermatophore

4. some can be paedomorphic

5. can have gill slits

6. No ear cavities

7. some have costal grooves

8. some have nasolabial grooves

By what mechanism do sirens sense prey?

Lateral line system

How long can mudpuppies live?

50 years

What are monogeneric families of salamanders?

Ambystomatidae, Rhyacotritonidae, Amphiumidae, Dicamptodontidae

What's something unique about Rhyacotritonidae?

Adult males have Squared-off glands posterior to the vent

All salamandroids produce what when disturbed?

A noxious secrection