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Herpetology

Biol 119

Clark UniversityFall 2011

Lecture: Tuesday, Thursday 9:00-10:15 in Lasry 124

Lab: Tuesday 13:25-16:10 in Lasry 150Office hours: T 10:15-11:15 in Lasry 331

Contact: pbergmann@clarku.edu

Phone: 508-793-7553

Herpetology – Introduction

� Instructors

� Course syllabus

� What is herpetology?

� History

� Groups studied

� Uniting characters

� Diversity & an evolutionary perspective

Philip Bergmann

� Assistant Professor Clark University

� Simpson Postdoc University of Arizona (2008-2010)

� Ph.D. University of Massachusetts Amherst (2008)

� M.S. (2003), B.S. (1999) University of Calgary

� 20 + years of experience keeping reptiles and amphibians

Philip Bergmann - Research

� The evolution of body shape and segmentation

� Functional morphology of locomotion

� Ecology of lizards and amphibians

� Primary foci are lizards and amphibians

� Phylogenetic perspective

Philip Bergmann - Personal

� Canadian

� Parents Czech

� Interests:� Road Biking

� Running

� Hiking

� Climbing

� Yoga

� Cooking

� Reading

� Photography

TA: Allegra Mitchell

� Office:

� Office hours: By Appointment

� E-mail: amitchell@clarku.edu

� 5th year MA student

� BA Environmental Science

� Research on the effects of hydration and temperature on frog behavior and locomotor performance

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Biol 119 Syllabus

� Textbooks� Herpetology, 3rd Ed.

� Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians, Eastern & Central North America

Biol 119 Syllabus

� Grades

� Lecture 500 pts. 50% of grade

� Research Topic 150 pts. 15%

� Lab 350 pts. 35%

� TOTAL 1000 pts. 100%

Biol 119 Syllabus

� Lectures

� Midterm 1 100pts/10% Sep 19

� Midterm 2 100pts/10% Oct 17

� Midterm 3 100pts/10% Nov 14

� Final Exam 200pts/20% TBA

� Midterms will not be cumulative

� Half of final exam will be cumulative

� Fill-in-the-blank, short answer, long answer

� Synthetic questions as well as basic knowledge

Biol 119 Syllabus

� Research Topic

� Topic Selection 10pts/1% Sep 27

� Bibliography 40pts/4% Nov 1

� Next Logical Step 50pts/5% Dec 6

� Presentation 50pts/5% Nov 24, 26

� Research a topic that you are interested in

� Must be closely related to herpetology

� Do a literature search and learn to assemble a bibliography

� Explore one source in depth and develop an idea for

future research

� Present what you learned about your topic to the class

Biol 119 Syllabus

� Laboratory

� Lab Exam 1 100pts/10% Oct 8

� Lab Exam 2 100pts/10% Nov 19

� Lab Activities 100pts/10% Ongoing

� Course participation 50pts/ 5% Ongoing

Biol 119 Syllabus

� Field Trips

� Westboro WMA Sep 15 Sunday

� Mus. Comp. Zool. Oct 20 Sunday

� All trips are mandatory

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Biol 119 Syllabus

� Class schedule� In syllabus

� Lists topics and relevant chapters

� Late assignments� Not accepted

� Missed exams/trips� Must be made up

� Must have documented excuse

� Plagiarism� Copying, cheating, not citing sources

� DON’T DO IT!

Herpetology – Introduction

� Instructors

� Course syllabus

� What is herpetology?

� History

� Groups studied

� Uniting characters

� Diversity & an evolutionary perspective

What is Herpetology?

� Herpetology = the study of “crawling things”

� ΕΡΠΕΤΟΝ – Greek for crawling thing

� “Herps” comprise two groups:

� _______________

� _______________

� These are grouped together historically and because of some biological similarities

� Do not comprise a natural/monophyletic group.

Herpetology in history

� Æsculapius, Roman God of Healing

� Alexander the Great (300 BC)

Elaphe longissima

Herpetology in history

� Æsculapius, Roman God of Healing

� Alexander the Great (300 BC)

� Religions – contrasting opinions

© A Molon

Herpetology in history

� Æsculapius, Roman God of Healing

� Alexander the Great (300 BC)

� Religions – contrasting opinions

� Carolus Linnaeus

� _____________ nomenclature

� Systema Naturae

� Did not distinguish amphibians and

reptiles – “foul and loathsome”

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Uniting Characters –

Why amphibians + reptiles?

� _______________

� Body temperature varies during the course of a day

� ________________ is used to control body temperature

� Dipsosaurus dorsalis �

Pough et al. 2004: Fig. 1-6

Uniting Characters –

Why amphibians + reptiles?

� Ectotherms

� Performance/ physiological function vary with _______________

� Important to maintain near __________ body temp for survival

Pough et al. 2004: Fig. 1-8

Uniting Characters –

Why amphibians + reptiles?

� Ectotherms

� Amphibians and reptiles use ~3% of energy of a size-matched mammal

� Also have lower _____________ than mammals

Pough et al. 2004: Fig. 1-7

Uniting Characters –

Why amphibians + reptiles?

� Herps are ectothermic ____________

� However:

� Ectothermy is an ___________________

� Fishes are also ectotherms

�Other tetrapods also exist

� mammals, technically birds

� Herps form a paraphyletic group

�More on this next lecture

Uniting Characters –

Amphibians

� ________________ (Amphibians)� Extant species form a monophyletic group

� _____________ teeth –crown growing from the base

� _____________ – a structure involved in hearing

� Smooth, scale-less skin –allows ____________ ___________, permeable to water and gases

� ____________ egg –prone to desiccation, like the skin

Pough et al 2004, Fig 2-5

Uniting Characters –

Amphibians

� Lissamphibia (Amphibians)

� Short ribs – do not wrap

around the body

� Simplification of the skull

– fusion and loss of many bones

Pough et al. Fig 2-6b, Kardong & Zalisko Fig 5-30

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Uniting Characters –

Reptiles

� “Reptiles”/Reptilia?

� A paraphyletic group (more on this next lecture)

� Monophyletic if dinosaurs and birds are included

� Have epidermal scales, often ________________

� _________________

� Adaptations to drier environments

Photos © PJB, KP Bergmann

Diversity and an Evolutionary

Perspective

Pough et al. 2004: Fig. 2-1

Tetrapoda

Lissamphibia

AmniotaReptilia

Tetrapoda

Lissamphibia

AmniotaReptilia?

Diversity

� Lissamphibia: ~5,500 total species, three clades:

� ____________

� Salamanders and newts

� ~520 species

� Generalized morphology

� ____________

� Frogs and toads

� ~4,800 species

� Short body specialized for jumping

� _____________

� Caecelians

� ~170 species

� Very elongate bodies

Photos © KP Bergmann, Pough et al. Fig 3-8

Diversity

� “Reptiles”

� ______________� Turtles� ~315 species� Protective shell

� ______________� Crocs, alligators, caimans

� 23 species� All are threatened� Archosaurs, related to birds

Photos © PJB

Diversity

� “Reptiles”

� _________________

� Tuatara

� 2 extant species in

New Zealand

�Once cosmopolitan

and diverse

�Outgroup to Squamata

(more later)

Diversity

� “Reptiles”� ___________ (~7800 spp)

� _____________� Snakes

� ~3150 species

� All elongate & limbless

� Many venomous

� “Lizards” (paraphyletic)� ~5080 species

� Very diverse

� Snakes nested within

� _________________� 168 species

� Elongate, fossorial

Photos © PJB, Pough et al. Fig 4-24