Difference between revisions of "Herpetology"
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Revision as of 19:48, 31 March 2011
EEB 3265/5265 Herpetology
Spring 2011
Lecture Meeting Time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:00 - 11:50 in TLS181
Lab Meeting Time: Mondays 1:00 - 5:00 in TLS181
Textbook: Pough F. H., et al. 2004. Herpetology 3rd Edition. PearsonPrentice Hall.
Additional readings will be assigned from the primary journal literature.
Contents
Instructors
Dr. Kentwood Wells
Email: kentwood.wells@uconn.edu
Office: Torrey Life Sciences Building 312
Phone: (860) 486-4319
Office hours: by appointment
Elizabeth Timpe (Teaching Assistant)
Email: elizabeth.timpe@uconn.edu
Office: Biology/Pharmacy 322
Phone: (860) 486-6215
Office hours: Wednesdays 9:30 - 10:45, and by appointment
Course Procedures and Policies
The lecture portion of this course will deal with various aspects of the biology of amphibians and reptiles, including physiological ecology, communication, social behavior, reproduction, parental care, and community ecology. The laboratories will focus on the classification and distribution of the major families of amphibians and reptiles of the world, as well as identification of Connecticut species. There will be some evening field trips toward the end of the semester to see breeding of local amphibians and daytime field trips to see other species. Students are expected to attend the field trips.
Field Trips:
There will be a scheduled field trip to the Yale Forest during lab time Monday, April 25th. There will be additional evening field trips once the weather is warm enough. We will begin evening field trips as soon as the first amphibians start breeding, which could be as early as late March. Many of these will be arranged on short notice. We will try to do enough of these so that everyone has a chance to get out in the field a few times.
Readings:
The emphasis in this course in on readings from original literature. I will be handing out detailed reference bibliographies with each lecture; assigned readings will be marked with * on each bibliography. Those marked with † are available online and will not be supplied in hard copy. Xeroxed copies of papers not available online will be in the green filing cabinet in my outer office (TLS 380) and can be signed out. Please do not monopolize these readings for long periods of time, since it is impossible for me to make enough copies for the entire class. The course textbook is Herpetology (3rd ed.) by F. H. Pough, R. M. Andrews, J. E. Cadle, M. L. Crump, A. H. Savitzky, and K. D. Wells (Prentice Hall, 2004). An illustrated guide, Amphibians and Reptiles in Connecticut: A Checklist with Notes on Conservation Status, Identification, and Distribution by Michael Klemens (Connecticut DEP, 2000), may be useful as an additional reference for local species and can be ordered if students are interested.
Exams:
There will be two lecture exams. The midterm will be given sometime in March, perhaps as a take-home exam. The final exam will be essay format, given on May 8. For the final, I will hand out ten questions two weeks in advance, which you can prepare using class notes and readings. Several of these questions will appear on the final exam given during the scheduled exam period. You will not be able to bring any reference materials or notes to the exam. There will be two lab practicals covering taxonomy, distribution, and natural history of amphibians and reptiles.
Grades:
Grades will be determined approximately as follows:
Lab Practicals: 20% each
Midterm: 20%
Final: 40%
Academic Integrity:
Plagiarism and cheating are violations of the student conduct code, and may be punished by failure in the course or, in severe cases, dismissal from the University. For more information, see Appendix A of the Student Conduct Code.
Disabilities:
If you have a disability for which you may be requesting an accommodation, you should contact a course instructor and the Center for Students with Disabilities (Wilbur Cross Building, Room 201) within the first two weeks of the semester.
Lecture and Lab Schedule & Materials
Date | Lecture Topic | Readings | Lab | Supplemental Materials |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jan 19 | Amphibians: Diversity and Morphological Evolution | Ch. 2, 3, 10 | ||
Jan 24 | Reptiles: Diversity and Morphological Evolution | Ch. 4, 10, 11 | Caecilian and Salamander Taxonomy | Gymnophiona/Urodela Lab Salamander Videos Salamanders of CT.pdf Amphibians of CT website |
Jan 26 | Amphibian Skin and Water Relations | Ch. 6 | ||
Jan 31 | Amphibian Excretion and Osmoregulation | Ch. 6 | Salamander Taxonomy; Video: Amphibians | |
Feb 2 | Lecture Cancelled due to Snow | Ch. 6 | ||
Feb 4 | Lecture Makeup - Reptile Water Relations | Ch. 6 | Lecture 5 Reptile Water Relations Lecture | |
Feb 7 | Behavioral Thermoregulation in Reptiles | Ch. 6 | Frog Taxonomy | Anuran Lab Anuran Taxonomy Lab Handout Supplement Herpetology Glossary |
Feb 9 | Amphibian Thermoregulation and Freeze Tolerance | Ch. 6 | ||
Feb 14 | Physiological Temperature Adjustments | Ch. 6 | Frog Taxonomy; Video: Cane Toads | Amphibian Practice Questions/Study Guide |
Feb 16 | Gas Transport and Metabolism in Amphibians | Ch. 7 | ||
Feb 18 | Open lab time to prepare for practical 1PM-4PM | |||
Feb 20 | Open lab time to prepare for practical 12PM-4PM | |||
Feb 21 | Active Metabolism of Amphibians | Ch. 7 | Turtles and Crocodilians; Amphibian Review; Video: Crocodiles & Alligators, Turtles Heretology Jeopardy (Herpardy) |
Crocodilians/Turtles Lab Turtle Review Questions |
Feb 23 | Respiration and Circulation in Reptiles | Ch. 7 | Open lab time to prepare for practical 6PM-9PM | Respiration and Circulation in Reptiles Lecture Slides |
Feb 25 | Open lab time to prepare for practical 1PM-4PM | |||
Feb 27 | Open lab time to prepare for practical 11AM - 7PM | |||
Feb 28 | Reptile Metabolism, Energetics, and Diet | Ch. 7 | FIRST LAB PRACTICAL (Amphibians) | |
Mar 2 | Energy Budgets and Energy Allocation | Ch. 7 | ||
Mar 7 | SPRING BREAK | ---------- | SPRING BREAK | |
Mar 9 | SPRING BREAK | ---------- | ||
Mar 14 | Amphibian Reproductive Modes | Ch. 8 | Lizard Taxonomy | Lizard Lab Lizard Study Guide Lizard Review Questions |
Mar 16 | Lecture Cancelled - Biology of Amphibian Larvae | Ch. 8, 11 | Lecture 15 Biol. of Amphibian Larvae Lecture | |
Mar 17 | Open lab 1PM - 5PM | |||
Mar 20 | Open lab 1PM - 5PM | |||
Mar 21 | Ecological Aspects of Amphibian Metamorphosis | Ch. 8 | Lizard Taxonomy; Video: Lizards | |
Mar 23 | Reptile Eggs and the Evolution of Viviparity | Ch. 9 | Open lab 4PM - 7:30PM | |
Mar 27 | Open lab 11AM - 4PM | |||
Mar 28 | Reptile Life History Strategies | Ch. 9 | Snake Taxonomy | Snake Lab Snake Review Questions Snakes of Connecticut |
Mar 30 | Communication and Mating Systems of Salamanders | Ch. 13, 14 | ||
Mar 31 | Open lab 5PM - 9PM | |||
Apr 4 | Frog Vocal Communication: Behavioral Aspects | Ch. 13 | Snake Taxonomy; Evolution of Snake Dentition | Wells and Schwartz 2007 Anuran Communication |
Apr 6 | Frog Vocal Communication: Call Production and Reception | Ch. 13 | ||
Apr 11 | Mating Systems and Sexual Selection in Anurans | Ch. 14 | Video: Snakes; Reptile Review; Herpardy | Reptile Review Questions (multichoice) |
Apr 13 | Modes of Communication in Squamate Reptiles | Ch. 13 | ||
Apr 18 | Mating Systems and Sexual Selection in Squamates | Ch. 14 | SECOND LAB PRACTICAL (Reptiles) | |
Apr 20 | Social Behavior and Communication in other Reptiles | Ch. 13, 14 | ||
Apr 25 | Ecology of Terrestrial Amphibian and Reptile Communities | Ch. 15, 16 | Field Trip (Yale Forest) | |
Apr 27 | Competition and Predation in Aquatic Amphibian Communities | Ch. 15, 16 | ||
May 4 | FINAL EXAM | ---------- |
Additional Resources
UConn Herpetology Club:
The formation of a UConn herpetology club is in the works for Fall 2011! If interested in becoming a member, please contact Danielle Freeman
Websites:
Local
Online Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of CT
Reptiles and Amphibians of CT
New England Herpetological Society
Amphibians
Video about Amphibian Extinction
Amphibiaweb
AMNH's Amphibian Species of the World
Amphibian Portal from USGS-NBII
Deban Lab Amphibian Feeding
General Herpetology
Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
The Herpetologists' League
The Center for North American Herpetology
Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
New England Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
EMYSystem Online Turtle Resource
HerpNET
eNature Online Field Guides
Herps in the News
Mar 29, 2011: How a Tentacled Snake (Erpeton tentaculatum) Eats
Mar 25, 2011: Indomitable Snow Frogs
Feb 27, 2011: Lizards and Lyme Disease
Feb 27, 2011: CT's Endangered Turtles
Feb 27, 2011: 25 Most Endangered Turtles
Feb 27, 2011: Sea Turtle Navigation
Feb 21, 2011: Short-lived Chameleons
Feb 19, 2011: Rediscovered Frogs
Feb 14, 2011: How snakes get legless THANKS BILL!!
Feb 10, 2011: Spotted Salamander, Photosynthetic?
Jan 31, 2011: Frogs Re-evolved Lost Lower Teeth
Jan 26, 2011: Phobia of Snakes Explained
Jan 17, 2011: Salamander Eggs Turn off Cancer
Jan 14, 2011: Reduced Cali Tiger Salamander Habitat
Jan 14, 2011: NY Zoo works to save the hellbender
Jan 12, 2011: Haiti's Lost Frogs