Diversity Of Living Things: Reptiles

1. Diversity Of Living Things: Reptiles By: Kevin L, Mitalee M, Aleeza K, Sonam M

2. Phylum of Reptiles • Reptiles belong to the kingdom Animalia. • They are chordates and are united by having notochord, hollow dorsal nerve cord, Pharyngeal slits, an endostyle, and a post-anal tail

3. Characteristics • Reptiles have dry Skin with scales • Lacks cell wall • Four limbs (except species like snakes) • Three chambered hearts (except crocodiles, which have four-chambered hearts) • This means reptiles consist of two atria to receive blood and one partially divided ventricle for pumping blood. • Have a cloaca • The opening in which the sexual organs are located. They pass their urine, feces and eggs. • Young resemble adults • They are cold-blooded • Therefore, reptiles must modify their activity and behaviour to accommodate changing environmental temperatures. • The eyes are the most important sense organ because this gives them binocular vision, in which helps them catch their prey. They are located at the front of their head

4. Characteristics • Since all animals are eukaryotic, that means reptiles are too. Therefore reptiles posses a nucleus and membrane bound organelles. Reptiles are also multicellular. • Reptiles are heterotrophs, by this I mean they get energy from other organic molecules, such as humans getting energy from eating other animals

5. Habitat • Reptiles can live both on land and in water. For example, turtles like to spend most of their time on land, but still like to stay where water source is available. Alligators and crocodiles like to spend most of their time in water but would sometimes spend time on both types of terrain. Another key source of habitat is humidity. Not all reptiles can live in humid areas, but some are vital to it. For example, rattlesnakes, and lizards live in areas in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.

6. Levels Of Classification

7. Bearded Dragon • Structure: Spiny scales arranged in rows and clusters, displays a hand-waving gesture, have a head bobbing act to show dominance, ability to change colour during rivalry challenges between males. They can reach to the size of about 13 to 24 inches. • Habitat: wide range of arid to semi-arid regions of Australia. • Reproduction: Females will lay a clutch of eleven to thirty oblong-shaped eggs in a shallow nest dug in the sand. After being laid the eggs are buried and are left unattended. The eggs will hatch approximately 60 to 80 days later depending on the incubation temperature. A female bearded dragon can retain sperm, and thus produce fertile eggs even after being separated from a male. • Nutrition: A typical captive bearded dragon's diet consists mostly of leafy greens and vegetables, supplemented regularly with insects (heterotrophs).

8. Flying Dragon • Structure: Flying Dragons have low, long bodies, flaps of skin and grow to be about twelve inches long when fully mature, with the female being slightly larger than the males. They have very sticky tongues, which they use to catch their main prey, ants and termites, are the primary food on which they subsist. • Habitat: Native to the rain forests and rubber plantations of Asia and the Indies, has a range that extends from the Philippines to Malaysia and Indonesia. • Reproduction: The Female Flying Dragon, during breeding season will make her one and only trip to the forest floor, where she will lay 1 to 5 eggs, and bury them in the warm damp soil. She does not care for the eggs when they hatch, nor wait for them to do so. • Nutrition: Ants and termitesare the primary food on which they subsist (heterotrophs).

9. Reptiles and their Importance • Reptiles and the Industry • In many parts of Asia and Africa, monitor lizards are kept to inhabit farmland to reduce crop damage by eating huge amounts of crabs insects and snails • Use of reptile skin in the creation of leather goods makes these creatures of importance to our economy • The skins of both alligators and crocodiles are used to produce many forms of leather goods including shoes, pocketbooks, belts and boots. • Snake skins are also used to create similar products, such as belts and handbags • Are kept as pets; for reptile care is a hobby for millions of people

10. Reptiles’ Roles in the Ecosystem • It would hurt the ecosystem if there was a high presence or lack of presence of reptiles in an area • Are important predators within the food webs of their habitats • Are considered an important food source in many parts of the world • Reptiles in return are prey to large invertebrates, fishes, amphibians and other reptiles, birds, and mammals. • Reptiles and the Environment • Reptiles are important components of food chains for they both eat and are eaten • Typically control the rodent and insect population (sometimes even birds) • Snakes eat mice and rats that carry various diseases; so these rodents won’t overpopulate • Alligators are important by creating dens and gator holes that protect wetland species in droughts

11. Impact on Reptiles • Reptile species are declining on a global scale. Six significant threats to reptile populations are habitat loss and degradation, introduced invasive species, environmental pollution, disease, unsustainable use, and global climate change • Conversion of wetlands, especially seasonal wetlands, and surrounding terrestrial habitat to agricultural (illustrated here) and other uses have resulted in wetland losses exceeding 80% in many states. Like many crocodilians, this species has suffered from commercial overexploitation and habitat destruction. • The pet trade appears especially hazardous for some turtle species, such as the eastern box turtle. • A concern with climate change is the depletion of the earth’s ozone layer. With this comes the problem of more ultraviolet radiation exposure in certain areas which is dangerous to reptiles as well as killing their eggs. • With a warmer climate, ponds and wetlands have begun to grow smaller and even dry up. Eggs and larvae cannot develop without water and moist environments. This affects some reptile populations that rely on these wet areas for breeding.

12. Factories, automobiles, trucks and planes put chemicals into the air. The exhaust from their engines contains tiny specks of toxic chemicals that fall on plants, on the ground, and into the water. There, they get into the animals when the animals eat the plants, drink the water, or nest in the ground. These animals, too, can die or not reproduce. • Another factor affecting reptiles that is quite common but not often considered is the indirect impact humans create through pollution of the air, rivers, oceans and groundwater. Pesticides, road salt, discarded chemicals and cleaning solutions, and waste from factories and energy plants all affect the water and soil. This pollution spreads far beyond the borders of inhabited areas and creates chemical contamination that impacts the fragile systems of various reptiles. Not only can these pollutants poison the reptiles living in the contaminated areas, but they can also alter hormones and breeding which can greatly affect future generations and their ability to live and thrive.

13. bibliography • "Amphibians and Reptiles and Climate Change | Climate Change Resource Center (CCRC)." US Forest Service - Caring for the land and serving people.. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. <http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/topics/amphibians-reptiles.shtml>. • "Eight Levels of Classification for Lizards: text, images, music, video | Glogster." sofiababet's Profile | Glogster. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. <http://sofiababet.glogster.com/classification-for-lizards/>. • "How Humans Affect Animals." Melissa Kaplan's Herp and Green Iguana Information Collection. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. <http://www.anapsid.org/animalshumans • "Keeping Reptiles March 2010." How to build enclosures for reptiles - custom snake cages - arboreal snake cages - snake keeping cage info - homemade reptile cages. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. <http://www.reptile-cage-plans.com/archive/2010/ed3_2010.html • century, the 21st, and most vertebrate paleontologists had adopted phylogenetic. "Reptile - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptile>. • Reptiles. (n.d.). Free webpages - The fast, easy and free way to create websites.. Retrieved October 29, 2011, from http://www.webspawner.com/users/ petcentralreptiles/ • Nair, S. (n.d.). Reptiles: Characteristics of Reptiles. Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Retrieved October 29, 2011, from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/reptiles-characteristics-of-reptiles.html