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WELCOME TO HERPETOLOGY

WELCOME TO HERPETOLOGY. GOAL: To provide students with a basic understanding of the biology of amphibians and reptiles. Provide students with an opportunity to gain experience handling and working with these animals. WHY ARE YOU IN HERE—E-mail me a short note. GRADING:

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WELCOME TO HERPETOLOGY

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  1. WELCOME TO HERPETOLOGY • GOAL: To provide students with a basic understanding of the • biology of amphibians and reptiles. Provide students • with an opportunity to gain experience handling and • working with these animals. • WHY ARE YOU IN HERE—E-mail me a short note. • GRADING: • Regular Scale • I decide tweeners • 3 exams (take-home)=300pts • Class project (shared credit with lab)=75 pts • Participation=25 • Lecture=400 Points Total • Lab + Lecture are Separate

  2. CLASS PROJECT Use of Retaining Ponds In Terre Haute by Wildlife • Why? • Grand Canyon Effect • Wetlands are the Second-most damaged habitat in NA • Prairie’s #1 • Drained for Farming • Many Species are Dependent or Facultative Users • Most research focuses on natural or “management” wetlands • Little effort on “accidental” wetlands • Retaining ponds are common • My recent research • Urban Ecology • Kansas Tailwater Pits • Plainfield Warehouse District

  3. CLASS PROJECT What’s a Retaining Pond? Use of Retaining Ponds In Terre Haute by Wildlife

  4. Use of Retaining Ponds In Terre Haute by Wildlife • Why us? • Good Class Size • Avoids Busy Work • Experiential Learning • Learn How to Collaborate • What is the Last Step of a Research Project? • What needs to be done? • Standardize Sampling Regime • Pick a Number of Ponds • Identify Potential Ponds Using GIS • Get Permission • Literature Review • Develop IACUC • Sample Ponds • Compare to Sandcut Ponds

  5. Use of Retaining Ponds In Terre Haute by Wildlife • Will we have time? • Lecture During the Cold • Sample When Warm • Daily Trap Checks (Independent Times) • Intense Searches During Lab • Summer Credit? • 8+ People • Probably Need to Finish Paper After the Semester • When do we Start?—Right Now • Identify Potential Ponds Using GIS • Get Permission • Literature Review • Progress meeting in Lab • Begin Sampling with Spring Thaw

  6. Use of Retaining Ponds In Terre Haute by Wildlife • Why Wildlife Not Just Herps? • Better Chance of Publication • Monophyletic Approach • Better Experience • What’s in it for me? • First Paper • Wide Variety of Experience • Should be Fun • Lecture Out of the Way • Take a Break During the Spring • Other Option are IndependentPapers + Formal Labs

  7. CLASS STARTS HERE • What is This Monophyletic Approach Crap? • How do you describe a group of organisms? • Function—Carnivors, Herbivores • Physiology—Endo vs Ectotherms • Overall Appearance—Things w/o legs • Evolutionary Relationship--Systematics • Monophyletic groups are based on evolved relationships • Systematics vs Taxonomy • Taxonomy—the name game • Very legalistic • Rules of Nomenclature • Skilled Identifications • Systematics—study of evolutionary relationships • In practice, they are usually the same. • Aren’t all taxonomic groups monophyletic?

  8. The old class Reptilia is not Monophyletic • 1. Paraphyletic: A set of Ancestors and Descendents Missing some of the Descendents • 2. • a. Very Similar to Human Families • b. The "Black Sheep" Phenomena • c. Evolutionary/Ecological Grades • d. Who is in the red?

  9. REPTILIA MAY BE POLYPHYLETIC Polyphyletic: Most recent common Ancestor is in another group Family where you claim the cousins, but not your grandparents Did all reptiles arise from 1 amphibian offshoot? Mammal-Like Reptiles vs Reptile like Mammals?

  10. MONOPHYLETIC: An ancestor and all of its descendents. a. most preferred resolution b. requires perfect resolution c. requires perfect knowledge d. Taxonomy is a tool: How useful is it e. Return to Evolutionary Grade f. Ecological Milestones: Birds and flight

  11. How do we examine evolutionary relationships? 1. Traditional Evolutionary Systematics a. expert based b. more art than science 2. Phenetics a. developed from numerical taxonomy b. poorly accepted at first 1. Criticism of TES 2. Pure taxonomy 3. Later adherents used for evolutionary work 4. Modern techniques somewhat unfairly maligned c. based on OVERALL SIMILARITY 3. Cladistics: Based on SHARED DERIVED TRAITS

  12. CLADISTICS: 1. Developed by Wilhelm Hennig a. Hennig as a mad scientist b. Impossible terminology 1. Synapomorphy 2. Sympleisiomorphy 3. Parsimony 2. How do you determine which traits are derived a. Outgroup method b. Most widespread version is ancestral c. Graded Gains and Losses d. Direction of evolution 6. Tree developed based on parsimony KISS principle

  13. EXAMINE THE FOLLOWING DATA SET f c b d a e

  14. AMPHIBIA/LISSAMPHIBIA : 5500 Species Anura: Frogs Urodela: Caecilians Urodeles: Caudata: Salamanders

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