Sceloporus occidentalis

Number of Pages: 17Integrative BiologyGeological Science

The Colour Changes In Lizards, Particularly In Phrynosoma

The activities of the melanophore system of Phrynosoma in comparison with that of Chamaeleo may be stated categorically in the following way. I. The blanching of Phrynosoma blainvillii is due (1) to the action of its concentrating nerve-fibres on its melanophores, (2) to the action of a hydrohumour, probably adrenalin, on the same cells, (3) to the direct response of these cells to darkness, and (4) to high temperatures. II. The blanching of Chamaeleo is due to the first, third, and fourth of these factors. Whether the second factor is effective in this lizard is not yet determined. III. The darkening of Phrynosoma is due (5) to the action of a pituitary neurohumour on its melanophores, (6) to the direct response of these cells to strong light, and (7) usually, to low temperatures. There are no dispersing nerve-fibres known in Phrynosoma. IV. The darkening of Chamaeleo is due to the sixth and probably to the seventh of these factors. This lizard presents strong indications of possessing dispersing nerve-fibres. Whether it darkens from a pituitary neurohumour or not is unknown

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIORS AND THEIR EFFECT ON RESOURCE USE BY MALE LITTLE BROWN SKINKS, SCINCELLA LATERALIS

The aggressive behaviors of adult male Little Brown Skinks, Scincella lateralis, and their effects on access to an important resource (a single retreat) were the subject of a study consisting of 10 laboratory trials in which the behavioral interactions between a pair of individuals was recorded. Analysis of these interactions made it possible to identify a dominant and a subordinate male in each trial; the male with the greater bulk was dominant in 9 of the 10 trials. Aggressive behaviors recorded include lunging, chasing, and biting; the dominant male performed lunging significantly more often than the subordinate male and was the only individual to exhibit chasing. The most common behavior recorded was avoidance which was shown almost exclusively by the subordinate male. Both dominant and subordinate males exhibited tail twitching which we hypothesize to be a sign of agitation. The two males spent significantly more time on opposite sides of the observation chamber than on the same side and almost never occupied the single retreat simultaneously because the subordinate male repeatedly moved to avoid the dominant male. The implications of these results on spacing patterns and resource use of Scincella lateralis in the wild are discussed

Xenosaurus grandis

Number of Pages: 4Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Petrosaurus mearnsi

Number of Pages: 3Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Urosaurus graciosus

Number of Pages: 3Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Amphibians and Reptiles of United States Department of Defense Installations

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) occupies approximately 10.1 million ha of land within the U.S. spanning most ecosystems contained therein. To date, no comprehensive agency-wide inventory of amphibian and reptile species has been compiled. We developed an amphibian and reptile species inventory for 415 DoD installations/sites and evaluated species diversity. The amphibian and reptile species confirmed present on DoD sites represent 66% of the total native species documented in the continental U.S. Snakes are the most widespread group found on DoD lands. Of the military services, Army sites have the greatest number of confirmed species, federally listed, state-listed, and At-risk species. There are 24 federally listed (threatened or endangered), 55 state- listed, and 70 At-risk species confirmed present on DoD sites. Thirty non-native and native transplant amphibian and reptile species/subspecies are also confirmed present on DoD sites. Lastly, we verified that approximately half of the military sites evaluated in this study have at least one venomous snake species confirmed present. Our study results assist directly with ongoing management and conservation of amphibian and reptile species on DoD lands and confirm military lands comprise a significant contribution to biodiversity conservation

Sceloporus jalapae

Number of Pages: 5Integrative BiologyGeological Science

CityScapeLab Berlin: A Research Platform for Untangling Urbanization Effects on Biodiversity

Urban biodiversity conservation requires an understanding of how urbanization modulates biodiversity patterns and the associated ecosystem services. While important advances have been made in the conceptual development of urban biodiversity research over the last decades, challenges remain in understanding the interactions between different groups of taxa and the spatiotemporal complexity of urbanization processes. The CityScapeLab Berlin is a novel experimental research platform that allows the testing of theories on how urbanization affects biodiversity patterns and biotic interactions in general and the responses of species of conservation interest in particular. We chose dry grassland patches as the backbone of the research platform because dry grasslands are common in many urban regions, extend over a wide urbanization gradient, and usually harbor diverse and self-assembled communities. Focusing on a standardized type of model ecosystem allowed the urbanization effects on biodiversity to be unraveled from effects that would otherwise be masked by habitat- and land-use effects. The CityScapeLab combines different types of spatiotemporal data on (i) various groups of taxa from different trophic levels, (ii) environmental parameters on different spatial scales, and (iii) on land-use history. This allows for the unraveling of the effects of current and historical urban conditions on urban biodiversity patterns and the related ecological functions.BMBF, 01LC1501, BIBS-Verbund: Bridging in Biodiversity Science (BIBS