Herpetology

by Pough, F. H.; Andrews, Robin M.; Cadle, John E.; Crump, Martha L.; Savitsky, Alan H.; Wells, Kentwood D.

• ISBN13: 9780131008496
• ISBN10: 0131008498
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-07-10
• Publisher: Benjamin Cummings

Summary

This book presents the biology of amphibians and reptiles as the product of phylogenetic history and environmental influences acting in both ecological and evolutionary time.Coverage includes reproduction; communication; feeding; temperature and water relations; body support and locomotion; and energetics and performance.Curators, Managers, Public Information Officers in zoos and museums, management staff in state and federal wildlife departments, Reference Librarians in public and private conservation organizations.

Table of Contents

PREFACE	vii
PART I What Are Amphibians and Reptiles?	1	(228)
CHAPTER 1 Herpetology As a Field of Study	3	(18)
1.1 The Diversity of Amphibians and Reptiles	4	(7)
1.2 Shared Characters of Amphibians and Reptiles	11	(4)
1.3 Amphibians and Reptiles in Terrestrial Ecosystems	15	(1)
1.4 Development of Herpetology As a Field of Study	16	(4)
1.5 The Future of Amphibians and Reptiles	20	(1)
Summary	20	(1)
CHAPTER 2 The Place of Amphibians and Reptiles in Vertebrate Evolution	21	(20)
2.1 Phylogenetic Systematics	21	(4)
2.2 The Transition from Fishes to Tetrapods	25	(2)
2.3 The Ecological Transition in Tetrapod Origins	27	(1)
2.4 Monophyly of Lissamphibia	28	(4)
2.5 Two Hypotheses for Relationships Between Lissamphibians and Paleozoic Amphibians	32	(2)
2.6 Paedomorphosis in Lissamphibian Evolution	34	(1)
2.7 Relationships Among Extant Orders of Lissamphibia	35	(1)
2.8 The Radiation of Amniotes	36	(4)
Summary	40	(1)
CHAPTER 3 Systematics and Diversity of Extant Amphibians	41	(56)
3.1 Salamanders (Urodela or Caudata)	41	(2)
3.2 Systematics and Phylogeny of Salamanders	43	(14)
3.3 Caecilians (Gymnophiona)	57	(4)
3.4 Systematics and Phylogeny of Caecilians	61	(4)
3.5 Frogs (Anura)	65	(8)
3.6 Systematics and Phylogeny of Frogs	73	(23)
Summary	96	(1)
CHAPTER 4 Systematics and Diversity of Extant Reptiles	97	(77)
4.1 Turtles (Testudines or Chelonia)	97	(5)
4.2 Systematics and Phylogeny of Turtles	102	(9)
4.3 Lepidosauria: Tuatara, Lizards, and Snakes	111	(1)
4.4 Tuatara (Rhynchocephalia)	111	(5)
4.5 Lizards and Snakes (Squamata)	116	(5)
4.6 Systematics and Phylogeny of Lizards	121	(20)
4.7 Snakes (Serpentes)	141	(6)
4.8 Systematics and Phylogeny of Snakes	147	(19)
4.9 Archosauria: Crocodilians (Crocodylia)	166	(3)
4.10 Systematics and Phylogeny of Crocodilians	169	(3)
Summary	172	(2)
CHAPTER 5 The Biogeography of Amphibians and Reptiles	174	(55)
5.1 The Nature and Scope of Biogeography	174	(1)
5.2 Biogeographic Processes and Analysis	175	(3)
5.3 The Geophysical Context for Historical Biogeography	178	(9)
5.4 Continental Fragmentation and the Biogeography of Amphibians and Reptiles	187	(11)
5.5 Some Island Patterns	198	(7)
5.6 Merging Faunas: North and South America, the Great American Interchange, and the West Indies	205	(8)
5.7 Generating Diversity: Salamanders and Frogs on Tropical Mountains	213	(7)
5.8 Regional Phylogeography	220	(7)
Summary	227	(2)
PART II How Do They Work?	229	(200)
CHAPTER 6 Temperature and Water Relations	231	(38)
6.1 Pathways of Energy and Water Exchange	232	(1)
6.2 Water Uptake and Loss	232	(9)
6.3 Water in the Lives of Amphibians and Reptiles	241	(5)
6.4 Heat Gain and Loss	246	(8)
6.5 Behavioral Aspects of Thermoregulation	254	(3)
6.6 Cardiovascular Control of Heating and Cooling	257	(1)
6.7 The Thermal Ecology of Amphibians and Reptiles	258	(6)
6.8 Freezing Resistance and Freezing Tolerance	264	(2)
6.9 Evolution of Thermal and Evaporative Characteristics	266	(1)
Summary	267	(2)
CHAPTER 7 Energetics and Performance	269	(32)
7.1 Sites of Gas Exchange	269	(8)
7.2 Patterns of Blood Flow	277	(5)
7.3 Functions of Intracardiac Shunts	282	(1)
7.4 ATP Synthesis: Oxidative and Glycolytic Metabolism	283	(5)
7.5 Energy Costs of Natural Activities	288	(4)
7.6 Annual Energy Budgets	292	(1)
7.7 Environmental Variables and Performance	293	(4)
7.8 Performance and Fitness	297	(2)
7.9 Trade-offs	299	(1)
Summary	299	(2)
CHAPTER 8 Reproduction and Life Histories of Amphibians	301	(30)
8.1 Sex Determination	301	(2)
8.2 Reproductive Cycles	303	(1)
8.3 Modes of Fertilization	304	(3)
8.4 Hybridogenesis and Gynogenetic Reproduction	307	(1)
8.5 Reproductive Modes	308	(8)
8.6 Evolution of Direct Development and Live-Bearing	316	(2)
8.7 Evolution of Parental Care	318	(2)
8.8 Egg Size and Clutch Size	320	(1)
8.9 Larval Development, Complex Life Cycles, and Metamorphosis	321	(6)
8.10 Paedomorphosis	327	(2)
Summary	329	(2)
CHAPTER 9 Reproduction and Life Histories of Reptiles	331	(22)
9.1 Sexual and Asexual Reproduction	331	(1)
9.2 Sex Determination	332	(3)
9.3 Reproductive Cycles	335	(2)
9.4 Reproductive Modes, Gametes, and Fertilization	337	(3)
9.5 Eggs, Embryonic Development, and the Physiological Ecology of Eggs and Embryos	340	(5)
9.6 Parental Care	345	(1)
9.7 Viviparity	346	(2)
9.8 Life-History Variation	348	(3)
Summary	351	(2)
CHAPTER 10 Body Support and Locomotion	353	(32)
10.1 Body Support, Thrust, and Gait	353	(2)
10.2 Lever Systems	355	(2)
10.3 Terrestrial Locomotion with Limbs	357	(6)
10.4 Jumping	363	(1)
10.5 Terrestrial Limbless Locomotion	364	(5)
10.6 Aquatic Locomotion	369	(5)
10.7 Burrowing	374	(3)
10.8 Climbing	377	(5)
10.9 Aerial Locomotion	382	(2)
Summary	384	(1)
CHAPTER 11 Feeding	385	(44)
11.1 Suction and Suspension Feeding	385	(10)
11.2 Terrestrial Feeding Mechanisms	395	(14)
11.3 Cranial Kinesis	409	(11)
11.4 Envenomation	420	(5)
11.5 Pit Organs	425	(1)
11.6 Herbivory	426	(1)
Summary	427	(2)
PART III What Do They Do?	429	(166)
CHAPTER 12 Movements and Orientation	431	(30)
12.1 Ecological Consequences of Movement	431	(1)
12.2 Methods for Studying Movements	432	(1)
12.3 Types of Movement	432	(1)
12.4 Local Movements and Home Range	433	(6)
12.5 Territoriality	439	(3)
12.6 Migration	442	(3)
12.7 Movements of Juveniles	445	(4)
12.8 Homing Behavior	449	(2)
12.9 Mechanisms of Orientation	451	(8)
Summary	459	(2)
CHAPTER 13 Communication	461	(34)
13.1 Modes of Communication	462	(1)
13.2 Constraints on Signal Production	462	(1)
13.3 Communication and Noise	463	(2)
13.4 Communication by Salamanders	465	(6)
13.5 Communication by Anurans	471	(10)
13.6 Communication by Turtles	481	(3)
13.7 Communication by Crocodilians	484	(1)
13.8 Communication by Lepidosaurs	485	(9)
Summary	494	(1)
CHAPTER 14 Mating Systems and Sexual Selection	495	(35)
14.1 The Relationship of Mating Systems to Sexual Selection	497	(1)
14.2 Mating Systems of Amphibians and Reptiles	497	(14)
14.3 Variables Affecting Male Reproductive Success	511	(17)
14.4 Patterns of Sexual Size Dimorphism 524 Summary	528	(2)
CHAPTER 15 Diets, Foraging, and Interactions with Parasites and Predators	530	(37)
15.1 Diets	530	(9)
15.2 Amphibians and Reptiles As Predators	539	(7)
15.3 Interactions with Parasites	546	(4)
15.4 Interactions with Predators	550	(15)
15.5 Coevolution of Predators and Prey	565	(1)
Summary	566	(1)
CHAPTER 16 Species Assemblages	567	(28)
16.1 Gradients in Species Richness	568	(2)
16.2 Determinants of Assemblage Structure and Composition	570	(8)
16.3 Case Studies of Amphibian and Reptile Assemblages	578	(15)
Summary	593	(2)
PART IV What Are Their Prospects for Survival?	595	(40)
CHAPTER 17 Conservation and the Future of Amphibians and Reptiles	595	(40)
17.1 Conservation Biology	591	(7)
17.2 Major Themes	598	(1)
17.3 Human Perceptions of Amphibians and Reptiles	598	(1)
17.4 Impact of Humans on Amphibians and Reptiles	599	(13)
17.5 Patterns of Species Extinction and Extirpation	612	(2)
17.6 Conservation Options	614	(16)
17.7 Declining Amphibians: A Model Issue	630	(3)
Summary	633	(2)
BIBLIOGRAPHY	635	(56)
ILLUSTRATION CREDITS	691	(10)
INDEX	701

Excerpts

Amphibians and reptiles are successful organisms, and their ectothermal approach to terrestrial vertebrate life is quite different from the endothermal lifestyle of birds and mammals. The internal processes of ectotherms differ in many respects from the corresponding processes in endotherms, and amphibians and reptiles function differently from birds and mammals in communities and ecosystems. Understanding how and why amphibians and reptiles differ from birds and mammals enriches a biological education, and the study of herpetology is a great deal more than just the study of amphibians and reptiles.In our view, understanding amphibians and reptiles as organisms requires a perspective that integrates their morphology, physiology, behavior, and ecology and places that information in a phylogenetic context. This book does that--it presents the biology of amphibians and reptiles as the product of phylogenetic history and environmental influences acting in both ecological and evolutionary time. We emphasize how amphibians and reptiles function in the broadest sense. For example, ectothermal temperature regulation is reflected in nearly every aspect of the biology of amphibians and reptiles, from their body shapes (extremely small body size and elongate body shape are feasible only for ectotherms) to their role in ecosystems (low-energy flow and high-conversion efficiency are the result of ectothermy).We have emphasized the integration of information from different biological specialties to produce a picture of amphibians and reptiles as animals that do remarkable things and play important roles in modern ecosystems. Evolution provides the context in which the distinctive characteristics of amphibians and reptiles must be evaluated, and both ancestral and derived features are central to understanding their biology. Throughout the book we have emphasized the use of phylogenetic information to understand the evolution of ecological, behavioral, and physiological characters. This edition ofHerpetologyreflects both the rate of new developments in the discipline and the continuing contributions of colleagues who have suggested ways to expand and strengthen our treatment of the biology of amphibians and reptiles. The increasing use of cladistic techniques and the incorporation of more kinds of data in phylogenetic analyses have substantially changed our understanding of the history and content of some groups. Those changes are conspicuous in the chapters covering systematics and in the integration of phylogenetic information with studies of natural history. The addition of color photographs of many species provides a far better impression of the appearance of the animals and enhances the presentation of phenomena such as aposematic coloration and mimicry that lose much of their impact in blackand-white photographs.In response to suggestions from colleagues and students, we have added a chapter on biogeography to illustrate the important contributions that studies of amphibians and reptiles have made to this area and the insights about the ecology and evolution of extant species that only a biogeographic perspective can provide. Splitting the treatment of reproduction and life history into separate chapters--devoted to amphibians and to reptiles--has allowed us to respond to requests that we increase the amount of information about these important topics, and emphasize the major differences between the groups. And the expanded treatment of conservation in this edition reflects the importance this topic is assuming in many herpetology courses as habitat destruction, pollution, and disease exact an ever-increasing toll on the diversity of amphibians and reptiles. Collaboration by the six authors--whose research specializations include autecology, synecology, systematics, evolution, morphology, physiology, and behavior--has produced a treatment that interweaves these areas