Seven lizard species and a blind snake: activity, body condition and growth of desert herpetofauna in relation to rainfall

2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine A. Schlesinger ◽  
Keith A. Christian ◽  
Craig D. James ◽  
Stephen R. Morton
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Temporal Patterns ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Lizard Species ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
Nocturnal Species

In the Australian arid zone, primary productivity is highly variable in response to irregular and unpredictable rainfall and this has major flow-on effects for desert fauna. We measured temporal patterns of activity and body condition of eight reptile species, and growth for the three most abundant species, in a dry and a wet year. Activity and body condition of the diurnal lizards Ctenophorus nuchalis and Amphibolurus gilberti (Agamidae) and Ctenotus leonhardii and Ctenotus schomburgkii (Scincidae) varied predictably. In the dry year the onset of warm-season activity was delayed and body condition was low, whereas high levels of activity and body condition were observed in the wet year. Growth rates of C. schomburgkii, C. leonhardii, and C. nuchalis did not differ between the two years. Body condition of the nocturnal lizards Diplodactylus conspicillatus and Rhynchoedura ornata (Gekkonidae) and Lerista labialis (Scincidae) did not differ between years but the nocturnal blind snake Ramphotyphlops centralis (Typhlopidae) had higher condition in the wet year. Nocturnal species were active only in warmer months and this apparently limited their ability to respond to favourable conditions in the wet year. Temporal patterns of activity may be important determinants of how effectively lizards can make use of available resources after rain.

scholarly journals Checklist of lizards of the Juruti, state of Pará, Brazil

Check List ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Lúcia Costa Prudente ◽  
Fernanda Magalhães ◽  
Alessandro Menks ◽  
João Fabrício De Melo Sarmento
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Methods ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
The Other ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Lizard Species ◽  
Species List ◽  
The Road ◽  
On The Road

We present the first lizard species list for the municipality of Juruti, state of Pará, Brazil. The list was drawn up as a result of data obtained from specimens deposited in the Herpetological Collection of the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi and from inventories conducted in 2008-2011. Sampling methods included pitfall traps with drift fences and time constrained searches. We considered the data collected by other researchers, incidental encounters and records of dead individuals on the road. We recorded 33 species, 26 genera and ten families. Norops tandai was the most abundant species. Compared with the other regions of Amazonia, the region of Juruti presented a large number of lizards. However, further studies with an increase in the sampling effort, could prove this area to be richer in lizards than that observed so far.

scholarly journals Herpetofauna of an Atlantic rainforest area (Morro São João) in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

2008 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio Almeida-Gomes ◽  
Davor Vrcibradic ◽  
Carla C. Siqueira ◽  
Mara C. Kiefer ◽  
Thaís Klaion ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Sampling Methods ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Plot Sampling ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
The World ◽  
Janeiro State

We studied the herpetofaunal community from the Atlantic forest of Morro São João, in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, and present data on species composition, richness, relative abundance and densities. We combined three sampling methods: plot sampling, visual encounter surveys and pit-fall traps. We recorded sixteen species of amphibians and nine of reptiles. The estimated densities (based on results of plot sampling) were 4.5 ind/100 m2 for amphibians and 0.8 ind/100 m² for lizards, and the overall density (amphibians and lizards) was 5.3 ind/100 m². For amphibians, Eleutherodactylus and Scinax were the most speciose genera with three species each, and Eleutherodactylus binotatus was the most abundant species (mean density of 3.0 frogs/100 m²). The reptile community of Morro São João was dominated by species of the families Gekkonidae and Gymnophtalmidae (Lacertilia) and Colubridae (Serpentes). The gymnophtalmid lizard Leposoma scincoides was the most abundant reptile species (mean density of 0.3 ind/100 m²). We compare densities obtained in our study data with those of other studied rainforest sites in various tropical regions of the world.

A Comparison of Growth-Rates in Dependent Juveniles of Planigale-Gilesi and Planigale-Tenuirostris (Marsupialia, Dasyuridae)

1987 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 161 ◽  
Author(s):  
DG Read
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Early Weaning ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Eye Opening ◽  
Body Parameters ◽  
Similar Growth

Growth rates are compared from birth to early weaning in Planigale gilesi and P. tenuirostris, by means of linear regression of body parameters plotted against age. Pouch young of each species had similar growth rates; an equation is given for the aging of pouch young of P. gilesi. Juveniles of P. gilesi grew faster than those of P. tenuirostris; in both species there was a trend for males to grow faster than females. Eye opening and the end of weaning were two important developmental stages, associated with changes to reduced growth rates. Changes in body condition of the juveniles indicated that the weaning process was initiated by the mother. The different growth rates between the species and sexes produced a range of body sizes in juveniles at independence. This has important implications for partitioning of food and for community structure.

scholarly journals Comparing temporal patterns in body condition of ringed seals living within their core geographic range with those living at the edge

Ecography ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (10) ◽  
pp. 1521-1535
Author(s):  
Steven H. Ferguson ◽  
David J. Yurkowski ◽  
Brent G. Young ◽  
Aaron T. Fisk ◽  
Derek C. G. Muir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Temporal Patterns ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Ringed Seals

scholarly journals Carving up Australia's arid zone: a review of the bioregionalisation of the Eremaean and Eyrean biogeographic regions

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 229 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Ebach ◽  
D. J. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Arid Zone ◽  
Temporal Patterns ◽  
Biogeographic Region ◽  
Distributional Patterns ◽  
The Future ◽  
Biogeographic Regions ◽  
Sister Relationships ◽  
Australian Flora ◽  
Made In

The Eremaean region, Australia’s arid biome and biogeographic region, has been discussed by botanists (and as the Eyrean, its counterpart for zoogeographers) for over 150 years, yet little progress was made in defining it as an area of endemism until the 2000s. As Australia’s largest biome and biogeographic region, the Eremaean has been defined in a climate sense, but is a historically composite biogeographic area. Taxa that inhabit the Eremaean (Eyrean) tend to display sister relationships to those outside the biome in temperate and monsoonal biome areas, indicating that two or more temporally discordant distributional patterns exist in the Australian flora and fauna. The future of Eremean and Eyrean bioregionalisation will need to incorporate these temporal patterns when constructing new bioregionalisations and historical and climate-based biogeographic models.

Welcome to the C4 World

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 273-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thure E. Cerling ◽  
James R. Ehleringer
Keyword(s):  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
The Other ◽  
Cool Season ◽  
Carbon Compound ◽  
Low Latitudes ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Recent Origin

There are two principal mechanisms of photosynthesis amongst the plants of the world. One produces a 3-carbon compound as the primary photosynthate and is called C3 photosynthesis. The other produces a 4-carbon compound as its primary photosynthate and is called C4 photosynthesis. This latter method is of rather recent origin, and its inception had important consequences for the flora and fauna of the world. The C4 plants make up a significant portion of global net primary productivity, especially in low latitudes. C4 plants are predominantly warm-season grasses, while C3 plants include most dicotyledons and cool-season monocotyledons. In this review we answer the questions about how C4 photosynthesis differs from C3 photosynthesis, where C4 plants are found, and review the paleoecological history of C4 photosynthesis.

Abundance and recruitment patterns of the trilling frog (Neobatrachus centralis) in the Australian arid zone

1999 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 393 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Read
Keyword(s):  
Arid Zone ◽  
Temporary Ponds ◽  
The South ◽  
Lizard Species ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Recruitment Patterns ◽  
Capture Rates ◽  
Olympic Dam

Maximum capture rates of Neobatrachus centraliswere up to an order of magnitude higher than those of the most abundant lizard species sampled at Olympic Dam in the South Australian arid zone from 1986 to 1997. Although common in most habitats, densities of N. centralis were greatest at sites adjacent to dunes or swamps. Breeding was restricted to summer months, and widespread recruitment occurred in only three of the 11 years. Metamorphosis occurred in as little as 17 days in short-lived swamps, but was delayed for up to nine months in less temporary ponds.

The English–Wabigoon River System: V. Mercury and Selenium Bioaccumulation as a Function of Aquatic Primary Productivity

1983 ◽  
Vol 40 (12) ◽  
pp. 2251-2259 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. M. Rudd ◽  
Michael A. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
River System ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Aquatic Food Chain ◽  
Mercury Bioaccumulation ◽  
Aquatic Food ◽  
Stimulation Of

An experiment was carried out in four 100-m3 in situ enclosures to determine the effect of primary production rate on mercury and selenium concentrations of biota and to test the possibility of ameliorating mercury pollution problems by increasing ecosystem primary productivity. Two enclosures were controls. Primary productivity in a third enclosure was increased fourfold by addition of NaNO3 and NaH2PO4. This stimulation was not sufficient to change pH although the growth rate of fish was enhanced. In this enclosure, mercury concentrations in pearl dace (Semotilus margarita) whole body and muscle samples increased two- and five-fold, respectively, exceeding the dilution of mercury by the enhanced growth rates. In the fourth enclosure, at the highest rate of nutrient addition, primary productivity was increased ninefold, pH was elevated from about 7.9 to 9.2, and the growth rate of fish was stimulated. In this case, the elevation of pH retarded the rate of mercury bioaccumulation in comparison with the enclosure of intermediate productivity. Based on these results, stimulation of primary productivity is not recommended as a mercury ameliorating procedure. Stimulation of primary productivity resulted in a general decrease in the concentration of selenium in the aquatic food chain probably resulting from dilution of selenium by enhanced growth rates of fish and other biota.

Ecological segregation in a subterranean reptile assemblage in arid Australia

1989 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Henle
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
First Year ◽  
Lizard Species ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Food Size ◽  
Late Maturity ◽  
Second Year

AbstractThe organisation of the subterranean component of an arid zone reptile community was studies in Kinchega National Park (Eastern Australia) from September 1985 to May 1987. Three species of fossorial or semifossorial lizards and two species of snakes were found in Kinchega. All species were habitat generalists, but microhabitat, food size and food taxon clearly separated them. All species were primarily nocturnal although Lerista xanthura was occasionally active during the day. All three lizard species were active from September to May. Activity of Eremiascincus richardsonii and L. xanthura were significantly correlated with monthly mean daily maximum and minimum temperatures. The optimum temperature of L. punctatovittata was 28.8 °C in daytime retreats. Biomass ranged from 505-900 g/ha in E. richardsonii and from 968-1152 g/ha in L. punctatovittata. All three lizard species produced only one clutch per year. L. punctatovittata and E. richardsonii reached sexual maturity at the end of their second year, L. xanthura matured in its first year. The data show that subterranean lizard guilds have a different structure than diurnal and non-fossorial noctunal lizard assemblies. The data also indicate a correlation of late maturity and low reproductive effort in fossorial lizards.

scholarly journals The Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Stick-Nest Rat Middens in Australia

Radiocarbon ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart Pearson ◽  
Ewan Lawson ◽  
Lesley Head ◽  
Lynne McCarthy ◽  
John Dodson
Keyword(s):  
Arid Zone ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Temporal Patterns ◽  
Plant Distribution ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Distribution ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Logarithmic Decay ◽  
Natural Decay

The spatial and temporal distribution of 145 radiocarbon dates on 66 Australian stick-nest rat middens (Muridae: Leporillusspp.) range from modern to 10,900 ± 90 BP. As in American packrat middens, age frequency follows a logarithmic decay, both continentally and at major sites. This is probably a result of natural decay processes. Unlike American middens of similar age, relatively few range changes in plant distribution have been detected in Australia. The distribution of14C ages and the associated midden materials provide important paleoenvironmental information from the arid interior of Australia. The middens record subtle changes in vegetation and dramatic changes in the fauna unlike those interpreted from sites on the coastal rim or the southeastern periphery of the arid zone.

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