Download or read book Life History Variables of Dicamptodon Salamanders written by Lisa A. Wagner and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 123 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is good practice to fully understand components of an ecosystem if we hope to preserve its biodiversity. A problem is that we know very little about some organisms and nothing of others. Studies that investigate an organism's basic biological, ecological and physiological life history variables advance our knowledge of the species of interest and also offer insight about community structure and function. In this thesis I explore courtship behaviors, metamorphic tendencies and hematological parameters in two species of Dicamptodon salamanders (D. copei and D. tenebrosus). Ecologists examine blood to assess hematological responses to a plethora of factors including hormonal changes, parasites, reproductive status and environmental stressors. While hematologic principles are fairly conserved in vertebrates, blood tissue has evolved to match the organism with its environment and there is considerable diversity in hematological parameters across taxa. Therefore, it is necessary to collect species specific baseline data for comparison. In Chapter 2, I quantified relative white blood cells and erythrocyte dry volume measurements of both D. tenebrosus and D. copei in the wild and in captivity. No prior studies have evaluated the hematological parameters of Dicamptodon salamanders. My investigation revealed similar leukocyte ratios between species and between wild and captive D. tenebrosus, while leukocyte ratios of wild and captive D. copei were significantly different. Dicamptodon species and populations vary in metamorphic tendencies though the reasons for this variation are not known. In Chapter 3 I investigated the difference in metamorphic tendencies of D. copei and D. tenebrosus. First, I tested the hypotheses that high water inhibits and thermal stress induces metamorphosis. Neither lowered water, nor increased aquatic temperatures induced metamorphosis. Secondly, I compared thermal preferences of both species and found differences in the selection tendencies between species and between sizes of both species. Lastly, I stress responses of both species to 1.66o C, 21.11oC and 25o C water using a hematological approach. This study revealed significant differences in hematological stress indices between the two species. In Chapter 4, I explored the courtship behaviors of D. copei and D. tenebrosus and characterized each behavior and temporal pattern, using a phyloethological approach. I then compared these courtship behaviors between species and to that of the nearest salamander family, Ambystomatidae. The courtship patterns and behaviors were similar in both species, but they did not resemble the courtship patterns or behaviors of their sister taxon, Ambystoma.
Download or read book Speciation Phylogeography and Gene Flow in Giant Salamanders Dicamptodon written by Craig A. Steele and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Giant salamanders of the genus Dicamptodon occur in the Pacific Northwest of North America. The variety of geographic distributions and life history traits displayed among this genus provide opportunities to test hypotheses concerning regional biogeography, effects of Pleistocene glaciation, comparative phylogeography, and patterns of gene flow. A genus-level phylogeny was constructed to test competing biogeographic hypotheses concerning the disjunct distribution of the Idaho giant salamander (D. aterrimus ), and a Pleistocene speciation hypothesis for the Cope's giant salamander (D. copei). Results indicate speciation and distribution of D. aterrimus is attributable to the orogeny of the Cascade Mountains rather than recent inland dispersal and that D. copei is distantly related to other coastal species and likely originated much earlier than the Pleistocene. Patterns of intraspecific variation were examined for the widespread Pacific giant salamander (D. tenebrosus) and hypotheses concerning the location and number of Pleistocene refugia were tested. Results indicate that D. tenebrosus was restricted to two Pleistocene refugia, one in the Columbia River valley and another in the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains, and has recently expanded northward from these refugia into its current distribution. Phylogeographic patterns for D. copei were compared to that of the codistributed Van Dyke's salamander (Plethodon vandykei). Results reveal that sympatric populations displayed identical phylogeographic topologies, suggesting shared evolutionary histories, but topologies were ultimately incongruent due to several highly divergent allopatric populations of D. copei. Comparative patterns of genetic population structure were examined for sympatric populations of D. tenebrosus and D. copei. Results indicate that the metamorphosing species, D. tenebrosus, displayed a lack of population structure while the non-metamorphosing species, D. copei, displayed a larger degree of population structure. These results help explain the phylogeographic patterns presented for each species. The large distribution and post-glacial expansion by D. tenebrosus was facilitated by its high dispersal ability while the low dispersal ability of D. copei lead to a small and fragmented geographic range and greater phylogeographic structure within its range. These results suggest that understanding life history variation on a local scale can lead to a better understanding of the mechanistic underpinnings of species' distributions in general.
Download or read book The Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders written by Richard C. Bruce and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume offers a state-of-the-art overview of plethodontid salamanders. Readers will find the best current understanding of many aspects of the evolution, systematics, development, morphology, life history, ecology, and field methodology of these animals.
Download or read book Geographic Variation in Dicamptodon Ensatus Eschscholtz with Notes on Life History and Zoogeography written by Ronald Archie Nussbaum and published by . This book was released on 1968 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Salamanders of the Family Plethodontidae written by Emmett Reid Dunn and published by . This book was released on 1926 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Salamanders of the Old World written by Max Sparreboom and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2014-09-08 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Salamanders of the Old World is a new in-depth reference work covering all the salamander species of Europe, Asia, and North Africa. A marvellous addition for the herp community that comes recommended for researchers, managers, conservationists, students, and salamander enthusiasts. Salamanders of the Old World • features information on biology and life history of salamanders • includes over 150 species of Europe, Asia, and North Africa • richly illustrated • focuses on habitat, behaviour, and reproduction • information on identification, eggs and larvae, and threats and species conservation • distribution maps for all species • an extensive reference list. Published in cooperation between KNNV Publishing and Naturalis Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands).
Download or read book Life Story of a Salamander written by Charlotte Guillain and published by Raintree. This book was released on 2014-07-17 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book tells the life story of a salamander, using simple, concise text and stunning photographs. Read it to discover the unique life cycle and metamorphosis undergone by this fascinating amphibian as it changes from an egg to a fully grown adult.
Download or read book Scale Dependent Genetic Structure of Idaho Giant Salamanders Dicamptodon Aterrimus in Stream Networks written by Lindy Beth Mullen and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stream network structure constrains population processes of freshwater organisms, with individual, population and community level consequences. This consistent structure provides a framework in which examination of life-history influences on population genetic structure may provide general insight. I examined how stream network structure affects gene flow and genetic structure of the facultatively paedomorphic Idaho Giant salamander, Dicamptodon aterrimus in Idaho and Montana, USA. I used microsatellite data to test population structure models by (i) examining hierarchical partitioning of genetic variation in stream networks and (ii) testing for genetic isolation by distance along stream corridors versus overland pathways. Replicated sampling of streams within catchments within three river basins revealed that stream hierarchical scales had strong effects on gene flow and genetic structure. AMOVA identified significant structure among all hierarchical levels (among streams, among catchments, among basins), and divergence among catchments had the greatest structural influence. Isolation by distance was detected within catchments, and in-stream distance was a strong predictor of genetic divergence. Patterns of genetic divergence suggest that differentiation among streams within catchments was driven by limited migration according to the stream hierarchy model, but divergence among catchments and among basins was due to genetic drift, consistent with the death valley model of population structure (Meffe and Vrijenhoek 1988). These results show the strong influence of stream networks on population structure and genetic divergence of a salamander with contrasting effects at different hierarchical scales.
Download or read book The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians written by Kentwood D. Wells and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2010-02-15 with total page 1162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Consisting of more than six thousand species, amphibians are more diverse than mammals and are found on every continent save Antarctica. Despite the abundance and diversity of these animals, many aspects of the biology of amphibians remain unstudied or misunderstood. The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians aims to fill this gap in the literature on this remarkable taxon. It is a celebration of the diversity of amphibian life and the ecological and behavioral adaptations that have made it a successful component of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Synthesizing seventy years of research on amphibian biology, Kentwood D. Wells addresses all major areas of inquiry, including phylogeny, classification, and morphology; aspects of physiological ecology such as water and temperature relations, respiration, metabolism, and energetics; movements and orientation; communication and social behavior; reproduction and parental care; ecology and behavior of amphibian larvae and ecological aspects of metamorphosis; ecological impact of predation on amphibian populations and antipredator defenses; and aspects of amphibian community ecology. With an eye towards modern concerns, The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians concludes with a chapter devoted to amphibian conservation. An unprecedented scholarly contribution to amphibian biology, this book is eagerly anticipated among specialists.
Download or read book Behavioral Ecology of the Eastern Red backed Salamander written by Robert G. Jaeger and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016-08-04 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The small, terrestrial eastern red-backed salamander is abundant on many forest floors of northeastern North America. Dr. Robert Jaeger and many of his graduate students spent over 50 years studying this species in New York and Virginia, using ecological techniques in forests and behavioral experiments in laboratory chambers in an attempt to understand how this species interacts with other species in the forest and the components of its intra- and intersexual social behaviors. The competitive and social behaviors of this species are unusually complex for an amphibian. This species is highly aggressive towards other similar-size species where they cohabit in forests, often leading to very little geographic overlap between the species. The authors examine the fascinating behavioral traits of this species including social monogamy, mutual mate guarding, sexual coercion, inter-species communication, and conflict resolution.
Download or read book Behavioral Ecology of the Eastern Red backed Salamander written by Robert Jaeger and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines over fifty years of research of the red-backed salamander
Download or read book Handbook of Salamanders written by Sherman Chauncey Bishop and published by . This book was released on 1962 with total page 584 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Feeding Ecology of Larvae of the Pacific Giant Salamander Dicamptodon Tenebrosus and Their Role as Top Predator in a Headwater Stream Benthic Community written by Michael S. Parker (Professor of biology) and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Trackways of Living and Fossil Salamanders written by Frank Elmer Peabody and published by . This book was released on 1959 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Papers on Life History of American Salamanders written by and published by . This book was released on 1891 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Salamanders written by Bill Ivy and published by Grolier. This book was released on 1988 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes the physical characteristics, habits, and habitats of the salamander.
Download or read book Salamanders written by Robin Nelson and published by Lerner Publications. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A basic overview of the life cycle of salamanders.
