Download or read book Variable Habitat Selection and Space Use Among Bullsnake Pituophis Catenifer Sayi Populations written by Tera Edkins and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The distribution of resources determines space use and habitat selection by snakes. Particularly in northern areas, the proximity of overwintering den sites to summering habitat likely influences space use. The resources driving seasonal movements among habitats may vary among populations and thus, space and habitat requirements may also vary. In addition, human modification may affect resource use by altering available habitats and resources. Although previous studies have reported differences in spatial ecology among populations, the driving factors of this variation remain to be addressed for many species. Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) reach their northern range limits in southern Saskatchewan, where they are currently listed as Data Deficient by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Many studies have focused on core range areas, while northern studies have focused on one population in the Frenchman River Valley, Saskatchewan. The habitat and space requirements identified in these previous studies, however, may not be relevant to all bullsnake populations. I examined bullsnake space and habitat use among independent populations in three river valleys (Frenchman River, South Saskatchewan River, and Big Muddy Valleys) in Saskatchewan, with varying habitat types (natural and anthropogenic) and availability. I tracked bullsnakes using radio-telemetry, estimated home range areas and movement patterns, and measured third and fourth order habitat selection. The objectives of my research were (1) to examine the extent to which habitat selection and space use may vary among populations and (2) to identify important habitat features in common among snakes from different populations. Saskatchewan bullsnakes demonstrated variable space use and movement patterns among populations, exceeding space use requirements previously observed in southern areas. One population (Big Muddy Valley), on average, used 2.7 to 3 times less space, travelled 2.3 to 2.7 times shorter distances from overwintering sites, and had greater home range overlap than snakes from the other populations (Frenchman and South Saskatchewan River Valleys). This suggests that bullsnakes in the Big Muddy Valley had a closer spatial association between seasonal habitats. Bullsnakes appear to be flexible in terms of their third order habitat selection. Native habitats were used as expected across all valleys, but human-modified habitats were used at different frequencies across populations. These differences in habitat selection among populations are most likely due to differences in habitat availability among landscapes. Fourth habitat selection, however, was similar among populations, with bullsnakes selecting for sites typically within 1 m of a refuge site (including burrows, cement pads, and rock piles). It appears that bullsnakes occupy variable-sized home ranges and move variable distances. Bullsnakes also appear to be flexible in terms of how they meet resource requirements across their geographic range via habitat selection at a broad spatial scale. My study did find, however, that at a fine spatial scale refuge sites are an important habitat feature for bullsnakes. Conservation and management strategies are typically broad and are implemented as if populations of the same species have similar habitat requirements. However, my results indicate that this is not the case. As such, management plans may not be applicable to all populations.
Download or read book The Influence of Weather Time of Season and Time of Day on Bullsnake Pituophis Atenifer Sayi Thermoregulation and Habitat Selection written by Noah Brian Johnson and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The grasslands of Western Canada are exposed to one of the most variable terrestrial climates on Earth. Ectothermic reptiles such as the bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi) must respond to this variation by altering their behaviour over daily and seasonal scales. In Chapter 2, I addressed questions regarding the extent to which bullsnakes thermoregulate. I examined how body temperatures (Tb) varied with available operative temperatures (Te) over an active season at a site in southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada. Bare ground Te was variable (x̄ min = 9.3, x̄ max = 31.4°C) and was outside voluntary limits (15 - 35°C) 45 % of the time. However, burrows created by mammals provided stable thermal conditions that remained within voluntary ranges for 93 % of the active season. Bullsnakes should not need to move far to thermoregulate because of thermal gradients (up to 27.2°C in less than 1 m) formed between burrows and patches of sun-exposed bare ground. Time of day, day of year, and bare ground Te (R2 = 0.578) were useful predictors of Tb (x̄ min = 20.1, x̄ max = 29.1°C). Bullsnakes thermoregulated by conforming to Te near their preferred range (21 to 27°C), selecting locations that enabled heating up below this range, and avoiding warmth above this range. My results support the hypothesis that predicts reptiles will thermoregulate more when environmental temperatures deviate from preferred ranges, and when energetic costs of movement are lower due to high thermal heterogeneity. Despite the extreme surface temperatures of high-latitude grasslands, thermoregulation may be easier for snakes than in high-latitude forests due to the thermal gradients available because of burrows in areas exposed to sun. In Chapter 3, I examined the influence of time (time of day, day of year) and weather (temperature, humidity, and precipitation) on a suite of behaviours in 4 bullsnake populations in Saskatchewan. I studied variation in 4th order use and selection for burrows, concealment probability, relocation probability, and movement distances. Bullsnakes altered behaviours in response to time and weather. The greatest variation was explained for concealment (R2 = 0.244) and 4th order habitat selection (R2 = 0.144 - 0.169). However, 4th order habitat use (R2 = 0.0366), relocation (R2 = 0.0419), and movements (R2 = 0.025 - 0.071) were relatively unpredictable based on time and weather variables. Movement distances were particularly variable among individuals. Overall bullsnake activity was highest in spring and during afternoons. Poor weather and unfavourable temperatures were avoided. Humidity was more important than expected. Humidity (or precipitation) was negatively associated with activity in spring or at cool temperatures, but positively associated with activity in summer or at hot temperatures. I suggest that current management recommendations for bullsnakes are valid. However, sample biases could create the false appearance of different habitat requirements among populations if weather conditions, time of day, or season were to differ among studies. Time and weather were useful for predicting the probability of finding bullsnakes on the surface (AUC = 0.8015) and should be used to forecast optimal conditions for surveys. Snake behaviour is often considered to be unpredictable, but the results of Chapter 2 and 3 suggest that weather variables and time are important for predicting bullsnake behaviour, and particularly general surface activity. Behaviours varied widely over the active season, and the effects of time and weather variables were context dependent. My thesis highlights the importance of long study periods under a wide range of conditions to understand the ecology of reptiles in highly seasonal environments.
Download or read book Bullsnakes Pituophis Catenifer Sayi in Alberta written by Kelley J. Kissner and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Bullsnakes Pituophis Catenifer Sayi in Alberta written by Kelley Joan Kissner and published by Alberta Public Affairs Bureau. This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Snakes of Iowa written by Joseph Edward Guthrie and published by . This book was released on 1926 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Herpetological Osteopathology written by Bruce M. Rothschild and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-01-05 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As scientific analysis of testable hypotheses has replaced the speculative approach to study of bone disease in recent and fossil amphibians and reptiles, the field has advanced from simply reporting observations to analyzing their implications. This process is predicated upon a reproducible data base which explains/diagnoses the nature of bony alterations and a secure review of the literature. Thereby hangs the rub. The herpetological literature are difficult to access (let alone read) and are scattered through many prominent and eclectic journals and in the lay literature. While older diagnoses often have not stood the test of time, the clarity of report descriptions usually allows confident identification of the underlying pathology.
Download or read book Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico written by Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Committee on Standard English and Scientific Names and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Amphibians and Reptiles Native to Minnesota written by Barney Oldfield and published by U of Minnesota Press. This book was released on 1994 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers substantial information designed for use by both amateurs and specialists and useful to residents of other Upper Midwest states and bordering Canadian provinces as well. Introductory chapters present the history of herpetology in Minnesota, the preferred habitats of these species, techniques
Download or read book Sexual Size Differences in Reptiles written by Henry Sheldon Fitch and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Descriptors: reptiles, sexual dimorphism.
Download or read book Amphibians and Reptiles written by Walter E. Meshaka and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meshaka (zoology and botany, State Museum of Pennsylvania) and Babbitt (natural resources, University of New Hampshire) gather a cross-section of researchers to address the conservation of Florida's rich but imperiled herpetofauna. The 27 contributions represent original research, essays, and reviews that identify threats to amphibians and reptiles and to the system that supports them. The editors provide a consensus on the most important threats and offer recommendations for conserving the state's herpetofauna. Annotation : 2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).
Download or read book Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Illinois written by Christopher A. Phillips and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2022-06-28 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second edition of the Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Illinois offers up-to-date information on the state’s 102 species of frogs and toads, salamanders, turtles, lizards, and snakes. Detailed descriptions by the authors include habitats, distinguishing features, behaviors, and other facts, while revised range maps and full-color photographs help users recognize animals in the field. In addition, an identification key and easy-to-navigate page layouts guide readers through extensive background material on each species' population, diet, predators, reproduction, and conservation status. A one-of-a-kind resource, the Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Illinois is a definitive guide aimed at biologists, teachers, students, wildlife specialists, natural resource managers, conservationists, law enforcement officials, landowners, hobbyists, and everyone else eager to explore herpetology and nature in the Prairie State.
Download or read book Windows into the Earth written by Robert B. Smith and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2000-05-25 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Millions of years ago, the North American continent was dragged over the world's largest continental hotspot, a huge column of hot and molten rock rising from the Earth's interior that traced a 50-mile wide, 500-mile-long path northeastward across Idaho. Generating cataclysmic volcanic eruptions and large earthquakes, the hotspot helped lift the Yellowstone Plateau to more than 7,000 feet and pushed the northern Rockies to new heights, forming unusually large glaciers to carve the landscape. It also created the jewel of the U.S. national park system: Yellowstone. Meanwhile, forces stretching apart the western U.S. created the mountainous glory of Grand Teton National Park. These two parks, with their majestic mountains, dazzling geysers, and picturesque hot springs, are windows into the Earth's interior, revealing the violent power of the dynamic processes within. Smith and Siegel offer expert guidance through this awe-inspiring terrain, bringing to life the grandeur of these geologic phenomena as they reveal the forces that have shaped--and continue to shape--the greater Yellowstone-Teton region. Over seventy illustrations--including fifty-two in full color--illuminate the breathtaking beauty of the landscape, while two final chapters provide driving tours of the parks to help visitors enjoy and understand the regions wonders. Fascinating and informative, this book affords us a striking new perspective on Earth's creative forces.
Download or read book A Kansas Snake Community written by Henry Sheldon Fitch and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Kansas Snake Community summarizes findings from a field of study of 49 consecutive years on the 18 species of snakes presented on the University of Kansas' Natural History Reservation, or adjoining sections of land, and is based on more than 31,000 capture records. Individual histories were investigated by mark-and-recapture and radiotelemetry, and reveal information about seasonal schedules, food, reproduction, growth, survivorship and responses to weather and climate.
Download or read book Francis W Cushman late a Representative from Washington written by United States. 61st Cong., 2d sess., 1909-1910 and published by . This book was released on 1910 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Handbook for Ranking Exotic Plants for Management and Control written by Ronald D. Hiebert and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri written by Jeffrey T. Briggler and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Ecology and Management of Eastern Oregon Forests written by William H. Emmingham and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
