Session 8: General Herpetology IIRoom: Ballroom 111B2022-07-28 15:30 - 16:30 |
| Moderator: Andrew Durso |
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1. 15:30 Crocodiles in Paradise: historical and recent arrivals of Crocodiles to São Tomé Island, Gulf of Guinea, Africa. Luis M. Ceriaco*, Museu de História Natural e da Ciência, Universidade do Porto; Mariana Marques, CIBIO luisceriaco@gmail.com
Crocodilians are known to endure long travels in saltwater and surf ocean currents to travel between islands. This has allowed the genus Crocodylus to cross the Atlantic and colonize the Americans around 7 million years ago. In the West Coast of Africa the presence of crocodiles is known in several continental islands, such as Bioko (Equatorial Guinea) or the Bijagós archipelago (Guinea Bissau), but not much in oceanic islands. Situated at approximately 250 km west of the coast of Gabon, São Tomé Island (São Tomé & Principe) is an oceanic island known for its extraordinary number of endemic species across all taxonomic groups. No species of Crocodiles occur permanently in the island, but historical reports record the presence of a crocodile population in the island by the early 1500s, when the first European settlers arrived. This population was extirpated and no more records of crocodiles in the island have been reported until recently, when in April 2021 a female Nile Crocodile,Crocodylus niloticus, appeared in the southeastern beaches of the island. Here we present an overview of the historical presence of crocodilians in the island as well as present evidence on the path used by the recently arrived C. niloticus. A combination of molecular evidence, sea current modelling and historical data elucidates this arrival and sheds light to the colonization of oceanic island by continental vertebrates. |
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2. 15:45 A Sawback is a Sawback is a Sawback: Diet and Habitat-Related Variation in Body Size of the Turtle Graptemys oculifera. Peter V. Lindeman*, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania; Will Selman, Millsaps College; Robert L. Jones, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science edinboroeco@gmail.com
Map turtles and sawbacks (Graptemys) sort by female head width into three categories: microcephalic females of five species eat few mollusks, mesocephalic females of four species eat moderately high amounts of mollusks, and megacephalic females of five species eat mollusks almost exclusively. Among the microcephalic species are the three sawbacks. Although G. nigrinoda and G. flavimaculata are sponge specialists, two dietary studies of G. oculifera did not report sponges and also lacked comparison of male and female diets. We examined G. oculifera diet and found that they likewise fed primarily on sponges, as well as insects. In addition, females consumed algae, Asian clams, and, in a coastal population, dark false mussels. Similar results with respect to spongivory and coastal molluscivory have been reported for both other sawbacks. In low-gradient river reaches near the coast, body sizes of G. oculifera were skewed toward larger individuals compared to populations inhabiting sandbar-dominated inland reaches; they also were similarly skewed at the confluences of two streams with the inland Ross Barnett Reservoir. Large body sizes occur in coastal populations of other Graptemys species, including both other sawbacks. The three allopatric sawbacks thus show a pattern of niche conservatism, with vicariant divergence as ecological analogues. The fact that G. oculifera populations at the two confluences with a large reservoir showed the same trend in body size as at the downstream sites near the coast suggest that thermal stability promoting biological production may be the primary reason for large body size in sluggish stream reaches. |
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3. 16:00 The ZooMu Initiative: Enhancing the Value of Zoo Collections to Advancing Biological Sciences by Bridging the Gap Between Zoos & Museums. Gregory Watkins-Colwell*, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History; Alexander Shepack, Notre Dame University; Steven Whitfield, Zoo Miami; Sinlan Poo, Memphis Zoo gregory.watkins-colwell@yale.edu
Like museums, zoos and aquariums hold a wealth of biological resources in their collections that are unique to these institutions. As modern zoological institutions transition from exhibits to conservation organizations, zoos are starting to focus on ways to enhance their contributions to the advancement of biological sciences. Driven by this need, in 2021 iDigBio hosted a 3-day workshop bringing together zoo and museum professionals and researchers in the larger scientific community to discuss plans for improved access to zoo collections and increased collaboration across institutions. Thus began the ZooMu initiative. These efforts catalyzed a much-needed discourse on the underutilization and appreciation for living and preserved collections and the tremendous capacity they hold for scientific research and biodiversity conservation. The similarities between traditional museums of natural history and living collections are numerous; including databases, archiving, biological sample collection and care, as well as the more obvious shared interests in biodiversity conservation and education. The cultures may differ, but zoos and museums share may goals. This presentation will summarize where things are now and what the next steps are. |
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4. 16:15 Online instruction of herpetology for gifted students. El Metler*, Agnes Scott College metler553@agnesscott.edu
Online instruction is a growing industry in education, providing opportunities for students to access courses remotely. However, herpetology instruction has a large focus on providing live animals for students to interact with, which can not be done online. Some online resources for herpetology exist, but very few to none exist below the college level. Because of this, experimentation has been being implemented into creating an online herpetology course for interested students in the gifted elementary and middle school demographic, via the Athena’s Advanced Academy online provider. The provider uses a combination of the “classroom” containing forums, website URLs, and embedded files and live classes using audio and Powerpoint slides or images. Webcams are not used. Via these available resources, an 8-week class covering the basics of herpetology was produced. Each week focused on a different group of reptiles or amphibians, with the first week covering their basic characteristics. The weeks were as follows: Reptile and Amphibian Characteristics, Snakes, Lizards, Chelonians, Crocodilians, Frogs, Other Amphibians, and a final week focusing on student presentations on topics in herpetology that interested them. The live sessions included Powerpoint slides covering characteristics of the group that week focused on with opportunities for student discussion and questions as well as images and information about various particularly notable members of the group and overviews of conservation concerns to the featured group. Overall, students’ reviews of the course were positive and included mention that they were satisfied with the instruction and content of the course. |