Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles, 3rd Edition

713 Pages·2008·150.07 MB·English

by  Laurie J. Vitt

Herpetology
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Herpetology
3rd Edition
Laurie J. Vitt and Janalee P. Caldwell
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
Department of Zoology
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
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Dedication
First and foremost, we dedicate this book to George entireseries.Finally,wededicatethisbooktoallresearch-
R. Zug, our former coauthor (see Herpetology: An Intro- ers,teachers,students,andamateurswhoshareacommon
ductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles, Second Edi- interestinamphibiansandreptiles(eventhoughthesetwo
tion), who,likeus,hadavisionofaherpetologytextbook groups are not closely related phylogenetically), and who
that would capture the interest of students who want to share the common goal of conserving these remarkable
learn about what we consider to be the most fascinating organisms and their natural habitats.
organisms on Earth. We also dedicate this book to Cole-
L. J. V. and J. P. C.
man and Olive Goin, pioneers in North American herpe-
tology whose original herpetology textbook led to this
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Contents
Foreword ix 9. Communication and Social Behavior 239
Acknowledgments xi
10. Foraging Ecology and Diets 271
Introduction xiii
11. Defense and Escape 297
Part 1
Part V
Evolutionary History
Ecology, Biogeography, and
Conservation Biology
1. Tetrapod Relationships and
Evolutionary Systematics 3
12. Ecology 327
2. Anatomy of Amphibians and Reptiles 35
13. Biogeography and Phylogeography 351
3. Evolution of Ancient and Modern
14. Conservation Biology 379
Amphibians and Reptiles 83
Part VI
Part II
Classification and Diversity
Reproduction and Reproductive
Modes
15. Caecilians 413
16. Salamanders 421
4. Reproduction and Life Histories 113
17. Frogs 435
5. Reproductive Modes 147
18. Turtles 483
Part III 19. Crocodylians 505
Physiological Ecology
20. Tuataras and Lizards 513
21. Snakes 551
6. Water Balance and Gas Exchange 169
7. Thermoregulation, Performance, and
Part VII
Energetics 191
Data Sources
Part IV
Bibliography 583
Behavioral Ecology
Glossary 667
Taxonomic Index 671
8. Spacing, Movements, and
Subject Index 691
Orientation 217
vii
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Foreword
Thediversityoflivingcreaturesonourplanetisextraordi- and can even tell the difference between a crocodile and
nary—andthus,tryingtounderstandhowthoseorganisms a lizard. And it is a major reason why there is immense
function, and how and why they do the things they do, is value in defining a scientific field based on evolutionary
an awesome challenge. To make the challenge a bit more relatedness of the creatures being studied, not just on
manageable, we traditionally divide the study of biology methods or concepts. So “herpetology” is a useful cate-
into many categories, some based on methodology (e.g., gory: If we really want to understand what animals do,
“microscopy” or “molecular biology”), some on function we can’t ignore the history behind each type of organism.
(e.g.,“ecology”or“physiology”),andsomeonrelatedness Manyofitsfeatureswillbedeterminedbythathistory,not
amongthethingsthataretobestudied(e.g.,“ornithology” by current forces.Becauseof thathistorical underpinning,
or “herpetology”). At first sight, this last way of slicing the most effective way to answer general questions in
thecake seems abit old-fashioned—surelywe can simply biology may be to work within one or more of those
askthesamequestionsandusethesamemethods,regard- major branches in the tree of life. Starting from common
lessofwhatkindoforganismwemightbestudying?Ifso, ancestors, we can see with much greater clarity how evo-
are traditional taxonomy-based divisions just historical lutionary forces have created rapid change in some cases
relics of the early naturalists, doomed to eventual extinc- (why are chameleons so incredibly weird compared with
tion by the rise of powerful conceptual and methodologi- other lizards?), have produced remarkably little change
cal advances? over vast timescales in others (can it really be true that
Nothing could be further from the truth. Entrancing as crocodiles are more closely related to birds than to
thenewapproachesandconceptualdivisionsare,thereal- lizards?), and have even generated convergent solutions
ity of life on Earth is that organisms do fall into instantly in distantly related species exposed to similar adaptive
recognizabletypes.Fewpeoplewouldmistakeatreefora challenges (like horned lizards in the deserts of North
lizard,orawhaleforaninsect.Thereasonissimple:Evo- America compared with thorny devils in the deserts of
lution is an historical process that creates biodiversity by Australia).
theaccumulationofsmallchangesalonggenealogies,with Alliedtothegreaterclaritythatcomesfromcomparing
the vast majority of species becoming extinct during that like to like, and including genealogy in our thinking, are
process. So the end result at any time in Earth’s history othergreatadvantagestotaxon-basedcategorieslike“her-
is a series of terminal branches from the great tree of petology.” Organisms are composites of many traits, and
life—terminal branches that form larger branches, that in these need to work together for the creature to function
turn coalesce to form even larger branches, and so forth. effectively. So we can’t really look at metabolic rate sep-
All the species within each of those larger branches share arately from foraging behavior, or social systems sepa-
common ancestors not shared by any species on the other rately from rates of water loss. Biology forges functional
branches, and as a result, the species within each branch links between systems that our conceptual and methodo-
resemble each other in many ways. For example, no logicalclassificationsystemswouldtreatinisolationfrom
amphibian embryo grows up with an amniotic membrane each other, ignoring their need for integration within a
around it in the egg, whereas every reptile embryo has functioning individual. And there are many other advan-
one. tages also. In a purely pragmatic sense, the methods that
Theevolutionaryconservatismofmajorcharacteristics we use to study animals—such as the ways we observe
such as metabolic rates, reproductive modes, feeding them, catch them, handle them, mark them, and follow
structures, and the like in turn have imposed evolutionary them around—depend enormously on many of the traits
pressures on myriad other features—and the end result is that differ so conspicuously between major vertebrate
that the diversity of life is packaged into a meaningful lineages. A textbook of herpetology can thus teach us
set of categories. That is the reason why most of us can more about how to study these animals than can a text-
easily distinguish a frog from any other kind of animal book focused on any single functional topic. And lastly,
ix