Tropical Ecology & Sustainability – Herpetology Unit – 2010
Questions to accompany the reading “Pough et al. 2004, Chpt. 1”
The following questions will serve as a source of questions for the exam. We will likely discuss many of these topics while we are in the field together.
Enjoy! Dr. Cossel
¿What are the three groups of extant amphibians AND which group is the most speciose?
¿Are these groups best considered Phyla, Classes, Orders, or Families?
¿With regards to their skin… how do amphibians and reptiles approach the problem of limited water in deserts?
¿What major anatomical feature distinguishes urodela from anura?
¿What is unique about the utilization of the hyoid apparatus in Plethodontid salamanders compared to other salamanders?
¿What is meant by the term paedomorphism?
¿What is a major anatomical feature of caecilians?
¿Technically, considering reptiles in the “every day” usage of the term does NOT include what group of organisms?
¿What is unique about the placement of the limb girdles (pelvis etc.) in turtles, compared to other vertebrates?
¿What is the group (name) that includes lizards and snakes?
¿What external feature do lizards and snakes share?
T or F? Leglessness has evolved more than once among snakes and lizards.
Which group is more closely related to birds… squamates or crocodiles?
¿Primitive, lizard-like reptiles in the group Rhyncocephalia are called ______by indigenous Maori, and are restricted to what geographic locale?
¿What is a major conservation threat for Rhyncocephalians?
¿What major physiological feature do amphibians and reptiles share that sets them apart from birds and mammals?
¿What is the heat source of endotherms (example squirrels)?
¿What three factors make ectothermic lizards so much more energy efficient than endothermic squirrels?
¿Why are there so many species of amphibians and reptiles with small body sizes and relatively few species of birds and mammals that small?
¿What are some of the threats facing the long-term survival of amphibian and reptile species?