Last Updated 03 May 2006
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Herpetology 483/583 Syllabus, Spring 2006

Evolving Course Schedule

Chapter assignments are from Pough et al. text (3rd edition).
Other readings, denoted by author and year, should have links here.

Field Trips and Important Assignment Dates Also Noted

 

Part 1 - What they are and where they are:

WEEK 1

12 Jan

Lect. 1 (or as 6 slides/page) : Introductions and Syllabus; Read: CH1

Lab: Introduction - (2006 Herp Lab Overview, 2006 Herp Course Species/Specimen List, 2006 Herp Field Trip Information)

WEEK 2

17 Jan

Lect. 2 (or as 6 slides/page) : Vertebrate Evolution, Tetrapods, Amphib Origins; Read: CH2

Lab: Amphibians (~Urodela)

19 Jan

Lect. 3 (or as 6 slides/page) : Amphibs con’t, Amniotes, Reptile Origins; Read: CH2

Lab: Taxonomy and Dichotomous Keys; Read: Stebbins 1949 (Part I) , (Part II); Wake et al. 1986

WEEK 3

24 Jan

Lect. 4 (or as 6 slides/page) :Amphibs (Urodela, begin Anura); Read: CH3

Lab: Frogs I; (Frog Lab Handout 2006)

26 Jan

Lect. 5 (or as 6 slides/page) :Amphibs (Anura); Read: CH3

Lab: Goliath Frogs etc., Taylor Edwards

FT1 28 Jan ASDM (optional) Meet at Main Entrance of Desert Museum at 0855; Personal transportation needed

WEEK 4

31 Jan

Lect. 6 (or as 6 slides/page) : Reptiles (Crocodylia, Lepidosauria); Read: CH4
Optional Reading: Plumwood Croc Attack ~2001

Lab: Frogs II, (same handout as last week) ;
Short Lab Lecture on Field Notes and Kitt Peak

Short Write-Up I Due at beginning of lecture Thurs. 02 Feb

 02 Feb

Lect. 7 (or as 6 slides/page) : Reptiles (Lepidosauria, Squamata); Read: CH4
(Note that slides 4-41 in the lecture 7 files are identical to slides 73-110 from the lecture 6 files.)
Optional Reading: Slowinski Krait Bite ~2001

Lab: Leopard Frogs in the Rincon Mts, Don Swann, NPS; Read: Hanken 1999, Blaustein and Johnson 2003

Thurs 02 Feb: Note that Don Swann will speak in the lecture time slot and Kevin Bonine will lecture in each of your labs for part of the time.

WEEK 5

07 Feb

Lect. 8 (or as 6 slides/page): Reptiles (Chelonia); Read: CH4

Ed Moll, guest speaker

Lab: Turtles (Turtle Lab Handout 2006, Key to Turtle Lab Families)

09 Feb

Lect. 9 (or as 6 slides/page): Reptiles (Chelonia and Serpentes con't); Read: CH4

Lab: Dissections and Specimen Prep; Three Handouts:
Specimen Tag Labels
Fixing and Preparing Specimens
Dissection Tips

WEEK 6

14 Feb

Lect. 10 EXAM 1 (covers Pough et al. 2004 Chapters 1-4 and other readings and material)

EXAM I from 2003
EXAM I from 2004
EXAM I from 2005
EXAM I KEY from 2006 (please see us about scoring problems by 03 March 2006; after that we will not change scores)
2006 Review Sheet for First Exam
2005 Review Sheet for First Exam
OLD 2004 Review Sheet for First Exam (or as PDF)

Lab: Crocs and Tuatara, (Croc and Tuatara Lab Handout)
Dissections and Specimen Prep. (Read: same as Thursday last week)

16 Feb

Lect. 11 (or as 6 slides/page): Biogeography; Read: CH5

Optional Reading: Zug et al. 2001, Biogeography Section
Optional Reading: Duellman and Trueb 1986, Biogeography Chapter

Lab: Dissections and Specimen Prep. con't

FT2 18 Feb (Saturday) Kitt Peak (optional, but HIGHLY ENCOURAGED), vans will leave south side BSE (Highland Ave. and 4th St.) at 0830h (likely return ~1600h)




Part 2 - How and why they do what they do:

WEEK 7

21 Feb

Lect. 12 (or as 6 slides/page): Finish Biogeography; Read: CH5

Lab: Review for Practical

23 Feb

Lect. 13 (or as 6 slides/page): Temperature and Water; Read: CH6, Shoemaker et al. 1992

Lab: First Lab Practical

WEEK 8

28 Feb

Lect. 14 (or as 6 slides/page): Energetics and Performance; Read: CH7, Wilson et al 2002

Lab: Lizards I

February Short Write-Up Due in lecture 02 March

02 Mar

Lect. 15 (or as 6 slides/page): Energetics and Performance; Read: CH7, Wilson et al 2002

Lab: Phrynosoma and Anolis Feeding Morphology, Jay Meyers, Guest

FT3 04 Mar Heloderma and atrox etc. (optional), vans leave south side BSE 0705h; meet with R. Repp
Three of Gordon Schuett's recent papers:
Sullivan et al. 2004, Gila monster translocations (don't work)
Schuett et al. 2005, Boa constrictor skeleton plasticity
Schuett et al. 2005 (Animal Behavior), Rattlesnakes, mating systems, and sex steroids

WEEK 9

07 Mar

Lect. 16 (or as 6 slides/page): Body Support and Locomotion; Read: CH10

Lab: Lizards II

09 Mar

Lect. 17 (or as 6 slides/page): Body Support and Locomotion; Read: CH10

Lab: Field Methods (we may postpone this discussion)

 

SB 11-19 Mar 2006 SPRING BREAK

WEEK 10

21 Mar

Lect. 18 (or as 6 slides/page): Reproduction and Development (reptiles, CH9 and Janzen 1994)

Lab: Snakes I (Snake Lab Handout 2006)

23 Mar

Lect. 19 (or as 6 slides/page): Reproduction and Development in Amphibians (CH8)

Lab: continue Snakes I; Herp Collecting Practices - Matt Goode, guest speaker (at 1330h)
Please read: Goode et al. in JWM, and Goode et al. 2005

FT4 25 Mar , Tortoise Searches with Erin Zylstra (optional), vans leave south side BSE at 0806h

WEEK 11

28 Mar

Lect. 20 (or as 6 slides/page): Horned Lizard Biology; Wade Sherbrooke, Guest

Lab: continue with Snakes II (see handout from last week), guest speaker Melissa Amarello
Crotalus cerberus, very different colors of same individual

30 March

Lect. 21 EXAM 2 (Chapters 5-10 in Pough et al.)

2006 Review Questions for 2nd Exam
EXAM II from 2005
2nd Exam from 2004 (did not cover biogeography; did cover feeding which is not on the 2005 2nd exam)
EXAM II from 2003

Lab: continue snakes II and short lab lecture: Twinspot Rattlesnakes - D. Prival, Guest Speaker

31 March 2006, Field Notes Due to KEB's office (or turn in on 30 March in lab)

WEEK 12

March Short Write-Up Due in Lecture 04 April

04 Apr

Lect. 22 (or as 6 slides/page): Alien Species and Declining Amphibians; Read: Rosen and Schwalbe 2002; Cecil Schwalbe, Guest Speaker
2005 lecture file (or as 6 slides/page)

Lab: Snakes III and short lab lecture: Chip Cochran

FT5 06 Apr Bouse Dunes (required of all students), meet 0930h to pack and leave at 1015h from south side BSE
FT5 07 Apr Bouse Dunes (required of all students)
FT5 08 Apr Bouse Dunes (required of all students)
FT5 09 Apr Bouse Dunes (required of all students), leave Bouse midday with expected 1800h return to Tucson



Part 3 - Gettin' around, gettin' it on, etc.:

WEEK 13

11 Apr

Lect. 23 Herps of Vietnam - Hans-Werner Herrmann, Guest Speaker

Lab: Bouse Data Entry, Project Assistance, Review Specimens

13 Apr

Lect. 24 (or as 6 slides/page): Feeding (CH11 and Deban et al. 1997) OPTIONAL: Fry et al. 2005, Nature paper about reptilian venom evolution.

Lab: Bouse Data Entry, Project Assistance, Review Specimens

WEEK 14

18 Apr

Lect. 25 (or as 6 slides/page): Movements and Orientation (CH12), begin Communication (CH13)

Lab: PRACTICAL TWO

20 Apr

Lect. 26 (or as 6 slides/page): Communication (CH13)

Lab: Herp Veterinarian Issues, Jim Jarchow, Guest

FT6 22 April Sycamore Canyon (optional), vans leave south side BSE at 0700h

Turn in first draft of semester project manuscript Fri 21 April (by 1700h to BSE1D) OR Mon 24 April (by1400h to BSE1D)

WEEK 15

25 Apr

Lect. 27 (or as 6 slides/page): Species Assemblages; Read: Ch16 - David Hall, guest speaker

Lab: Project Paper Peer Review

27 Apr

Lect. 28 (or as 6 slides/page): Conservation; Read: CH17, Whitfield Gibbons et al. 2000, and Rodda et al. 1997; Tony Dee, guest speaker

Lab: Cane Toads Video, T-shirt discussion; Project Assistance, Powerpoint Tips (optional: come with oral presentation file so we can help)

FT7 29 April Happy Valley (optional), vans leave south side BSE at 0700h

WEEK16+

Monday 01 May: Turn in final semester project manuscript by 2000h

 02 May

Lect. 29 (or as 6 slides/page): Finish Communication; Mating Systems, Foraging Ecology; Wrap Up and Evaluations; Read: CH13-15

Lab: Student Oral Presentations (ppt file to KEBonine by 0930h today)


Turn in Field Notes (and a copy of them) by 05 May 2006 Friday 1700h

April Short Write-Up also Due Friday 05 May by 1700h

09 May (Tuesday) FINAL EXAM (in normal lecture room; (8-10am; cumulative)

2006 Review Sheet for third portion of course (posted 03 May 2006).
2005 Review Sheet for third portion of course (posted 06 May 2005).
2004 Review Sheet for third portion of course (or as PDF)



Back to Herp Course Home Page 2006