Ecology of the fringe-toed lizard, Uma notata, in Arizona's Mohawk Dunes Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Turner, Dale Scott, 1957- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 04/10/2021 13:59:57 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/278678 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Compaiqr 300 Noith Zeeb Road, Ann Aibor MI 48I06-I346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 ECOLOGY OF THE FRINGE-TOED LIZARD, UMA NOTATA, IN ARIZONA'S MOHAWK DUNES by Dale Scott Turner A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE WITH A MAJOR IN WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES SCIENCE In the Graduate College THE UMVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1998 UMI Number: 1392411 UMI Microform 1392411 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 2 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations fi-om this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgement of the source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation firom or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained fi-om the author. SIGNED: APPROVAL BY THESIS COMMITTEE This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: Cecil R. Schwalbe Assistant Professor of Wildlife and Fisheries Science William W. Shaw Date Professor of Wildlife and Fisheries Science Date Assistant Unit Leader Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Arizona Game and Fish Department provided funding for this research fix>m their Heritage Fund, HP AM Project #195042. The Environmental Programs office of Luke Air Force Base provided fimding for this research from the U.S. Air Force Legacy Resource Management Program, project #95-1009. The U.S. Air Force and The Nature Conservancy jointly provided support through the Air Force Intemship Program. Cecil Schwalbe provided invaluable guidance, support, and humor throughout this and other efforts. Stephen DeStefano helped with study design and survival analysis. Bill Shaw provided important direction on preparation of this thesis. Phil Rosen provided sage advice on study design and the meaning of it all. Bob Steidl gave vital statistical advice. Peter Warren helped arrange flmding and assisted in study site evaluation. Matt Goode laid much of the physical groundwork for research at the Mohawk Dunes. Jeff Rowland provided valuable review comments on an earlier version of this report. Mark Fisher of the University of Cahfomia's Deep Canyon Research Center generously shared his insights on Uma research. Bill Broyles pro\'ided weather data and rain gauges. Michelle Mooney donated marking materials. Many people provided hours or days of effort to help gather and process data, including Cris Cristoffer, Chuck Hayes, and Ellen Pahek from Luke AFB; Dan Bell, Matt Goode, Gene Hall, Chip Hedgcock, Peter Hohn, Phil Jenkins, Bob McCord, Ted Morgan, Carl Olson, Phi Pham, Jeff Seminoff, Jon Shumaker, Don Swann, and Bridget Watts from the University of Arizona; Rulon Clark, Chris Garrard, Joanna Garrard, April Young, and Kevin Young of Utah State University; Richard Felger, Julia Fonseca, Trevor Hare, Shawna Nelson, Bill Rick, Sean Sartorius, Wade Sherbrooke, Gerald Turner, Louise Turner, Tom VanDevender, and Jim Walsh. Additional help was given by members of three herpetology classes at the University of Arizona and other volimteers too numerous to acknowledge individually. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3 LIST OF TABLES 7 LIST OF HGURES 8 ABSTRACT 10 INTRODUCTION 11 Population estimates 13 Reproduction and juvenile emergence 13 Survival 13 Temperature and humidity effects 14 Home range 14 Territoriality and tail loss 15 Selection and characteristics of escape cover 15 Substrate selection 16 Diet 17 STUDY AREA 18 METHODS Field effort 23 Study grid 23 Lizard surveys 24 Pitfall traps 25 Lizard collections 26 Demographics 27 Population estimates 27 Reproduction and juvenile emergence 29 Survival 29 Temperatiore and humidity effects 30 Home range 31 Territoriality and tail loss 32 Selection and characteristics of escape cover 32 Substrate selection 34 Diet analysis 36 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS - Continued RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 38 DEMOGRAPfflCS Results 38 Discussion 41 POPULATION ESTIMATES Results 43 Biomass estimates 45 Discussion 46 REPRODUCTION AND JUVENILE EMERGENCE Results 49 Discussion 51 SURVIVAL Results 55 Discussion 56 TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY EFFECTS Results 57 Discussion 57 HOME RANGE Results and discussion 68 TERRITORIALITY AND TAIL LOSS Results : 75 Discussion 75 SELECTION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF ESCAPE COVER Results 78 Results from collections 80 Discussion 82 SUBSTRATE SELECTION Results 86 Discussion 87 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS - Continued SEASONAL AND ONTOGENETIC EFFECTS ON DIET Results 90 Discussion 97 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 101 MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS 103 APPENDIX A. Environmental data instruments: specifications and placement 105 APPENDIX B. Collection data for Uma notata specimens 106 APPENDIX C. Sighting locality data used for home range analysis 112 APPENDIX D. Individual home range sizes, with minimum convex polygon areas (MCP) and with adjustments of MCPs to correct for sample size bias 117 APPENDIX E. Taxonomic hst of lizard stomach contents, Mohawk Dunes, Yuma Co., Arizona 118 APPENDIX F. Taxonomic list of lizard stomach contents, Yuma Dimes, Yuma Co., Arizona 121 APPENDIX G. Statistical values for mass-length regression comparisons 122 APPENDIX H. Mohawk Dunes lizard transect results, 1994-1996 123 APPENDIX I. Capture data for marked Uma notata 125 LITERATURE CITED 129 7 LIST OF TABLES TABLE L Uma notata snout-vent length (mm), Mohawk Dunes, AZ 39 TABLE 2. Uma notata body mass (g), Mohawk Dimes, AZ 39 TABLE 3. All Uma notata seen on the study grid in a given year 39 TABLE 4. Grid residents: Uma notata seen ^ times on the study grid in a given year 40 TABLE 5. Grid transients: Uma notata seen ^ times on the study grid in a given year 40 TABLE 6. Uma notata captured in pitfall traps 41 TABLE 7. Uma notata seen (# per km) on transects, Mohawk Dunes, 1994-96 43 TABLE 8. Uma population densities in Mohawk Dimes and other areas 48 TABLE 9. Reproductive condition of adult male Uma notata 49 TABLE 10. Reproductive condition of adult female Uma notata 51 TABLE 11. Environmental and body temperatures (°C) of active Uma notata, 1995-1996 58 TABLE 12. Environmental temperatures (°C) and humidities (%) of active Uma notata, 1996 58 TABLE 13. Uma notata home ranges by year in the Mohawk Dunes, 1995-1996 72 TABLE 14. Uma notata home ranges by sex and size class in the Mohawk Dunes, 1995-1996 72 TABLE 15. Uma inomata home range sizes, from Muth and Fisher (1991) 73 TABLE 16. Available ground cover (%) on 2-ha study grid 78 TABLE 17. Cover types on study grid where Uma notata were found and to which they ran 80 TABLE 18. Cover types where collected Uma notata were found and to which they ran 82 TABLE 19. Mean percent ground cover in quadrats along Mohawk Dunes transects, March 1996 87 TABLE 20. Composition of the diet of Uma notata from the Mohawk Dunes, AZ, 1995-96 91 TABLE 21. Mean proportions of arthropod material volumes to total stomach content volumes 93 8 LIST OF HGURES FIGURE 1. Study sites in the Mohawk Dunes, Arizona 19 FIGURE 2. Monthly rainfall, Mohawk Dunes, AZ 22 FIGURE 3. Uma notata population estimates, Mohawk Dunes 44 FIGURE 4. Reproductive condition of adult male Uma notata, Mohawk Dunes, AZ 50 FIGURE 5. Size and date of captured juvenile Uma notata, Mohawk Dimes, 1995-96 ..54 FIGURE 6. Body temperatures of Uma notata, Mohawk Dunes, 1995-96 59 FIGURE 7. Surface temperatures for Uma sightings, Mohawk Dunes, 1995-96 59 FIGURE 8.