DOCSLIB.ORG

Macroevolution of Microhabitat, Climate, and Morphology in Lungless Salamanders (Family: Plethodontidae)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Macroevolution of Microhabitat, Climate, and Morphology in Lungless Salamanders (Family: Plethodontidae) Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2020 Macroevolution of microhabitat, climate, and morphology in lungless salamanders (Family: Plethodontidae). Erica Karin Baken Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Recommended Citation Baken, Erica Karin, "Macroevolution of microhabitat, climate, and morphology in lungless salamanders (Family: Plethodontidae)." (2020). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 17970. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/17970 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Macroevolution of microhabitat, climate, and morphology in lungless salamanders (Family: Plethodontidae). by Erica Karin Baken A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program of Study Committee: Dean Adams, Major Professor Jeanne Serb Nicole Valenzuela Tracy Heath Gregory Courtney Philip Dixon The student author, whose presentation of the scholarship herein was approved by the program of study committee, is solely responsible for the content of this dissertation. The Graduate College will ensure this dissertation is globally accessible and will not permit alterations after a degree is conferred. Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2020 Copyright © Erica Karin Baken, 2020. All rights reserved. ii DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my parents, Michael Schock and Leslie Baken. Your love, support, wisdom, and laughter is more than any child deserves. I could write another dissertation describing the ways in which you have filled my life with joy and inspired me to always strive for more. They say that in research, we stand on the shoulders of giants; you are my giants. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ v LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................ vii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1 Theory and Analytical Methods for Macroevolutionary Inquiry .............................................. 1 Macroevolution of Microhabitat, Morphology, and Climate .................................................... 4 Macroevolution of Plethodontidae ............................................................................................ 6 Dissertation Organization .......................................................................................................... 9 References ............................................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 2. MACROEVOLUTION OF ARBOREALITY IN SALAMANDERS .................. 16 Abstract .................................................................................................................................... 16 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 17 Materials and Methods ............................................................................................................ 19 Phylogeny ........................................................................................................................... 19 Microhabitat Classification ................................................................................................ 20 Morphology ........................................................................................................................ 22 Phylogenetic Comparative Analyses .................................................................................. 24 Results ..................................................................................................................................... 26 Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 32 References ............................................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER 3. THE EVOLUTION OF SALAMANDER ARBOREALITY MAY BE DRIVEN BY BROAD CLIMATE PATTERNS .......................................................................................... 44 Abstract .................................................................................................................................... 44 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 45 Materials and Methods ............................................................................................................ 47 Microhabitat Use ................................................................................................................ 47 Distribution and Environmental Data ................................................................................. 48 Phylogenetic Comparative Analyses .................................................................................. 50 Ecological Niche Modeling ................................................................................................ 51 Results ..................................................................................................................................... 55 Comparative Phylogenetic Analyses .................................................................................. 55 Ecological Niche Modeling ................................................................................................ 57 Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 61 References ............................................................................................................................... 65 iv CHAPTER 4. MACROEVOLUTION OF DESICCATION-RELATED MORPHOLOGY IN PLETHODONTID SALAMANDERS AS INFERRED FROM A NOVEL SURFACE AREA TO VOLUME RATIO ESTIMATION APPROACH .................................................................. 70 Abstract .................................................................................................................................... 70 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 71 Materials and Methods ............................................................................................................ 74 Deriving Surface Area to Volume Ratio (SA:V) Estimates ............................................... 74 SA:V Performance Evaluation ........................................................................................... 77 Macroevolution of SA:V .................................................................................................... 78 Results ..................................................................................................................................... 81 SA:V Performance Evaluation ........................................................................................... 81 Macroevolution of SA:V .................................................................................................... 82 Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 85 References ............................................................................................................................... 89 CHAPTER 5. GENERAL CONCLUSION .................................................................................. 94 References ............................................................................................................................. 100 APPENDIX A. ADDITIONAL TABLES AND FIGURES FOR CHAPTER 2 ........................ 101 APPENDIX B. ADDITIONAL TABLES AND FIGURES FOR CHAPTER 3 ........................ 106 APPENDIX C. ADDITIONAL TABLES AND FIGURES FOR CHAPTER 4 ........................ 120 v LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 2.1. Landmark placement for foot shape analysis. ............................................................ 24 Figure 2.2. Time-dated phylogeny for salamanders from Bonett and Blair (2017). .................... 29 Figure 2.3. Heat map of Q-matrix representing transition rates between microhabitat categories for Bayesian stochastic mapping. ............................................................ 30 Figure 2.4. Number of transitions between microhabitat categories. ........................................... 31 Figure 2.5. Phylomorphospace representing dispersion among species in their general body proportions and foot shape. .....................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • QUANTITATIVE STUDIES of Rdna in AMPHIBIANS
    J. Cell Set. 24, 109-118 (1977) 109 Printed in Great Britain QUANTITATIVE STUDIES OF rDNA IN AMPHIBIANS M. VLAD Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4. 7AL, England SUMMARY The proportion, of the genome that is complementary to 18 and 28 s has been determined for 12 species of amphibians. The group of species chosen for the experiment includes 5 related species belonging to the same genus {Plethodon) as well as species belonging to distant taxonomic groups whose C-values range from 3 to 62 pg. Hybridization of rRNA (18S + 28S) to whole chromosomal DNA to saturation level indicates that the proportion of rDNA decreases with increasing DNA content. The results presented in this paper do not support the hypothesis of Nardelli, Amaldi & Lava-Sanchez that the number of ribosomal cistrons in various amphibians can always be expressed as a power of 2. INTRODUCTION North-American salamanders of the family Plethodontidae which comprises a large number of related species have the same general morphology and similar karyotypes, yet they have widely different C-values (amount of DNA per haploid genome). Classical taxonomical studies based on morphological characters and evolution of the family have shown that those species that are considered to be the most primitive have relatively small genomes and they are found East of the Great Plains of the United States. The species that are considered to be most advanced have the largest genomes of the family and are found in the Pacific North-West of the United States. Therefore, it is likely that in the course of evolution Western genomes have grown larger whereas Eastern ones have remained more or less constant (Wake, 1966; Kezer, unpublished observations; Macgregor & Horner, unpublished obser- vations; Mizuno & Macgregor, 1974).
    [Show full text]
  • Other Contributions
    Other Contributions NATURE NOTES Amphibia: Caudata Ambystoma ordinarium. Predation by a Black-necked Gartersnake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis). The Michoacán Stream Salamander (Ambystoma ordinarium) is a facultatively paedomorphic ambystomatid species. Paedomorphic adults and larvae are found in montane streams, while metamorphic adults are terrestrial, remaining near natal streams (Ruiz-Martínez et al., 2014). Streams inhabited by this species are immersed in pine, pine-oak, and fir for- ests in the central part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (Luna-Vega et al., 2007). All known localities where A. ordinarium has been recorded are situated between the vicinity of Lake Patzcuaro in the north-central portion of the state of Michoacan and Tianguistenco in the western part of the state of México (Ruiz-Martínez et al., 2014). This species is considered Endangered by the IUCN (IUCN, 2015), is protected by the government of Mexico, under the category Pr (special protection) (AmphibiaWeb; accessed 1April 2016), and Wilson et al. (2013) scored it at the upper end of the medium vulnerability level. Data available on the life history and biology of A. ordinarium is restricted to the species description (Taylor, 1940), distribution (Shaffer, 1984; Anderson and Worthington, 1971), diet composition (Alvarado-Díaz et al., 2002), phylogeny (Weisrock et al., 2006) and the effect of habitat quality on diet diversity (Ruiz-Martínez et al., 2014). We did not find predation records on this species in the literature, and in this note we present information on a predation attack on an adult neotenic A. ordinarium by a Thamnophis cyrtopsis. On 13 July 2010 at 1300 h, while conducting an ecological study of A.
    [Show full text]
  • CAT Vertebradosgt CDC CECON USAC 2019
    Catálogo de Autoridades Taxonómicas de vertebrados de Guatemala CDC-CECON-USAC 2019 Centro de Datos para la Conservación (CDC) Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas (Cecon) Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala Este documento fue elaborado por el Centro de Datos para la Conservación (CDC) del Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas (Cecon) de la Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. Guatemala, 2019 Textos y edición: Manolo J. García. Zoólogo CDC Primera edición, 2019 Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas (Cecon) de la Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ISBN: 978-9929-570-19-1 Cita sugerida: Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas [Cecon]. (2019). Catálogo de autoridades taxonómicas de vertebrados de Guatemala (Documento técnico). Guatemala: Centro de Datos para la Conservación [CDC], Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas [Cecon], Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala [Usac]. Índice 1. Presentación ............................................................................................ 4 2. Directrices generales para uso del CAT .............................................. 5 2.1 El grupo objetivo ..................................................................... 5 2.2 Categorías taxonómicas ......................................................... 5 2.3 Nombre de autoridades .......................................................... 5 2.4 Estatus taxonómico
    [Show full text]
  • AMPHIBIA: CAUDATA: PLETHODONTIDAE Lineatriton
    AMPHIBIA: CAUDATA: PLETHODONTIDAE Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Tanner, W.W. and H.A. Dundee. 2000. Lineatriton, L. lineolus. Lineatriton Tanner Mexican Slender Salamander Spelerpes Cope 18652197. Type species, S. luclfuga Rafinesque (1832), by monotypy. Opheobatrachus Gray 1868:298. Qpe species, 0.vennicularis, by monotypy. Oedipina Cope 1887%. Type species, 0. uniformis, by mono- tYPY. LineatritonTanner 1950:39. Type species, L. lineola, by mono- typy. Genotype based on examination of three specimens in the Edward H. Taylor collection from Cuatlapan, Veracruz, Mkxico. The primary study was on specimen number 26583 and some myological data were obtained from specimens 266 12 and 26593. These specimens apparently were sold to the Field Museum of Natural History and to the University of Illinois. The latter were later transferred to the Illinois Natu- ral History Survey collection. WHS swapped some speci- mens but has no record of museums to which they went. A canvas of major collections has not brought to light the cur- rent catalog numbers. CONTENT. A single species, Lineatriton lineolus, is recog- nized. See Species Account and Remarks. MAP. Distribution of Linearrilon lineolus. Dots represent known col- lection sites. The type locality is too imprecise to plot. DEFINITION. The only species of this genus is a greatly elongate, slender-bodied terrestrial salamander reaching at least 38 mm SVLand 128 mm TL. The tail is cylindrical, constricted origin as it is at the insertion. The M. geniohyoideus lateralis is at the base, and in adults is approximately twice as long as the undivided and with a single origin. The M. rectus cervicis is in combined length of head and body.
    [Show full text]
  • With the Discovery of a New Species of Oedipina from the Foothills Along
    With the discovery of a new species of Oedipina from the foothills along the Caribbean versant of Costa Rica (see the following article), the number of species of salamanders in the country has risen to 51. When compared to other countries, this diversity of salamanders places Costa Rica 5th among all countries on the planet, behind the United States (1st), Mexico (2nd), China (3rd), and Guatemala (4th). When considering countries with an area greater than 5,000 km2, the highest diversity density of salamanders is found in the small country of Costa Rica, with one species/1,000 km2. Data calculated by Brian Kubicki from information on AmphibiaWeb (www.amphibiaweb.org) and Wikipedia (www. wikipedia.org). ' © Brian Kubicki 818 www.mesoamericanherpetology.com www.eaglemountainpublishing.com Version of record urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:25B2DF5B-C75E-4DDE-B125-118F55A0F416 A new species of salamander (Caudata: Plethodontidae: Oedipina) from the central Caribbean foothills of Costa Rica BRIAN KUBICKI Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center, Guayacán, Provincia de Limón, Costa Rica. Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT: I describe a new salamander of the genus Oedipina, subgenus Oedopinola, from two sites in Premontane Rainforest along the foothills of the central Caribbean region of Costa Rica, at elevations from 540 to 850 m. The type locality lies within the Guayacán Rainforest Reserve, a private reserve owned and operated by the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center, located approximately 2 km north of Guayacán de Siquirres, in the province of Limón. The new taxon is distinguished from its congeners based on phenotypic and molecular (16S and cyt b) characteristics.
    [Show full text]
  • Aquiloeurycea Scandens (Walker, 1955). the Tamaulipan False Brook Salamander Is Endemic to Mexico
    Aquiloeurycea scandens (Walker, 1955). The Tamaulipan False Brook Salamander is endemic to Mexico. Originally described from caves in the Reserva de la Biósfera El Cielo in southwestern Tamaulipas, this species later was reported from a locality in San Luis Potosí (Johnson et al., 1978) and another in Coahuila (Lemos-Espinal and Smith, 2007). Frost (2015) noted, however, that specimens from areas remote from the type locality might be unnamed species. This individual was found in an ecotone of cloud forest and pine-oak forest near Ejido La Gloria, in the municipality of Gómez Farías. Wilson et al. (2013b) determined its EVS as 17, placing it in the middle portion of the high vulnerability category. Its conservation status has been assessed as Vulnerable by IUCN, and as a species of special protection by SEMARNAT. ' © Elí García-Padilla 42 www.mesoamericanherpetology.com www.eaglemountainpublishing.com The herpetofauna of Tamaulipas, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status SERGIO A. TERÁN-JUÁREZ1, ELÍ GARCÍA-PADILLA2, VICENTE Mata-SILva3, JERRY D. JOHNSON3, AND LARRY DavID WILSON4 1División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Victoria, Boulevard Emilio Portes Gil No. 1301 Pte. Apartado postal 175, 87010, Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Email: [email protected] 2Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Código Postal 68023, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected] 3Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States. E-mails: [email protected] and [email protected] 4Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departamento de Francisco Morazán, Honduras. E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT: The herpetofauna of Tamaulipas, the northeasternmost state in Mexico, is comprised of 184 species, including 31 anurans, 13 salamanders, one crocodylian, 124 squamates, and 15 turtles.
    [Show full text]
  • Amphibian Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites in Chiapas and Oaxaca
    Amphibian Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites in Chiapas and Oaxaca John F. Lamoreux, Meghan W. McKnight, and Rodolfo Cabrera Hernandez Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 53 Amphibian Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites in Chiapas and Oaxaca John F. Lamoreux, Meghan W. McKnight, and Rodolfo Cabrera Hernandez Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 53 The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or other participating organizations. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland Copyright: © 2015 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: Lamoreux, J. F., McKnight, M. W., and R. Cabrera Hernandez (2015). Amphibian Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites in Chiapas and Oaxaca. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. xxiv + 320pp. ISBN: 978-2-8317-1717-3 DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.CH.2015.SSC-OP.53.en Cover photographs: Totontepec landscape; new Plectrohyla species, Ixalotriton niger, Concepción Pápalo, Thorius minutissimus, Craugastor pozo (panels, left to right) Back cover photograph: Collecting in Chamula, Chiapas Photo credits: The cover photographs were taken by the authors under grant agreements with the two main project funders: NGS and CEPF.
    [Show full text]
  • Multi-National Conservation of Alligator Lizards
    MULTI-NATIONAL CONSERVATION OF ALLIGATOR LIZARDS: APPLIED SOCIOECOLOGICAL LESSONS FROM A FLAGSHIP GROUP by ADAM G. CLAUSE (Under the Direction of John Maerz) ABSTRACT The Anthropocene is defined by unprecedented human influence on the biosphere. Integrative conservation recognizes this inextricable coupling of human and natural systems, and mobilizes multiple epistemologies to seek equitable, enduring solutions to complex socioecological issues. Although a central motivation of global conservation practice is to protect at-risk species, such organisms may be the subject of competing social perspectives that can impede robust interventions. Furthermore, imperiled species are often chronically understudied, which prevents the immediate application of data-driven quantitative modeling approaches in conservation decision making. Instead, real-world management goals are regularly prioritized on the basis of expert opinion. Here, I explore how an organismal natural history perspective, when grounded in a critique of established human judgements, can help resolve socioecological conflicts and contextualize perceived threats related to threatened species conservation and policy development. To achieve this, I leverage a multi-national system anchored by a diverse, enigmatic, and often endangered New World clade: alligator lizards. Using a threat analysis and status assessment, I show that one recent petition to list a California alligator lizard, Elgaria panamintina, under the US Endangered Species Act often contradicts the best available science.
    [Show full text]
  • Pseudoeurycea Naucampatepetl. the Cofre De Perote Salamander Is Endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental of Eastern Mexico. This
    Pseudoeurycea naucampatepetl. The Cofre de Perote salamander is endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental of eastern Mexico. This relatively large salamander (reported to attain a total length of 150 mm) is recorded only from, “a narrow ridge extending east from Cofre de Perote and terminating [on] a small peak (Cerro Volcancillo) at the type locality,” in central Veracruz, at elevations from 2,500 to 3,000 m (Amphibian Species of the World website). Pseudoeurycea naucampatepetl has been assigned to the P. bellii complex of the P. bellii group (Raffaëlli 2007) and is considered most closely related to P. gigantea, a species endemic to the La specimens and has not been seen for 20 years, despite thorough surveys in 2003 and 2004 (EDGE; www.edgeofexistence.org), and thus it might be extinct. The habitat at the type locality (pine-oak forest with abundant bunch grass) lies within Lower Montane Wet Forest (Wilson and Johnson 2010; IUCN Red List website [accessed 21 April 2013]). The known specimens were “found beneath the surface of roadside banks” (www.edgeofexistence.org) along the road to Las Lajas Microwave Station, 15 kilometers (by road) south of Highway 140 from Las Vigas, Veracruz (Amphibian Species of the World website). This species is terrestrial and presumed to reproduce by direct development. Pseudoeurycea naucampatepetl is placed as number 89 in the top 100 Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered amphib- ians (EDGE; www.edgeofexistence.org). We calculated this animal’s EVS as 17, which is in the middle of the high vulnerability category (see text for explanation), and its IUCN status has been assessed as Critically Endangered.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing Environmental Variables Across Plethodontid Salamanders
    Lauren Mellenthin1, Erica Baken1, Dr. Dean Adams1 1Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa Stereochilus marginatus Pseudotriton ruber Pseudotriton montanus Gyrinophilus subterraneus Gyrinophilus porphyriticus Gyrinophilus palleucus Gyrinophilus gulolineatus Urspelerpes brucei Eurycea tynerensis Eurycea spelaea Eurycea multiplicata Introduction Eurycea waterlooensis Eurycea rathbuni Materials & Methods Eurycea sosorum Eurycea tridentifera Eurycea pterophila Eurycea neotenes Eurycea nana Eurycea troglodytes Eurycea latitans Eurycea naufragia • Arboreality has evolved at least 5 times within Plethodontid salamanders. [1] Eurycea tonkawae Eurycea chisholmensis Climate Variables & Eurycea quadridigitata Polygons & Point Data Eurycea wallacei Eurycea lucifuga Eurycea longicauda Eurycea guttolineata MAXENT Modeling Eurycea bislineata Eurycea wilderae Eurycea cirrigera • Yet no morphological differences separate arboreal and terrestrial species. [1] Eurycea junaluska Hemidactylium scutatum Batrachoseps robustus Batrachoseps wrighti Batrachoseps campi Batrachoseps attenuatus Batrachoseps pacificus Batrachoseps major Batrachoseps luciae Batrachoseps minor Batrachoseps incognitus • There is minimal range overlap between the two microhabitat types. Batrachoseps gavilanensis Batrachoseps gabrieli Batrachoseps stebbinsi Batrachoseps relictus Batrachoseps simatus Batrachoseps nigriventris Batrachoseps gregarius Preliminary results discovered that 71% of the arboreal species distribution Batrachoseps diabolicus Batrachoseps regius Batrachoseps kawia Dendrotriton
    [Show full text]
  • Agalychnis Lemur (SMF 89959), Cerro Negro, PNSF, Veraguas. Photo by AC
    Agalychnis lemur (SMF 89959), Cerro Negro, PNSF, Veraguas. Photo by AC. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 009 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Copyright: © 2012 Hertz et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 6(2):9-30. original author and source are credited. Field notes on findings of threatened amphibian species in the central mountain range of western Panama 1,2,4ANDREAS HERTZ, 1,2SEBASTIAN LOTZKAT, 3ARCADIO CARRIZO, 3MARCOS PONCE, 1GUNTHER KÖHLER, AND 2BRUNO STREIT 1Department of Herpetology, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, GERMANY 2Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Biologicum, Dept. of Ecology and Evolution, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, GERMANY 3Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Desarrollo Sostenible, Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí, David, PANAMÁ Abstract.—During field work along a transect in the Cordillera Central of western Panama between 2008 and 2010, we detected several populations of amphibian species which are considered as “Endangered” or “Critically Endangered” by the IUCN. Some of these species had suffered from serious population declines, probably due to chytridiomycosis, but all are generally threatened by habitat loss. We detected 53% of the Endangered and 56% of the Critically Endangered amphibian species that have previously been reported from within the investigated area. We report on findings of species that have not been found in Panama for many years, and provide locality data of newly discovered populations. There is a need to create a new protected area in the Cerro Colorado area of the Serranía de Tabasará, where we found 15% of the Endangered and Critically Endangered am- phibian species known to Panama.
    [Show full text]
  • About the Book the Format Acknowledgments
    About the Book For more than ten years I have been working on a book on bryophyte ecology and was joined by Heinjo During, who has been very helpful in critiquing multiple versions of the chapters. But as the book progressed, the field of bryophyte ecology progressed faster. No chapter ever seemed to stay finished, hence the decision to publish online. Furthermore, rather than being a textbook, it is evolving into an encyclopedia that would be at least three volumes. Having reached the age when I could retire whenever I wanted to, I no longer needed be so concerned with the publish or perish paradigm. In keeping with the sharing nature of bryologists, and the need to educate the non-bryologists about the nature and role of bryophytes in the ecosystem, it seemed my personal goals could best be accomplished by publishing online. This has several advantages for me. I can choose the format I want, I can include lots of color images, and I can post chapters or parts of chapters as I complete them and update later if I find it important. Throughout the book I have posed questions. I have even attempt to offer hypotheses for many of these. It is my hope that these questions and hypotheses will inspire students of all ages to attempt to answer these. Some are simple and could even be done by elementary school children. Others are suitable for undergraduate projects. And some will take lifelong work or a large team of researchers around the world. Have fun with them! The Format The decision to publish Bryophyte Ecology as an ebook occurred after I had a publisher, and I am sure I have not thought of all the complexities of publishing as I complete things, rather than in the order of the planned organization.
    [Show full text]