0038 Lightning Talks, Galerie 2, Saturday 9 July 2016 Daniel Abel1, Dean Grubbs2, Bryan Keller1, John Simcox1, Alexandra Dowlin1, Megan Novak1 1Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC, USA, 2Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA Do Osmoregulatory Adaptations of Deep-Sea Sharks Represent a Paradigm Shift? Evidence from Rectal Glands of Hexanchus nakamurai and Other Species A serendipitous observation of a smaller than expected rectal gland in a bigeye sixgill shark (Hexanchus nakamurai) led us to question whether smaller rectal glands were characteristic of deep-sea sharks and, if so, whether these differences were physiologically significant. We collected rectal glands from 6 shallow-water species [blacknose (Carcharhinus acronotus), finetooth (C. isodon), blacktip (C. limbatus), gulf smoothhound (M. sinusmexicanus), Atlantic sharpnose (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae), and bonnethead (Sphyrna tiburo)] and 4 mid- to deep-water species [little gulper (C. cf. uyato), dusky smoothhound (Mustelus canis), Cuban dogfish (Squalus cubensis), and shortspine spurdog (S. cf. mitsukuri)]. Mean dry rectal gland weight (x 1000)/body weight ratios ranged from 18.5 (C. acronotus) to > 40 (M. canis, S. tiburo, and S. cf. mitsukuri), and all were in the range of previous studies. Dry rectal gland mass/body mass ratios varied by genus and species (F8,77 = 55.44 and F4,81 = 40.55, respectively), but not by habitat [shallow: 28.90 ± 3.05 (µ ± SEM, N = 32); mid and deep: 31.50 ± 3.81 (N = 57)]. Although we have been unable to obtain rectal glands or blood samples from H. nakamurai or congeners/confamilials, these preliminary results suggest that both galeomorph and squalomorph deep-sea sharks operate by the long held osmoregulatory paradigm, and that our initial observation for H. nakamurai may obtain only for this species, genus, or family. Histological examination and blood chemistry are needed to understand the observed differences in the rectal glands and their physiological implications in the taxa we sampled. ______________________________________________________________________________ 0688 Poster Session II, Acadia/Bissonet, Saturday 9 July 2016 Cory Adams1, Daniel Saenz1, Toby Hibbitts2, James Childress1 1USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Nacogdoches, TX, USA, 2Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collection, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA Calling Phenology of Coastal Prairie Anurans Prairies are among the most rapidly disappearing landscape types in North America. Between 1830 and 1994, the extant area of tallgrass prairie declined by as much as 99% in parts of its historic range. The prairies of Texas have suffered a decline of 90%, with most of this loss occurring on the coastal prairie. This decline is primarily attributed to habitat loss and fragmentation which are considered major threats to biodiversity. The Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge (APCNWR) is one of the largest remnants of native coastal prairie habitat in southeast Texas, thus making it an ideal place to examine prairie inhabiting anurans. We used Song Meters to record calling frogs at twelve sites (9 ephemeral and 3 permanent). Overall, 12 species of anurans were detected at the APCNWR, representing four families. Some anuran species were common on the APCNWR; crawfish frogs (Lithobates areolatus; a species of conservation concern), southern leopard frogs (L. sphenocephalus), eastern narrowmouth toads (Gastrophryne carolinesis), and Cajun chorus frogs (Pseudacris fouquettei) were detected at all ponds during our study. In contrast, Fowler's toad (Anaxyrus fowleri) and the bronze frog (L. clamitans) were only detected at one pond and two ponds, respectively. Our results suggest that numerous anuran species utilize the coastal prairie of Texas for breeding, including the crawfish frog, which has suffered declines across much of its range, primarily due to a loss of habitat. ______________________________________________________________________________ 0779 ASIH: Lessons From, and Visions For Symposium, Salon D, Sunday 10 July 2016 Ginny Adams, Reid Adams, Heather Saco University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR, USA Persistence and Stability of Ozark Highland Fish Assemblages in Relation to Landscape and Local Variables Studies examining relationships between land use, in-stream habitat, and fish assemblage persistence and stability are rare but necessary to understand fish-habitat associations at multiple temporal and spatial scales. We examined persistence and stability over 32–43 years in four streams in the Ozark Highlands by repeating surveys conducted by previous researchers. Sites located within smaller catchments (<120 km2) exhibited the lowest and most variable persistence and stability suggesting smaller catchments were more vulnerable across time. Within smaller catchments, assemblage persistence was significantly correlated to both forest (rho = 0.43) and pasture (-0.47) and weakly correlated with urban (-0.41) land use within the upstream catchment; in contrast, persistence in larger catchments was only significantly correlated with urban (- 0.78) land use. Stability was significantly correlated to pasture (-0.42) land use in small catchments and was not significantly correlated with land use in larger catchments. Maximum water depth, mean flow and mean stream width were correlated with catchment size, but water depth was the only in-stream variable correlated with persistence (0.47) and stability (0.52) in smaller catchments. Stream width and mean flow were correlated to persistence and stability in larger catchments. Even relatively small levels of urbanization (1.7–7.8%) were associated with declines in both persistence and stability within our watersheds. Our data suggest differential influence of both landscape and local variables on fish assemblages based on position of the site within the watershed. ______________________________________________________________________________ 0132 Amphibian Ecology & General Herpetology, Salon F-H, Sunday 10 July 2016 Ishan Agarwal1, Praveen Karanth2 1Villanova University, Villanova, PA, USA, 2Centre for Ecological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India Mass Extinctions with Miocene Warming Tropical, range-restricted ectotherms are predicted to face high extinction risk from global warming. Here, we study how past climate change impacted cool-adapted forest biota in peninsular India (PI), providing insights into potential future effects. We use niche modelling along with the most complete phylogeny to date of the cool-adapted ground-dwelling forest geckos Geckoella, with multi-locus sequence data from >120 individuals across >100 localities across PI. Geckoella has an anti-sigmoidal lineages- through-time plot, indicative of mass extinction (ME); with initial diversification 42-32 million years ago (mya), no cladogenesis between ~21-14 mya, and concurrent rapid diversification in 3 of 4 lineages into over 40 species across PI from 14-8 mya. Phylogenetic analyses and simulations suggest a ME event that overlaps with the warmest period in the last 30 million years (my), the Mid-Miocene climatic optimum (17-15 my ago, MMCO), when the earth was 2-6° C warmer. Geckoella niche models projected onto conditions mimicking the MMCO show severe range contractions of all three species complexes, with high suitability only at elevations >800 m. Finally, we use dated phylogenies of Cnemaspis and Hemiphyllodactylus, two distantly-related, co- distributed, cool-adapted gekkonid genera to demonstrate that this was at the very least a regional event. A flatline in diversification that overlaps with the MMCO is detected across four co-distributed clades within these genera. Warming during the MMCO is likely to have caused widespread extinctions of cool-adapted taxa in the mesic zone of PI; with suitable conditions for persistence only at high elevations. ______________________________________________________________________________ 0763 Poster Session II, Acadia/Bissonet, Saturday 9 July 2016 Joseph Agugliaro Fairleigh Dickinson University, Florham Campus, Madison, NJ, USA Does Circadian Variation in Metabolic Rate Persist during Artificial Hibernation in Rubber Boas (Charina bottae)? One of the most elusive problems in studies of snake hibernation is identification of the factors that stimulate emergence from hibernation. Despite the popular hypothesis that increases in hibernaculum temperature may stimulate emergence from hibernation in snakes, several studies have detected little to no increase in hibernaculum or snake body temperature prior to emergence. Instead, some researchers have suggested the possibility of a free-running endogenous rhythm during hibernation in continuous darkness in snakes, which may be used as an intrinsic timekeeping mechanism mediating spring emergence. To explore that hypothesis, I tested for the presence of circadian metabolic rhythms in Rubber Boas (Charina bottae) hibernating in the laboratory without photoperiodic cues. Metabolic rates (CO2 production rates measured via open-flow respirometry) of seven C. bottae were sampled every two hours over several days at an acute temperature of 7°C and under continuous darkness during the simulated active season and during artificial hibernation. Metabolism records will be analyzed to determine the presence/absence, amplitude, and phase of circadian variation in resting metabolic rate and apparent spontaneous physical activity in each season. Data collected from this experiment will also be integrated with