Mercedes S. Foster & Craig Guyer 
Reptile Biodiversity 
Standard Methods for Inventory and Monitoring

From tiny, burrowing lizards to rainforest canopy-dwellers and giant crocodiles, reptile populations everywhere are changing. Yet government and conservation groups are often forced to make important decisions about reptile conservation and management based on inadequate or incomplete data. With contributions from nearly seventy specialists, this volume offers a comprehensive guide to the best methods for carrying out standardized quantitative and qualitative surveys of reptiles, while maximizing comparability of data between sites, across habitats and taxa, and over time. The contributors discuss each method, provide detailed protocols for its implementation, and suggest ways to analyze the data, making this volume an essential resource for monitoring and inventorying reptile abundance, population status, and biodiversity.


Reptile Biodiversity covers topics including:


• terrestrial, marine, and aquatic reptiles


• equipment recommendations and limitations


• ethics of monitoring and inventory activities


• statistical procedures


• designing sampling programs


• using PDAs in the field

Inhaltsverzeichnis

FIGURES xi

TABLES xvi

AUTHORS AND CONTRIBUTOR xviii

FOREWORD Rick Shine xxii

PREFACE xxvi


CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1


Mercedes S. Foster, Roy W. Mc Diarmid, and Neil Chernoff


Setting the Stage

Importance of Standardization

Intended Audience



CHAPTER 2. REPTILE DIVERSITY AND NATURAL HISTORY: AN OVERVIEW 8



Roy W. Mc Diarmid


Introduction

Turtles

Crocodilians

Lepidosaurs



CHAPTER 3. STUDY DESIGN AND SAMPLING 49


Overview Robert N. Fisher and Milan Mitrovich

The Value of Long-term Monitoring J. Whitfield Gibbons

Know Your Organisms Joseph C. Mitchell

Using Geographical Information Systems to Design Reptile Surveys Charles R. Peterson

and John R. Lee

Precautions for Quantitative Reptile Field Studies Lee-Ann C. Hayek






CHAPTER 4. PLANNING AND ASSOCIATED DATA 117


Overview Mercedes S. Foster

Climate Data and Seasonality Joseph C. Mitchell

Describing Microhabitats Robert E. Lovich and Kim Gray-Lovich

Diversity, Distribution Maps, and Atlas Production Ralph W. Axtell

Automated Data Acquisition Michael E. Dorcas and Charles R. Peterson

Handheld Computers for Digital Data Collection Carlton J. Rochester and Robert N.

Fisher

Databases, Metadata, and Integrated Data Management Christopher Brown and

Robert N. Fisher

Data quality Assurance and Quality Control Andrea Atkinson, Carlton J. Rochester,

and Robert N. Fisher




CHAPTER 5. FINDING AND CAPTURING REPTILES 183


Lee A. Fitzgerald



Introduction

General Considerations

Detecting, Counting, and Sampling Squamates


Contributed sections:

Funnel Traps, Pitfall Traps, and Drift Fences Lee A. Fitzgerald and J. H. Yantis

Specialized Trapping of Snakes over Large Areas D. Craig Rudolph

Finding, Counting, and Catching Crocodiles Frank Mazzotti

Collaboration with Local People for Sampling Reptiles Marcio Martins and

Cristiano Nogueira



CHAPTER 6. VOUCHER SPECIMENS 216


Robert P. Reynolds and Roy W. Mc Diarmid


Introduction

Field Identification

Specimen repositories

Sample size

Specimen data

Conclusions


Appendix A. Preparing reptiles as scientific specimens Sean J. Berry

Contributed section: Hemipenis preparation Christopher J. Raxworthy


Appendix B. Collection and preservation of reptilian embryos Alan H. Savitzky,

William A. Velhagen, Jr., and Neil Chernoff

Appendix C. Field parasitology techniques for reptile surveys Scott L. Gardner,

Robert N. Fisher, and Sean J. Berry

Appendix D. Collecting and preserving tissues for biochemical analyses James A.

Schulte II




CHAPTER 7. TECHNIQUES FOR DIFFICULT-TO-SAMPLE HABITATS 311


Overview Robert E. Lovich

1. Rock-dwelling reptiles Robert E. Lovich and Aaron M. Bauer

2. Snake hibernacula and communal denning Robert N. Reed, Cameron A.

Young, and Robert T. Zappalorti

3. Arboreal reptiles: Tree-trunk and canopy-dwelling species Indraneil Das

4. Swamp-dwelling crocodilians William E. Magnusson

5. Detecting and Capturing Turtles In Freshwater Habitats Richard C. Vogt

6. Alternative Methods For Sampling Freshwater Turtles Thomas S. B. Akre,

John D.Willson, and Thomas P. Wilson

7. Sampling Marine And Estuarial Reptiles Harold K. Voris and John C. Murphy






CHAPTER 8. STATISTICAL PROPERTIES OF TECHNIQUES AND VALIDATION 395


Gordon H. Rodda


Comparison of Techniques

Validation of Techniques And Assumptions



CHAPTER 9. STANDARD TECHNIQUES FOR INVENTORY AND MONITORING 415


Selecting a Technique Craig Guyer and Gordon H. Rodda

Techniques:

1. Complete Species Inventories Christopher J. Raxworthy, Natalia Ananjeva, and

Nikolai L. Orlov

2. Road Riding Brian K. Sullivan

3. Visual Encounter Surveys Craig Guyer and Maureen A. Donnelly

4. Quadrat Sampling Harold F. Heatwole

5. Permanent Plots with Mark-recapture Craig Guyer and Maureen A. Donnelly

6. Transect Surveys, including Line Distance Robert E. Lovich, William K. Hayes, Henry

Mushinsky, and Gordon H. Rodda

7. Pitfall-Trap Surveys Robert N. Fisher and Carlton J. Rochester


8. Sampling with Artificial Cover J. Steve Godley

9. Reptile Sign and Camera Traps Robert N. Fisher

10. Nest and Track Surveys Jack Frazier

11. Aerial Surveys for Marine Turtles Robert D. Kenney and C. Robert Shoop




CHAPTER 10. PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS OF REPTILIAN BIODIVERSITY DATA 586


Chad L. Cross, Natalia Ananjeva, Nikolai L. Orlov, and Antonio W. Salas


Introduction

Biodiversity Measures

Species Density and Continuously Distributed Data

Species Accumulation Curves

Rarefaction

Taxonomic and Phylogenetic Diversity

Making Inferences Based on Monitoring Data

Analyzing Biodiversity

Data

Computer Programs for Analyses of Biodiversity Data




CHAPTER 11. POPULATION SIZE AND DEMOGRAPHICS 615

Gordon H. Rodda


Introduction

Point estimates

Dynamic Demography


Contributed section:

Relative Abundance in Snakes: A Case Study David A. Steen, Craig Guyer,

and Lora L. Smith



CHAPTER 12. MONITORING EXPLOITED SPECIES 722



Lee A. Fitzgerald


Challenges Confronting Researchers Studying Exploited Species

Trade Patterns of Exploited Species of Reptiles

Natural History and Demographic Information from Hunted Animals

Harvest Data, Hunter Effort, and Hunting Patterns


Analysis and Interpretation of Exploitation Data

Informed Conservation of Exploited Species when Data Are Lacking




CHAPTER 13. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? 744

Roy W. Mc Diarmid and Mercedes S. Foster

Introduction

Major Conservation Efforts

Species Attributes

Where We Are Today

The Future



STANDARD PROCEDURES 762


I. DEALING WITH LIVE REPTILES 763


Ethical Considerations in Working with Reptiles Gordon M. Burghardt

Handling Live Reptiles Steven J. Beaupre and Harry W. Greene

Anesthesia in Reptiles Dale De Nardo

Standard Data from Live Specimens Patrick T. Gregory

II. TECHNIQUES FOR MARKING REPTILES 810

Michael V. Plummer and John W. Ferner


Introduction

Identifying Marks and Photographs

Permanent and Temporary Tags

Tagging Different Reptile groups

Morphological Modifications

Color Marking

Radiotelemetry

Cautions and Recommendations


III. DETERMINING AGE, SEX, AND REPRODUCTIVE CONDITION 834

Robert N. Reed and Anton D. Tucker


Introduction

Determining Sex

Determining Age

Determining Reproductive Condition



APPENDICES 868


I. SELECTED INSTITUTIONS WITH SIGNIFICANT COLLECTIONS OF REPTILES 869


Mercedes S. Foster and Roy W. Mc Diarmid


Introduction

Natural history museums and other specimen repositories

Directories of natural history museums and collections


II. RELEVANT WEBSITES 882

TK

Mercedes S. Foster


Reptile & other websites of interest

Computer Programs

Vendors

Equipment and Supplies

Chemicals

Telemetry Equipment




LITERATURE CITED 900


INDEX TK


ADDRESSES OF AUTHORS AND CONTRIBUTORS 1111

Über den Autor

Roy W. Mc Diarmid is a Research Zoologist and Curator of Reptiles for the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center at the National Museum of Natural History. Mercedes S. Foster is a Research Zoologist and Curator of Birds for the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center at the National Museum of Natural History. Craig Guyer is Professor of Biological Sciences at Auburn University. J. Whitfield Gibbons is Professor of Ecology at the University of Georgia and former head of the Environmental Outreach and Education program at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. Neil Chernoff is a scientist at the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.