EFFECT OF SEASONALITY ON ACTIVITY IN THE MEXICAN BEADED LIZARD IN A TROPICAL DRY FOREST IN JALISCO, MEXICO
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC Ballroom C/D
Start Date
16-5-2013
End Date
16-5-2013
Abstract
Tropical deciduous forests are characterized by drastic seasonal changes in precipitation. At our study site in Jalisco, Mexico, 80 percent of annual precipitation of 748 millimeters falls within a 4-month wet season from July through October. We investigated the effect of this extreme seasonality on activity patterns in the Mexican Beaded Lizard (Heloderma horridum) within its tropical deciduous forest habitat. Seven H. horridum equipped with radiotransmitters and ibutton dataloggers were monitored periodically from May 2011 to July 2012 using radiotelemetry. Location of lizards were recorded using a GPS, coordinates were put into ArcGIS, which was used to calculate minimum distance traveled between relocations and minimum home range sizes of beaded lizards. Greater time spent on the surface during the wet season corresponded to higher average distance between re-locations. For example, one individual traveled a total distance of 263.8 meters (home range: 1.4 hectares; 4 relocations) in a one-month period during the dry season compared to 2,442.6 meters (home range: 21.4 hectares; 10 relocations) traveled during the wet season. These results underscore the significance of seasonal effects on activity of the Mexican Beaded Lizard, and, potentially, for many other species that inhabit tropical dry forests.
Recommended Citation
Butterfield, Taggert, "EFFECT OF SEASONALITY ON ACTIVITY IN THE MEXICAN BEADED LIZARD IN A TROPICAL DRY FOREST IN JALISCO, MEXICO" (2013). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 42.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2013/posters/42
Poster Number
16
Additional Mentoring Department
Biological Sciences
EFFECT OF SEASONALITY ON ACTIVITY IN THE MEXICAN BEADED LIZARD IN A TROPICAL DRY FOREST IN JALISCO, MEXICO
SURC Ballroom C/D
Tropical deciduous forests are characterized by drastic seasonal changes in precipitation. At our study site in Jalisco, Mexico, 80 percent of annual precipitation of 748 millimeters falls within a 4-month wet season from July through October. We investigated the effect of this extreme seasonality on activity patterns in the Mexican Beaded Lizard (Heloderma horridum) within its tropical deciduous forest habitat. Seven H. horridum equipped with radiotransmitters and ibutton dataloggers were monitored periodically from May 2011 to July 2012 using radiotelemetry. Location of lizards were recorded using a GPS, coordinates were put into ArcGIS, which was used to calculate minimum distance traveled between relocations and minimum home range sizes of beaded lizards. Greater time spent on the surface during the wet season corresponded to higher average distance between re-locations. For example, one individual traveled a total distance of 263.8 meters (home range: 1.4 hectares; 4 relocations) in a one-month period during the dry season compared to 2,442.6 meters (home range: 21.4 hectares; 10 relocations) traveled during the wet season. These results underscore the significance of seasonal effects on activity of the Mexican Beaded Lizard, and, potentially, for many other species that inhabit tropical dry forests.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Daniel Beck