The Mexican Beaded Lizard (Heloderma horridum) and Life in the Lithos
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC Ballroom C/D
Start Date
15-5-2014
End Date
15-5-2014
Keywords
Soil, Lizard, Mexico
Abstract
Seasonal resource scarcity in the tropical deciduous forest (TDF) forces many animals, including beaded lizards, to take refuge in the soil for extended periods of time. To investigate which characteristics may be ideal when resources are less abundant, we measured soil characteristics in habitats used by Mexican Beaded Lizard’s (Heloderma horridum) in the TDF of Jalisco, Mexico. Utilizing a Brownian Bridge Kernel Density Estimation to identify activity centers in both wet and dry season sites, fourteen soil samples were collected in areas where beaded lizards have been observed or had a high probability of being observed. The soil characteristics measured include soil permeability, percent water content, sediment size distribution, and color. Measured habitat characteristics include percent canopy cover, slope, and height of primary vegetation. All samples were collected and measured in the dry season, March 2014. Results indicate that dry and wet season soils differ in sediment size, slope, percent water, and color indicating that soil used in the dry season is different from soil used in the wet. Another notable observation was that all dry season sites had oxidized soil (determined by red color), whereas the wet season sites showed no pattern with respect to soil color.
Recommended Citation
Hueter, Joshua; Butterfield, Taggert; Saxby, Rachael; Olivan, Jesus; and Holcomb, Kerry, "The Mexican Beaded Lizard (Heloderma horridum) and Life in the Lithos" (2014). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 25.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2014/posters/25
Poster Number
36
Additional Mentoring Department
Geological Sciences
Additional Mentoring Department
Biological Sciences
The Mexican Beaded Lizard (Heloderma horridum) and Life in the Lithos
SURC Ballroom C/D
Seasonal resource scarcity in the tropical deciduous forest (TDF) forces many animals, including beaded lizards, to take refuge in the soil for extended periods of time. To investigate which characteristics may be ideal when resources are less abundant, we measured soil characteristics in habitats used by Mexican Beaded Lizard’s (Heloderma horridum) in the TDF of Jalisco, Mexico. Utilizing a Brownian Bridge Kernel Density Estimation to identify activity centers in both wet and dry season sites, fourteen soil samples were collected in areas where beaded lizards have been observed or had a high probability of being observed. The soil characteristics measured include soil permeability, percent water content, sediment size distribution, and color. Measured habitat characteristics include percent canopy cover, slope, and height of primary vegetation. All samples were collected and measured in the dry season, March 2014. Results indicate that dry and wet season soils differ in sediment size, slope, percent water, and color indicating that soil used in the dry season is different from soil used in the wet. Another notable observation was that all dry season sites had oxidized soil (determined by red color), whereas the wet season sites showed no pattern with respect to soil color.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Ely, Lisa; Beck, Daniel