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.

Poster Number

36

Faculty Mentor(s)

Ely, Lisa; Beck, Daniel

Additional Mentoring Department

Geological Sciences

Additional Mentoring Department

Biological Sciences

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May 15th, 8:30 AM May 15th, 11:00 AM

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.