Reptiles and Amphibians Captured in Herpetology Class

1. Reptiles and Amphibians Captured in Herpetology Class Spring Semester 2003 Kerie Corley Undergraduate Tennessee Technological University Cookeville Tennessee 38505

2. Introduction • Using a study group to determine the catchability of reptiles and amphibians in Tennessee • Testing the assumption of equal catchability is fundamental to understanding amphibian populations (Arntzen, 272) • Census a population…by turning rocks and logs (Meche 533) • The effectiveness of pitfall versus funnel traps … using drift fence data (Enge 467) • Traps should be checked every three days to minimize mortality (Enge 467)

3. Objectives/Hypothesis • To determine which species of Reptiles and Amphibians can be captured by a group of undergraduate students. • The object of this research is to determine How many specimens of each species can be captured by an undergraduate class in the spring semester of 2003.

4. I used the methods outlined in the Peterson field guide. The materials that were used are also outlined in the Peterson field guide. I also used a “Herp Scoop” as described in HerpetologicalReview Issue 30 Methods and Materials

5. Results and Discussion • As was expected we caught a wide variety of species • We caught a total of 575 specimens • There were more amphibians than reptiles • In the amphibians there were more salamanders than frogs • In the reptiles there were more snakes than lizards and more lizards than turtles. • Some species found in this area were not captured by my study group • Some species captured by my group were rare to this area • While other species were caught a great number of times

6. Amphibian Data Tables

7. Reptile Data Tables

8. Ratio of Species

9. Conclusion • In all I believe we caught a wide enough variety to determine the density of different species in this area • We had fun