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Glossary Brief definitions of some of the more commonly used words within the text are listed below. For a more comprehensive dictionary of herpetological terms, see H.B. Lillywhite (2008) Dictionary of Herpetology (Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, FL). Acuminate Tapering to a point Aerobic With oxygen Allele One of a series of possible forms of a gene Allelochemical A chemical produced by one organism that has a detrimental effect on another organism; frequently used in reference to plant chemicals that have an effect on other plants and animals Allozyme Allelic (different) forms of enzymes that can be identified using a procedure called electrophoresis Amelanic Lacking the pigment melanin that results in black or brown coloration Anaerobic Without oxygen Animal pole The dorsal portion of a frog’s egg, usually black or brown in coloration Anosmic Inability to smell Anthrogenic Resulting from human activities Aposematic Characters that convey warning that the animal may be dangerous, poisonous, or distasteful Assortive mating Nonrandom pairing of males and females in reproduction, for example, large females preferably mating with large males Barrancas Gully or ravine in the desert Southwest Behavioral fever Raising the body temperature by basking in the sun in response to disease or infection Boss The raised bony area between the eyes in spadefoots Buccal pumping Method of moving air via positive pressure into the lungs by rhythmic movements of the throat or floor of the mouth Celestial cues Cues based on the sun, moon, and stars Chromatophore A skin cell containing a color pigment Clade An evolutionary lineage reflecting monophyly of its derived taxa Conspecific Consisting of the same species Cryoprotectant A substance that can be used to depress the freezing point of intracellular fluids and thus allow survival in very cold weather; most amphibians use glucose as a cryoprotectant, although some use glycerol Cuspate Possessing serrations Detritivore An animal feeding on a wide variety of organic plant and animal debris (detritis) Dextral To the right, on the right side Ecotone The abrupt border between two habitat types, such as between a field and forest Edema Swelling due to fluid accumulation Evolution Organic genetically based change through natural selection. Evolution is the fundamental unifying principle of biology. Extirpation Localized extinction or disappearance of a species Fossorial Living beneath the ground Gape limited Limited by the extent to which the mouth can be opened 834 GLOSSARY Miocene Geologic epoch extending roughly from 5.3–23 mya Monophyly Evolved from a single ancestor Myrmecophagy Ant eating Nearctic Biogeographic realm consisting of North America north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Nekton Animals within the water column capable of independent movement Nestedness A measure of interconnectedness among species within a community or region Neuston Biotic community at the water’s surface Operational sex The sex ratio of breeding adults ratio Operculum The covering over the gill chamber of tadpoles Paedomorphosis Ability to reproduce while retaining larval characteristics Panmictic A population where mating is completely random Paraphyletic A taxonomic lineage consisting of two or more species and all their common ancestors, but not all the descendants of the common ancestor Parotoid Specialized modified granular (mucous) gland that secretes a toxic or noxious substance to deter predators Periphyton A complex mixture of algae, cyanobacteria, microbes, and detritus that is attached to submerged surfaces in most aquatic ecosystems Phagocytosis The process whereby a cell engulfs foreign material Phenotype Physical characters of an organism that are observable Phenotypic Ability to alter the phenotype plasticity (morphology, color, life history) in response to environmental or biotic interactions Philopatric Remaining in the same location where development was completed ; literally ‘staying at home’ Photopositive Orientation toward a light source Phototaxis Moving toward (positive) or away from (negative) a light source Geotaxis Directed response to gravity. Geotaxes can be positive (moving toward) or negative (moving away from) a source, such as by going up or down a slope. Gosner stages Graded stages of embryo and tadpole development. See Gosner (1960) Heliothermic Controlling body temperature by basking Heliotropic Moving toward (positive) or away from (negative) a heat source Herpetology The study of amphibians and reptiles Heterospecific Consisting of different species Hydroperiod The amount of time a body of water holds water Hypoxic Reduced or inadequate oxygen Intercalary A segment of cartilage between cartilage the ultimate and penultimate phalanges in the fingers of certain frog species Introgression Incorporating the genes of one species into the genes of another species via hybridization Iridophores A chromatophore containing guanine. Guanine results in a silvery...

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