RIEL seminar series
Seasonal Change Causes Shifts in Water Loss, but not Preferred Temperatures, of Top End Geckos
Presenter | Kade Skelton | |
---|---|---|
Date |
|
|
Time |
to
|
|
Contact person | E: RIEL.outreach@cdu.edu.au | |
Location |
Casuarina campus Yellow 1.1.39 and online Zoom: https://charlesdarwinuni.zoom.us/j/89301483592 |
|
Open to | Public |
Reptiles lose a significant proportion of body water through the passive process of evaporative water loss (EWL). This can present challenges to survival in arid environments, where dry conditions increase the risk of dehydration. Additionally, adverse environmental temperatures may reduce the ability for a reptile to maintain an ideal body temperature; this can impact activity levels and overall fitness.
EWL rates and preferred body temperatures were measured in dtellas, a group of native nocturnal lizards. These physiological traits were compared across 18 species from Western Australia and the Northern Territory, with considerations of local climate and season. This study investigated whether EWL rates and thermal preferences differed across species, were associated with climate, and could shift to adapt to local conditions.
Kade Skelton moved from Western Australia to the Northern Territory to research crocodiles, first studying predator ecology for their Honours project at Charles Darwin University and then working with the reptiles in farming, tourism, and education. Kade holds a strong interest in the relationship between animals and their environment, leading them to pursue a PhD investigating the ecophysiology of nocturnal reptiles of Australia’s north.
Related Events
Loss of Earth's old, wise and large animals
Read more about Loss of Earth's old, wise and large animalsIn this seminar, Keller will outline that humans have caused a decline in old age-classes of wild animal populations whereby many of Earth’s oldest, often largest, and most experienced individuals have been eliminated from ecosystems.
A biome approach to plot-based vegetation classification in northern Australia
Read more about A biome approach to plot-based vegetation classification in northern AustraliaIn this seminar, Donna will present a floristic plot-based classification of the Australian tropical savanna biome using a composite of vegetation plot-based data sourced from the Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia governments, TERN, and non-government organisations.
Host–pathogen–microbiome interactions
Read more about Host–pathogen–microbiome interactionsDr Chava Weitzman will discuss the relative ease and challenges of studying emerging diseases in two groups of hosts, tortoises and house finches, each impacted by a bacterial Mycoplasma pathogen.