Coastal Herpetology

Gulf Coast Research Lab

May 14–June 1, 2018

Instructor:Dr. Matthew Chatfield

504-239-2623

Course description:The coastal plain of the Southeast boasts an outstanding diversity of amphibians and reptiles, making the region an excellent place to study these often reclusive and elusive creatures. This course will provide students with an introduction to herpetology through online activities, lectures,discussions of original research papers, and a class project.Topics covered will include the ecology, evolution, life history, diversity, behavior, and conservation of amphibians and reptiles. There will also be many field excursions highlighting methods and techniques for capturing and studying amphibians and reptiles. Be prepared to get wet and muddy since we will be exploring the marshes, pine woods, bayous, and other habitats as we search for and learn about the amphibians and reptiles of the northern Gulf Coast.

Course structure: This three-week, hybrid course will meet online for the first week, during which time students will listen to lectures, read articles from the primary literature, engage in an online discussion, and prepare for the remainder of the course. The second and third weeks will be held in southern Mississippi at the Gulf Coast Research Lab (GCRL). This portion of the course will include daily field excursions, a class project, lectures, and discussions.

Required readings: Selected readings will be made available on Canvas. Additional readings will behanded out on the first day of class at GCRL.

Suggested reading:Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America,4th Edition (2016), by Powell, Conant and Collins.

Required equipment: Rubber boots or waders, field clothes, sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, insect repellant, water bottle, sleeping bag(use of sleeping pad and tent provided).

Grading:Undergraduates (COA 412) Graduate students (COA 512)

Species accounts40Species accounts40

Discussion posts20Discussion posts20

Quizzes20Quizzes 20

Presentation50Presentation50

Field notebook50Field notebook50

Practical80Practical80

Exam 150Exam 150

Exam 250 Exam 250

Total possible points360Review paper100

Total possible points460

Species accounts: Students will research and write a 2 page description for each of two species of amphibians and reptiles found along the northern Gulf Coast. Students will be asked to sign up for particular species based on a list of acceptable species that will be posted on Canvas at the start of class.

Discussion posts: Students will make one initial online discussion post by Wednesday, May 16 and respond to two posts by Friday, May 18. Initial posts should be at least 200 words, and responses should be at least 75 words. All posts should be substantive and clearly articulate a student’s thoughts on the readings, as well as be supported by specific examples from the readings or elsewhere.

Quizzes:Two quizzes will be given during the last two weeks of class. Both will emphasize species identification, and are designed to help students learn common and scientific names.

Presentation:In small groups, students will leada class discussion based on readings from the literature OR analyze and present the class project results.

Field notebook: Format will be discussed on the first day of class. Notebooks should be handed in on the last day of class.

Practical:The practical will be given on the last day of class, and will cover species and methods, with an emphasis on the field trips.

Exams:The exams will emphasize material presented in lectures. Content from the discussion readings may also appear on the exams.

Review paper: To be completed by those students taking the course for graduate credit. Details of this assignment will be discussed one-on-one in email or by phone on the first day of class.

Tentative online schedule:

Day / Topic / Assignments (Canvas)
May 14-15 / Introduction to Herpetology / Class introductions part 1
Listen to Lecture 1
Sign up for species accounts
Review venomous species identification
Listen to frog calls
16-17 / Conservation and Management / Listen to Lecture 2
Read discussion article
Make initial discussion post
Post discussion response
Review venomous species identification
Listen to frog calls
18 / Species of the Northern Gulf Coast / Post discussion response
Species accounts due
Review venomous species identification
Listen to frog calls
19-20 / No class / No class

Tentative residential schedule:

Day / Morning (about 8am-11am) / Afternoon (about 1-4pm) / Evening (about 6-9pm)
May 21 / GCRL orientation
Class introductions part 2
Lecture 3: Methods in Herpetology / Field trip 1: Gulf Islands NS Mississippi Sandhill Crane Refuge / Class Project (set traps at Ward Bayou)
22 / Class project (pull traps at Ward Bayou)
Field trip 2: Ward Bayou / Lecture 4: Anatomy and Physiology
Class discussion 2 / Movie night
Campus night walk
23 / Exam 1
Lecture 5: Reproduction / Lecture 6: Movement and Diet
Study Time / Class project (set traps at Stennis)
24 / Class project (pull traps at Stennis) / Field trip 3: Cane Bayou / Field trip 3: Cane Bayou
25 / Class discussion 3
Study time / Lecture 7: Communication Study time / Study time
26-28 / No class / No class / No class
29 / Lecture 8: Defense and Escape
Class discussion 3 / Field trip 4: Paul B. Johnson SP (overnight) / Field trip 4: Paul B. Johnson SP (overnight)
Class project (set traps at PBJ)
30 / Class project (pull traps at PBJ)
Field trip 5: Camp Shelby / Field trip 5: Camp Shelby / Field trip 5: Camp Shelby
31 / Class discussion 4
Study time / Class presentations
Study time / Field trip 6: Pascagoula River
June 1 / Study time
Practical exam / Exam 2 (finished about 2 pm) / Sit back, relax and ponder all that you’ve learned

Disability accommodations: If a student has a disability that qualifies under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requires accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) for information on appropriate policies and procedures. Disabilities covered by ADA may include learning, psychiatric, physical disabilities, or chronic health disorders. Students can contact ODA if they are not certain whether a medical condition/disability qualifies.

Address:

The University of Southern Mississippi
Office for Disability Accommodations
118 College Drive # 8586
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001

Voice Telephone:601.266.5024 or 228.214.3232

Fax:601.266.6035

Individuals with hearing impairments can contact ODA using theMississippi Relay

Serviceat1.800.582.2233 (TTY) or emailing ODA .

Academic integrity: All students at the University of Southern Mississippi are expected to demonstrate the highest levels of academic integrity in all that they do. Forms of academic dishonesty include (but are not limited to):

  1. Cheating (including copying from others’ work)
  2. Plagiarism (representing another person’s words or ideas as your own; failure to properly cite the source of your information, argument, or concepts)
  3. Falsification of documents
  4. Disclosure of test or other assignment content to another student
  5. Submission of the same paper or other assignment to more than one class without the explicit approval of all faculty members’ involved
  6. Unauthorized academic collaboration with others
  7. Conspiracy to engage in academic misconduct

Engaging in any of these behaviors or supporting others who do so will result in academic penalties and/or other sanctions. If a faculty member determines that a student has violated our Academic Integrity Policy, sanctions ranging from resubmission of work to course failure may occur, including the possibility of receiving a grade of “XF” for the course, which will be on the student’s transcript with the notation “Failure due to academic misconduct.” For more details, please see the University’sAcademic Integrity Policy.Note that repeated acts of academic misconduct will lead to expulsion from the University.

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