Ultraviolet light is typically associated with negative effects (e.g. cancer, sunburn etc.). However, recent studies have demonstrated the importance of ultraviolet light for calcium metabolism through production and regulation of vitamin D3. The present study surveyed the UVB exposure of three species of snakes at the Old Sabine Bottom Wildlife Management Area, in East Texas. Exposure of 40 snakes encountered in the field during daylight hours was measured with a Solartech 6.2 UVB meter. Agkistrodon piscivorus had the lowest mean UVB exposure (10.3 + 1.9 μW cm-2), while Nerodia erythrogaster experienced the highest mean UVB exposure (36.6 + 8.2 μW cm-2). Thamnophis proximus showed an intermediate UVB exposure (28.8 + 6.5 μW cm-2). Possible reasons for the differences of mean UVB exposure are discussed. The mean UVB exposure of the three snake species was also compared with that of 8 species of lizards. Finally, the microhabitat was described for each species of snake.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TCU/oai:etd.tcu.edu:etd-12072006-084741 |
| Date | 07 December 2006 |
| Creators | Brinker, Andrew |
| Contributors | Gary Ferguson |
| Publisher | Texas Christian University |
| Source Sets | Texas Christian University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf, application/msword |
| Source | http://etd.tcu.edu/etdfiles/available/etd-12072006-084741/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to TCU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
Page generated in 0.0017 seconds