Spraying salt while chilling next to the shoreline –the M.O. of marine iguanas. But how do they cope with the harsh reality of life in 2021, like dramatic climate fluctuations and the increased pressures from humans? We also check out a tiny new Species of the Bi-week.

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FULL REFERENCE LIST AVAILABLE AT: herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

French SS, Neuman-Lee LA, Terletzky PA, Kiriazis NM, Taylor EN, DeNardo DF. 2017. Too much of a good thing? Human disturbance linked to ecotourism has a “dose-dependent” impact on innate immunity and oxidative stress in marine iguanas, Amblyrhynchus cristatus. Biological Conservation 210:37–47. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2017.04.006.

Wikelski M, Thom C. 2000. Marine iguanas shrink to survive El Niño. Nature 403:37–38. DOI: 10.1038/47396.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Torres-Carvajal O, Parra V, Sales Nunes PM, Koch C. 2021. A New Species of Microtegu Lizard (Gymnophthalmidae: Cercosaurinae) from Amazonian Ecuador. Journal of Herpetology 55. DOI: 10.1670/20-142.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

D’souza A, Gale GA, Marshall BM, Khamcha D, Waengsothorn S, Strine CT. 2021. Space use and activity of Boiga cyanea – a major songbird nest predator in a seasonal tropical forest in Thailand. Global Ecology and Conservation:e01875. DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01875.

Moravec, J., Šmíd, J., Štundl, J., & Lehr, E. (2018). Systematics of Neotropical microteiid lizards (Gymnophthalmidae, Cercosaurinae), with the description of a new genus and species from the Andean montane forests. ZooKeys, (774), 105.

Wikelski, M. and P.H. Wrege. 2000. Niche expansion, body size, and survival in Galápagos marine iguanas. Oecologia 124: 107–115

Other Links/Mentions:

Cassella, C. 2021. Injecting Algae Into Suffocated Tadpoles Brings Their Brain Cells Back to Life: https://www.sciencealert.com/injecting-algae-into-the-brains-of-suffocating-tadpoles-keeps-their-neurons-alive 

Music:

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Species Bi-week theme – Mike Mooney

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, www.thepassionhifi.com