Publisher
The University of Arizona.Rights
Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.Abstract
Animal activity varies greatly during daylight and nighttime hours, with species ranging from strictly diurnal or nocturnal, to cathemeral or crepuscular. Which of these categories a species falls into may be determined by a variety of factors, including temperature, and biogeographic location. In this study I analyzed diel activity patterns at 13 sites distributed around the world, encompassing a total of 901 species of reptile and amphibians. I compared these activity patterns to the absolute latitudes of each site and modeled diel behavior as a function of distance from the equator. I found that latitude does correlate with the presence of nocturnal snake and lizard species. However, I did not find significant results correlating latitude to any other reptile or amphibian lineage.Type
textElectronic Thesis
Degree Name
B.S.Degree Program
Honors CollegeNatural Resources