Papers by Howard K Reinert
Journal of Heredity, Mar 1, 1996
Cocclolone RA and Timms P, 1992. DNA profiling of Queensland koalas reveals sufficient variabilit... more Cocclolone RA and Timms P, 1992. DNA profiling of Queensland koalas reveals sufficient variability for Individual Identification and parentage determination. Wildl Res 19:279-287. Foltz DW and Hoogland JL, 1981. Analysis of mating system In the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynonys ludovicianus) by likelihood of paternity J Mammal 62:706-712. Hughes CR and Queller DC, 1993. Detection of highly polymorphic microsatellite loci In a species with little allozyme polymorphism. Mol Ecol 2:131-137.
Journal of Herpetology, Mar 1, 1999
Page 1. Journal of Herpetology, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 45-61, 1999 Copyright 1999 Society for the St... more Page 1. Journal of Herpetology, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 45-61, 1999 Copyright 1999 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Impacts of Translocation on Behavior and Survival of Timber Rattlesnakes, Crotalus horridus HOWARD K. REINERT AND ROBERT R. RUPERT, JR. ...
Journal of Herpetology, Sep 1, 2011
Queen Snakes (Regina septemvittata) are extreme dietary specialists, feeding nearly exclusively o... more Queen Snakes (Regina septemvittata) are extreme dietary specialists, feeding nearly exclusively on freshly molted crayfish. To elucidate specific cues that mediate prey detection and foraging behavior in R. septemvittata, we examined the response of R. septemvittata and the dietary generalist Nerodia sipedon sipedon, to chemical compounds produced by crayfish during the molting cycle. Ingestively naive neonate snakes were presented with 20-hydroxyecdysone, ecdysone, methyl farnesoate, ponasterone A, xanthurenic acid, and distilled water. Their response was measured using a modification to the tongue-flick attack score. Regina septemvittata exhibited an elevated tongue-flicking response to ecdysone, whereas N. s. sipedon exhibited no differential responses to these same arthropod molting chemicals. In a second experiment, R. septemvittata showed a twofold higher tongue-flicking response to intermolt crayfish extract that contained ecdysone than to intermolt crayfish extract alone, whereas N. s. sipedon demonstrated no differential response between these extracts. In a third experiment consisting of feeding trials, R. septemvittata was offered live intermolt crayfish with and without ecdysone. The presence of ecdysone increased the feeding scores of R. septemvittata. When ecdysone was present, crayfish were ingested in five of the seven trials, but when ecdysone was absent crayfish were not ingested in any trial. These results suggest that ecdysone may play a critical role in the interaction between R. septemvittata and their prey. With numerous stream contaminants known to imitate ecdysone and disrupt the arthropod molting cycle, this finding may have important implications for the conservation of R. septemvittata.
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A-molecular & Integrative Physiology, May 1, 2005
Skin permeability and lipid content were determined using shed epidermis of neonatal and adult ti... more Skin permeability and lipid content were determined using shed epidermis of neonatal and adult timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) from the Coastal Plain Pine Barrens of New Jersey and from the Appalachian Mountains of northern Pennsylvania. Differences between populations due to habitat and within populations due to age were tested. Skin permeability was not found to differ according to locality (P > 0.05), but rates were significantly different for age. Permeability of adult epidermis was greater than that of neonates (P < 0.01). Lipid content did not differ by locality (P > 0.05), but differed between ages, paralleling the results found for permeation rates. Neonate sheds had a greater amount of extractable lipids than adult sheds (P < 0.01). Despite the lower skin permeability of neonates, our estimates indicate that the percentage of their total body water content lost per hour may still be 2.2 times that of adults. Resistance to cutaneous water loss may be advantageous to neonates given their relatively large surface area-to-volume ratio.
Copeia, Aug 10, 1982
... Moreover, free-living males may show greater reproduc-tive success by multiply copulating ina... more ... Moreover, free-living males may show greater reproduc-tive success by multiply copulating inautumn and spring (Wade and Arnold, 1980). ... HOWARD K. REINERT AND DAVID CUNDALL, De-partment of Biology, Lehigh University, Bethle-hem, Pennsylvania 18015. ...
Ecology, Apr 1, 1984
Quantitative data consisting of 14 structural habitat variables and 5 climatic variables were obt... more Quantitative data consisting of 14 structural habitat variables and 5 climatic variables were obtained from 505 telemetric relocations of 21 timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) and 20 northern copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix mokeson) in eastern Pennsylvania. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that the habitats utilized by the two species differed significantly. The single discriminant function generated by a discriminant analysis was highly correlated with variables de- scribing structural features of the forest floor and canopy. A. c. mokeson utilized relatively open areas with higher rock density and less surface vegetation than did C. horridus. The discriminant function correctly classified 76% of the samples. The 24% overlap consisted largely of locations from gravid C. horridus whose habitat preference closely paralleled A. c. mokeson. Measurements of habitat overlap indicated that the separation of the two species along the habitat axis was theoretically sufficient for competitive avoidance. Although the observed species separation can be interpreted as reflecting interspecific competition, an alternate explanation based upon inherent physiological differences is also presented.
Journal of Herpetology, Sep 1, 2001
... taxonomic assessments of this group (eg, Gloyd, 1940; Klauber, 1972; Foote and Mac-Mahon, 197... more ... taxonomic assessments of this group (eg, Gloyd, 1940; Klauber, 1972; Foote and Mac-Mahon, 1977; Stille, 1987; Campbell and Lamar, 1989), the ... In addition, a stepwise mutation model has been proposed for microsatellites (Shriver et al., 1993; Valdes et al., 1993; Di Rienzo ...
Herpetologica, Sep 1, 2015
Timber Rattlesnakes, Crotalus horridus, are an endangered species in New Jersey, where high human... more Timber Rattlesnakes, Crotalus horridus, are an endangered species in New Jersey, where high human population density places extraordinary pressures on natural populations. Disjunct populations are found in both the northern part of the state and a few scattered locations in the southern Pine Barrens. The Pine Barrens populations were previously shown to have reduced levels of genetic diversity compared to other populations in the Mid-Atlantic region. In this study, we used microsatellite DNA to examine the remaining six known C. horridus populations in the Pine Barrens and two in the northern part of the state. Bayesian analysis, genetic distance analysis, and factorial component analysis were performed, and the results indicated that the sampled populations represented four genetic subgroups, the two northern populations comprised one subgroup and the remaining six Pine Barrens populations comprised the other subgroups. Although there was evidence for isolation by distance among the Pine Barrens populations, geographic distance alone did not account for a substantial amount of among-group variation. The combined analyses implicated paved roads as primary isolating barriers between populations. Given their geographic isolation and reduced levels of genetic diversity, intensive efforts may be required to ensure the persistence of the behaviorally and genetically unique C. horridus populations of the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
American Midland Naturalist, Apr 1, 1981
Grassland bird populations have seen greater declines than any other group of birds in North Amer... more Grassland bird populations have seen greater declines than any other group of birds in North America. Although snake predation is considered the primary reason for nest failure, little is known about how management practices in the Flint Hills region of Kansas impact movement and habitat use of snakes, and the predator-prey interaction between snakes and nests of grassland birds. Radio telemetry was used to study habitat use, considering 11 habitat variables, of 6 Eastern Racers (Coluber constrictor) and 9 Great Plains Rat Snakes (Elaphe emoryi). Grassland bird nests were monitored, including 84 nests that were eventually predated and 37 nests that fledged. After nesting was complete, a similar habitat analysis was conducted. Nest monitoring results showed snakes accounting for up to 72% of all nest failures; however, the rate of snake predation depended on land management techniques. The average daily nest survival rate was 90.03%, or a total survival rate of 12.98%. Several habitat characteristics including percent coverage by shrubs and grass were important in distinguishing among the habitats of the four groups. Fledged nests were found in habitats with sparser vegetation and more rocks than predated nests. Predated nests and both snake species shared habitats, but fledged nests were located in significantly different habitats from the other three groups. Thus, land management practices that manipulate habitat structure may directly influence grassland bird nest success by altering snake predation risk.
Herpetological review, Nov 3, 1996
Herpetologica, 1991
... DEFINITIONS A brief review of the conservation lit-erature suggests that the terminology re-l... more ... DEFINITIONS A brief review of the conservation lit-erature suggests that the terminology re-lating to translocation studies is ... published and unpub-lished observations provide additional in-formation concerning translocations in-volving salamanders, frogs, and snakes. ...
Conservation Biology
Reptiles are increasingly of conservation concern due to their susceptibility to habitat loss, em... more Reptiles are increasingly of conservation concern due to their susceptibility to habitat loss, emerging disease, and harvest in the wildlife trade. However, reptile populations are often difficult to monitor given the frequency of crypsis in their life history. This difficulty has left uncertain the conservation status of many species and the efficacy of conservation actions unknown. Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys consistently elevate the detection rate of species they are designed to monitor, and while their use is promising for terrestrial reptile conservation, successes in developing such surveys have been sparse. We tested the degree to which inclusion of surface and soil eDNA sampling into conventional artificial‐cover methods elevates the detection probability of a small, cryptic terrestrial lizard, Scincella lateralis. The eDNA sampling of cover object surfaces with paint rollers elevated per sample detection probabilities for this species 4–16 times compared with visual su...
Journal of Herpetology, Jun 1, 1982
... Disjunct populations of the eastern massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus catena-tus) presently occ... more ... Disjunct populations of the eastern massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus catena-tus) presently occur from central Mis-souri northeastward to western ... 1. In early spring the most heavily frequented habitats were the Eupato-rium-Glyceria-Solidago (Boneset-Manna Grass-Goldenrod ...
Biological Conservation, 1992
1976. History of biological control. Pp. 17-39. In C. B. Huffaker and P. S. Messenger (Eds.), The... more 1976. History of biological control. Pp. 17-39. In C. B. Huffaker and P. S. Messenger (Eds.), Theory and Practice of Biological Control. Academic Press, New York. SOULE, M. E. 1989. Risk analysis for the Concho water snake. Endangered Species Update 6:19-25. . 1985. What is conservation biology? BioScience 35:727-734. STOUT, I. J., D. R. RICHARDSON, AND R. E. ROBERTS. 1989a. Response of resident tortoises to a prescribed burn in a sand pine scrub community. Florida Nongame Wildlife Program Tech. Rep. 5:8485. STOUT, I. J., T. J. DOONAN, R. E. ROBERTS, AND D. R. RICHARDSON. 1989b. Comparisons of results of three gopher repatriation relocations in central and southeast Florida. Florida Nongame Wildlife Program Tech. Rep. 5:15-42. TEMPLETON, A. R., H. HAMMER, G. MACE, U. S. SEAL, W. M. SHIELDS, AND D. S. WOODRUFF. 1986. Local adaptation, coadaptation, and population boundaries. Zoo Biol. 5:115-125. TOM, J. 1988. The Daily Activity Pattern, Microhabitat, and Home Range of Hatchling Bolson Tortoises, Gopherus flavomarginatus. M.S. Thesis. California State University, Los Angeles, California. WILSON, L. D., AND L. PORRAS. 1983. The ecological impact of man on the south Florida herpetofauna. Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist. Spec. Pub. 9.
International Zoo Yearbook, 2015
Established in 1982, the Aruba Island rattlesnake Crotalus unicolor Species Survival Plan (SSP) i... more Established in 1982, the Aruba Island rattlesnake Crotalus unicolor Species Survival Plan (SSP) is the longest continual functioning snake conservation effort of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA). The captive population has been maintained as an assurance population for the most threatened snake on Aruba. Over the last 26 years, 27 potential founders were imported for assimilation into the SSP to maintain genetic diversity. By 2014, the gene diversity in the captive population was over 94%. In 1986, the SSP began working in partnership with Arubans to aid the conservation of the rattlesnake and its ecosystem on the Island. This in situ programme has included ecological research, training, management recommendations, capacity building, workshops, public relations and education. These efforts have been integrated into a holistic long-term project that has resulted in many significant conservation successes. The extensive efforts made by the AZA and SSP to ensure the continued survival of C. unicolor are a model for zoo-based conservation efforts involving reptiles.
Herpetological review, 2012
PloS one, 2017
Elucidating how life history traits vary geographically is important to understanding variation i... more Elucidating how life history traits vary geographically is important to understanding variation in population dynamics. Because many aspects of ectotherm life history are climate-dependent, geographic variation in climate is expected to have a large impact on population dynamics through effects on annual survival, body size, growth rate, age at first reproduction, size-fecundity relationship, and reproductive frequency. The Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) is a small, imperiled North American rattlesnake with a distribution centered on the Great Lakes region, where lake effects strongly influence local conditions. To address Eastern Massasauga life history data gaps, we compiled data from 47 study sites representing 38 counties across the range. We used multimodel inference and general linear models with geographic coordinates and annual climate normals as explanatory variables to clarify patterns of variation in life history traits. We found strong evidence for geographic v...
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Papers by Howard K Reinert