ŠVK 2025 - Plenárna prednáška

Abstract

Reptiles are amniotes which first appeared during Carboniferous. They display immense diversity in their rates and routes of reproduction and the life-history traits that generate that variation display corresponding diversity. One monophyletic clade is represented by squamates. This clade forms a very successful group of living animals, consisting of lizards and snakes. In regards to their biodiversity, they are the most numerous group of non-avian reptiles - squamates with over 10 000 species are the second largest order of Today living tetrapods. Moreover they show a greater range of morphological disparity than any other tetrapod group, ranging from fully limbed to completely limbless, in size from miniature geckos and chameleons with body size around 2 cm, to Komodo Dragons, in diet from herbivory to macrocarnivory, and in lifestyle from burrowing (fossorial) to bipedal running, climbing, arboreal and, swimming. Some of these animals glide, rather than use powered flight (what would require an extensive physiological input), for example Southeast Asian arboreal insectivorous agamid lizard of the genus Draco, well known as "flying dragon". Squamates have a history dating back over 200 million years and they are globally distributed in a wide range of habitats. The distribution, richness and diversity of squamates, as ectothermic animals, are not random, but are highly dependent on temperature and climatic conditions. For this reason, they are excellent indicators of past temperature and precipitation. Understanding of these reptiles and their history is relevant for present global climate change, including sea level rise, as well as the expansion of distribution of thermophilic taxa. Fortunately, we understand their history more and more thanks to the new interdisciplinary approach. In recent years, paleontological, morphological and phylogenetic research has been revitalized by the adoption of an increasingly sophisticated array of computer based approaches that can be run on laboratory PC's. Computed micro-tomography (micro-CT) is one of these, providing not only a non-destructive means to image and analyze specimens but also as the first step in biomechanical modeling of joints. Phylogenetic and physiological methods have also become more sophisticated (e.g., New Technology Search). All these new methods serve as a window to the amazing history of reptiles that can provide important lessons for our own future.

Čas konania: 30.4.2025, 9:15
Miesto konania: Prednášková sála CH1-1