| Research Description |
Paul Hertz specializes in animal physiological ecology and
evolution, reptile ecology and behavior, and herpetology. Reptiles,
as ectothermic vertebrates, provide a model system for studying
adaptation to spatial and temporal variation in the physical
environment. Dr. Hertz's early research focused on the evolution
and interaction of behavioral and physiological traits that
compensate for geographic and seasonal shifts in operative
temperatures. More recently, Dr. Hertz has defined a protocol for
using null hypotheses in field experiments to evaluate the extent
and effectiveness of temperature regulation and its effect on
resource partitioning in West Indian anoles. He has also
investigated the role of light intensity in microhabitat selection
by thermoregulating and non-thermoregulating Anolis species.
Several years ago Dr. Hertz collaborated with two European
colleagues on a study that determined the relative contributions of
different behavioral mechanisms to temperature regulation in a
European lacertid and evaluated the effects of operative
temperatures on its microhabitat selection. Dr. Hertz has recently
collaborated with scientists from Washington University, the
Smithsonian, and the Cuban Academy of Sciences on a study of the
thermal biology and community ecology of sympatric Anolis lizards
in western Cuba. He hopes to continue this project in the near
future. |
| Representative Publications |
Bauwens, D., P.E. Hertz, and A. Castilla, 1996.
Thermoregulation in a lacertid lizard: the relative contributions
of distinct behavioral mechanisms. Ecology. 77(6):1818.
Hertz, P.E., L.J. Fleishman, and C. Armsby, 1994.
The influence of light intensity and temperature on microhabitat
selection in Anolis lizards. Functional Ecology.
8:720 729.
Hertz, P.E., R.B. Huey, and R.D. Stevenson, 1993.
Evaluating temperature regulation by field active ectotherms: the
fallacy of the inappropriate question. American Naturalist.
142:796-818.
Hertz, P.E. 1992. Temperature regulation in Puerto
Rican Anolis lizards: A field test using null hypotheses. Ecology
73: 1405-1417.
Hertz, P.E., 1992. Evaluating thermal resource
partitioning by sympatric lizards Anolis cooki and A.
cristatellus: a field test using null hypotheses.
Oecologia. 90:127 136.
Hertz, P.E., R.B. Huey, and E. Nevo, 1983. Homage
to Santa Anita: thermal sensitivity of sprint speed in agamid
lizards.Evolution. 37:1075-1084.
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