PAST RESEARCH
NICHOLAS WU
Ecological Physiologist at Western Sydney University, Australia
0000-0002-7130-1279
Burrowing energetics and comparative morphology of skinks
Honours project - University of Queensland, Australia
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Advisor:
Assoc. Prof. Craig R. White
About:
Burrowing is the most energetically costly form of locomotion undertaken by animals. The energetic cost of burrowing has been well studied in a wide variety of animals, but no data existed for reptiles. I examined how temperature and substrate affected the energetic cost of burrowing in two semi-fossorial skinks, the night skink, and the desert skink. I also compared body morphology of related species within the Egernia-complex group (18 species) in relation to their habitat retreats to determine if differences in body shapes were due to their preference to habitat types.
Skills:
Morphometric analysis, open-flow respirometry, phylogenetic tree reconstruction, and reptile maintenance and handling (Egernia skinks).
Species:
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Pink-tongue skink (Cyclodomorphus gerrardii)
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Major skink (Bellatorias frerei)
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Cunningham's skink (Egernia cunninghami)
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Tree skink (Egernia striolata)
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Desert skink (Liopholis inornata)
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Night skink (Liopholis striata)
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Shingleback skink (Tiliqua rugrosa)
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Blue-tongue skink (Tiliqua scincoides)
Measuring burrow dimensions created by a Liopholis striata after respirometry trial. N. Wu
Adult night skink (Liopholis striata) used for the study. N. Wu
A major skink (Bellatorias frerei) used for the study. N. Wu
A desert skink (Liopholis inornata) in it's enclosure. N. Wu
A metabolic chamber containing sand for the respriometry trial. N. Wu