Chalcides ocellatus - Ocellated skink

Tarentola mauritaica - Moorish gecko

Hemydactilus turcicus - Turkish gecko

Pelophylax cretensis (endemic) - Cretan water frog

Habitats visited:
- Kourna lake
- rocky shrubland (Agios Nikolaos)
- pine forest in high altitude (Giouhtas Mountain)
- wetlands and streams (Argyroupolis)
- human settlements (Plaka, Arxanes)
- dry walls (Elounda)

Searching methods:
We found out that searching for herpetofauna is not easy. It take time and patience to find reptiles and amphibians. They are usually hidden under rocks and even under garbage, so it's a good technique to turn stones. But don't forget to turn them back after examining the animal! 
You have to be quiet to hear them moving and observe the habitat very carefully.

Preparation of the field work. Before going to the field, you have to learn what species to expect in that particular habitat you are going to visit.  Don't forget about important equipment: hiking shoes and clothes for yourself, first aid kit and most importantly...water.

You can catch them by hands or with special equipment like gloves for venomous snakes but don't be afraid because here are no venomous snakes on Crete! Other equipment can be dip nets for amphibians, rubber bands, nooses for lizards, socks for  collecting specimens for scientific studies. A camera can always be nice for taking good pictures of species and habitats and especially when you don't know the species you  can just identify it later! Its good to record where and what species you found.

Timing: we were searching for them in the hottest time of the day when reptiles are hiding. So it would have been better to start searching early in the morning when reptiles are more active.
We were searching for them in the spring when they are most active. We could observe both adult and juvenile specimens, and even a gravid skink.

It is always good to talk to local community for information about their observations.

We found a lot of species but for the next trip some aspects like time and methods should be organized better. The 1/3 of the cretan herpetofauna was not disappointing at all, and if the above are followed the next explorers may be more herpeto...talented! For us it was a really nice experience!
   

 

Drought-escaping plants – annuals which germinate and grow only when there is sufficient moisture available to complete their life cycle. Only their seeds persist during times of drought. Annuals. 

Drought-evading plants – non-succulent perennials which restrict their growth activity to periods when moisture is available. Typically, they are drought-deciduous shrubs which go dormant or die back during dry periods. 

Drought-enduring plants – evergreen shrubs. Extensive root systems coupled with various morphological and physiological adaptations of their aerial parts enable these hardy xerophytes to maintain growth even in times of extreme water stress. 

Drought-resisting plants – succulent perennials. The water stored in their swollen leaves and stems is usually used very sparingly. 

Other adaptation: 

Since at least the time of Theophrastus in ancient Greece, this plant has been known for medicinal and culinary uses. Although it has been cultivated at times, currently most of the plant which is consumed comes from harvesting of wild plant. 

Adaptation of plants to changes of environment 
Climate change in Crete
 

Phylogenetical and phylogeographical studies have demonstrated the complex historical biogeography of the Mediterranean Basin and also the importance of islands as reservoirs of unique genetic lineages, notably for most endemics and narrowly distributed plants (Médail & Diadema, 2009). Nevertheless, the time frame and evolutionary consequences of biogeographical events linked to repeated cycles of island connections and isolation, in relation to marine regressions-transgressions, remain largely unknown (Mansion et al., 2008). This is of particularly concern for efficient evolutionary conservation of these heterogeneous insular floras. 

With the biome crisis of the Mediterranean basin (Hoekstra et al. 2005), islands constitute key ecological systems to ensure the preservation of coastal plant biodiversity. And while insular systems still represent fascinating ecological systems, they are also key entities to disentangle the role of environmental versus human pressures in the long-term preservation of these biodiversity hot-spots. Because of increased threats across the Mediterranean region and the complex consequences of climate change (Klausmeyer & Shaw, 2009), it is crucial to observe, monitor, and analyze changes in vegetation and plant biodiversity across ecological and biogeographical gradients. Mediterranean islands, notably the small ones, are favorable sites for such long-term observations as well as for monitoring at various spatial scales. These “natural insular microcosms” are indeed appropriate systems to study adaptation to climate change by species or communities, and the functional biogeography approach (Violle et al. 2014) is undoubtedly an interesting topic that needs further research.
 

The diversity of situations facing Mediterranean islands should facilitate their integration as laboratories or testing grounds of extinction in relation to global change and human pressures. To this end, it would be useful to combine reactive approaches on the most threatened (often largest) islands, and proactive approaches on relatively less threatened islands (notably small islands and islets). Multi-disciplinary collaboration among prehistorians, archaeologists, palaeoecologists, historians, socio-economists, soil scientists, ecologists and biogeographers is needed to disentangle the complex interactions between past human societies and insular environments. Enhancing these interdisciplinary research efforts is a prerequisite for the design of sound policies and practices concerning the conservation of these unique and fragile insular floras and plant communities (Médail, 2013). The smallest islands should not be neglected, as they are often isolated territories where micro-speciation processes occurs, offering modern refuge-areas for diversity that is put at risk by the impacts of human activity on the coasts of the adjacent mainland. 

Owing to their high biotic originality and vulnerability to global change, Mediterranean islands and islets urgently require integrated and ambitious conservation planning aimed at the long-term preservation of their outstanding biodiversity and cultural heritage. 

Threats of the changing climate 
 

Warmer, drier, more extreme rainfalls 

1.      Migration of plants to higher altitudes 

2.      Forest fires 

3.      Wetland’s vegetation disappears 

4.      Endemic species disappear (especially at higher altitudes) 

5.      Spread of invasive species 

6.      Soil erosion due to heavy rains 

7.      Sea level rises 

8.      Island species are more vulnerable, because of there is less chance to migrate