Recent studies suggest that lower survival among gravid squamate reptiles may be partially the result of decreased locomotor ability during gestation. In this study, we compared the speed and endurance of female garter snakes (Thamnophis marcianus), before, during, and after pregnancy. Gravid snakes had significantly lower locomotor performance than did non-gravid females, and performance varied among stages of gestation, reaching a minimum 0-6 weeks prior to parturition. Both number of offspring and relative clutch mass were inversely correlated with locomotor performance; as females increased these traits, locomotor ability decreased. If reduced locomotor performance results in greater risk of predation and/or lowered foraging ability, then natural selection (operating via differential mortality or feeding rates of gravid females) may result in important constraints on both clutch size and relative clutch mass in squamates.
A number of recent studies have indicated that life history characteristics (e.g., number of offspring, offspring size, age at sexual maturity) are strongly affected by proximate environmental factors such as prey availability. Evaluating this phenotypic plasticity will be crucial to a complete understanding of the evolution oflife history traits, because the occurrence of such variability casts doubt on the common assumption that the values of life history characteristics expressed in nature are the outcome of long-term natural selection. In this study, we manipulated the diets of a captive-bred colony of the viviparous snake Thamnophis marcianus to determine to what degree the reproductive characteristics of this species were determined by food intake. We found that both number of offspring and clutch mass were significantly affected by prey availability, but that relative clutch mass and offspring size were fixed relative to diet. Our data suggest that like other organisms, T. marcianus shows a gradient in phenotypic plasticity, with some traits more canalized than others. Therefore, intraspecific comparisons of life history characteristics should not be made without information on which traits are subject to phenotypic plasticity.
Data on the relative clutch mass of snakes are summarized for over 100 populations. RCM was significantly lower in live bearing versus egg laying forms. We suggest that the longer reproductive season of viviparous snakes results in higher overall mortality compared to oviparous species; by reducing RCM, viviparous snakes may reduce this risk of mortality. Unlike lizards, no differences in RCM were found between categories of either escape behavior or foraging mode, possibly because detailed information on these behaviors are lacking for most snakes. In four populations examined, RCM did not vary among years. When compared to lizards, snakes demonstrate significantly higher RCM, perhaps owing to a more energetically efficient means of locomotion. Our data support the contention that RCM should be considered a separate and distinctive life-history characteristic of reptiles.
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