Conflicts between feeding and reproduction in amphibious snakes (sea kraits, Laticauda spp.)

Abstract

If reproduction impairs an organism's ability to perform other fitness-related activities, natural selection may favour behavioural adjustments to minimize these conflicts. This is presumably the reason why many animals are anorexic during the breeding season. We studied amphibious sea snakes, a group whose ecology facilitates teasing apart the causal links between reproduction and feeding. In both Laticauda laticaudata and L. saintgironsi in New Caledonia, adult females cease feeding as their eggs develop.The advantages of foregoing feeding do not relate to thermoregulation (because foraging does not entail lower body temperatures), nor are they attributable to physical constraints on abdominal volume (because in a snake's linear body, there is little overlap between the stomach and the oviducts). Instead, female sea kraits appear to cease feeding because their bodily distension impedes locomotor ability, rendering them less effective at foraging and more vulnerable to aquatic predators.

Temporal and Spatial Complexity of Maternal Thermoregulation in Tropical Pythons

“…5), which suggests that thermoregulation was still somewhat important after reproduction (possibly because of digestion needs). This trade-off between foraging and reproduction is common in snakes (oviparous and viviparous; reviewed in Brischoux et al 2011) in contrast to endotherms, which typically increase foraging during reproduction to meet the increased energy demands of parental care (e.g., milk production in mammals). Anorexia during repro- duction in snakes has been attributed to adaptation (e.g., foraging during reproduction imposes increased risk of predators or detrimental shifts in the magnitude or variance of T body ) or physical constraint (e.g., retained or brooded eggs interfere with digestion or the efficient locomotion required for prey acquisition; reviewed in Brischoux et al 2011).…”

“…This trade-off between foraging and reproduction is common in snakes (oviparous and viviparous; reviewed in Brischoux et al 2011) in contrast to endotherms, which typically increase foraging during reproduction to meet the increased energy demands of parental care (e.g., milk production in mammals). Anorexia during repro- duction in snakes has been attributed to adaptation (e.g., foraging during reproduction imposes increased risk of predators or detrimental shifts in the magnitude or variance of T body ) or physical constraint (e.g., retained or brooded eggs interfere with digestion or the efficient locomotion required for prey acquisition; reviewed in Brischoux et al 2011). Pythons typically ingest large meals (5%-65% of body mass; Slip and Shine 1988a;Secor and Diamond 1997) of nocturnal prey (e.g., rodents), have large reproductive investments (relative clutch mass of 25%-50%; reviewed in Stahlschmidt and DeNardo 2011), and exhibit greater temperature sensitivity as embryos than as adults (e.g., ).…”

Reproductive state affects hiding behaviour under risk of predation but not exploratory activity of female Spanish terrapins

“…Similarly, in sea snakes (Laticauda spp. ), gravid females ceased to feed due to the risks associated with foraging activity (Brischoux et al, 2011). Thus, because gravid females of M. leprosa invested relatively more in current reproduction than non-gravid ones, gravid females should be more cautious when facing a potential predator attack, which may explain their relatively longer hiding times (Cooper and Frederick, 2007).…”

Do researchers impact their study populations? Assessing the effect of field procedures in a long term population monitoring of sea kraits

“…The selected time-period elapsed between capture and recapture (~1 year) enabled us to control for spurious seasonal effects. For instance, during austral spring (mating period) males and females reduce or cease feedi ng (Brischoux, Bonnet and Shine, 2011 ); additionally, egg laying induces a considerable mass loss. Capturing, marking a snake in spring and assessing possible change in body condition few months later only (e.g.…”