Effects of a Full Stomach on Locomotory Performance of Juvenile Garter Snakes (Thamnophis elegans)

Garland, Theodore; Arnold, Stevan J.

doi:10.2307/1445117

Cited by 125 publications

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“…In congeners, similar size-dependent crawling speed has been found (T. sirtalis, Heckrotte 1967; T. elegans. Garland and Arnold 1983). Adults may have greater endurance than neonates (for example, Lillywhite 1987, Pough 1977.…”

Section: Ecology and Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

The biology of amphibians and reptiles in old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest.

Blaustein¹,

Beatty²,

Olson³

et al. 1995

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This file was created by scanning the printed publication. Text errors identified by the software have been corrected; however, some errors may remain. The amphibian and reptile fauna of older forest ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest includes several endemic species, species with unique behavioral and ecological characteristics, and species whose populations have been in decline in recent years. We review the biology of these species and include information oh their distinguishing characteristics, behavior, and ecology. Herpetofaunal associations with forest characteristics and the impact of habitat loss are addressed.Keywords: Amphibian, reptile, old-growth forest, Pacific Northwest, ecology. (Ehrlich 1988, McNeely and others 1990, Soule' 1986. A continual loss of biodiversity can have far-reaching ecological, economic, social, medical, and ethical consequences (for example, Green and Losos 1988, Oldfield 1984, Soule' 1986, Wilson 1988. Members of all taxonomic groups are affected, and threatened species exist in all the vertebrate classes.As part of the overall biodiversity crisis, several recent reports have suggested that many species within the vertebrate classes Amphibia and Reptilia are undergoing population declines and range reductions (Beebee 1992, Blaustein and Wake 1990, Blaustein and others 1994a, Phillips 1990, Vial and Saylor 1993. The declines of some species are especially perplexing because they are disappearing in areas of the world that are devoid of obvious habitat destruction, pollution, and exotic competitors or predators.Amphibians and reptiles are important components in many ecosystems. They can occupy key trophic positions in food webs of both aquatic and terrestrial systems. As adults, they can be top carnivores, and as larvae or juveniles, they may be the major food source of many other species including birds, mammals, fish, and invertebrates. In some forest ecosystems, amphibians may comprise the major component of the vertebrate biomass (for example, Burton and Likens 1975, Bury 1988). Moreover, under certain conditions, amphibians may be good "bioindicators" of environmental stress because of various aspects of their life histories, including their physiological and behavioral characteristics, morphogenetic patterns, and aspects of their population biology. The decline in amphibians may be an early warning signal that, ultimately, other organisms also may be in danger of decline and extinction.There is growing concern over the impact of potential losses in biodiversity in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in forest systems/The herpetofauna of these forests can reach relatively high densities and comprise the dominant component of faunal biomass (for example, Bury 1988). Additionally, some forest species are unique and extremely interesting, such as the giant salamanders (Dicamptodon species) which are thought to be the largest terrestrial salamanders, the tailed frog (Ascaphus truei) whose males have copulatory organs, the Cascades frog (R. cascadae) whose larvae may aggre...

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Section: Ecology and Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

The biology of amphibians and reptiles in old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest.

Blaustein¹,

Beatty²,

Olson³

et al. 1995

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show abstract

“…Therefore, foraging and digestion can be easily distinguished and monitored (by comparison, these processes overlap in herbivorous animals, rendering analyses complicated). Digestion speed depends on body temperature and is often associated with prolonged phases of sun basking (at least in temperate climates), which increases predation risk (Garland and Arnold, 1983;Beck, 1996); consequently, there is a conflict between rapid digestion associated with sun exposure and survival provided by the refuge (Sih, 1997). The experiments presented in this study are largely based on this trade-off.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shelter availability, stress level, and digestive performances in the aspic viper

Bonnet

Fizesan

Michel

2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYThe lack of shelter can perturb behaviors, increase stress level and thus alter physiological performance (e.g. digestive, immune or reproductive functions). Although intuitive, such potential impacts of lack of shelter remain poorly documented. We manipulated shelter availability and environmental and physiological variables (i.e. access to a heat source, predator attack, feeding status) in a viviparous snake, and assessed sun-basking behavior, digestive performance (i.e. digestive transit time, crude estimate of assimilation, regurgitation rate) and plasma corticosterone levels (a proxy of stress level). Shelter deprivation provoked a strong increase in sun-basking behavior and thus elevated body temperature, even in unfed individuals for which energy savings would have been otherwise beneficial. The lack of heat was detrimental to digestive performance; simulated predator attacks worsened the situation and entailed a further deterioration of digestion. The combination of the lack of shelter with cool ambient temperatures markedly elevated basal corticosterone level and was associated with low digestive performance. This hormonal effect was absent when only one negative factor was involved, suggesting a threshold response. Overall, our results revealed important non-linear cascading impacts of shelter availability on stress-hormone levels, behaviors and physiological performance. These results infer that shelter availability is important for laboratory studies, captive husbandry and possibly conservation plans. Supplementary material available online at

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“…For example, female snakes suffer reduced locomotor performance during pregnancy, due in part to the added burden of offspring (Seigel et al 1987, Winne and. Likewise, consuming a large meal comes at a cost to locomotor performance, both on land (Garland andArnold 1983, Mehta 2006) and in the water (Shine and Shetty 2001). For example, Ford and Shuttlesworth (1986) found that checkered garter snakes (Thamnophis marcianus) fed large meals exhibited reduced maximum sprint speed, average crawling speed, and endurance.…”

Section: Post-feeding Locomotor Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, we expected that the large amounts of bony material present in Lepomis would result in a higher cost of digestion (SDA response) for Lepomis than Ambystoma. Finally, consumption of fish, which are relatively stiff-bodied, has been shown to impair locomotor performance in snakes (Garland and Arnold 1983). Thus, we expected that consumption of Lepomis would induce greater body distension than consumption of Ambystoma, resulting in reduced maximum crawling speed in snakes that consumed Lepomis compared to those that consumed Ambystoma.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Because snakes lack limbs, they rely solely on their jaws and body musculature for both prey handling and locomotion (Cundall 1987). Therefore, the added burden of a large meal can hinder snake locomotor performance (Garland and Arnold 1983, Ford and Shuttlesworth 1986, Shine and Shetty 2001, Mehta 2006, Mehta and Burghardt 2008. Although the effects of prey size on snake feeding behavior and performance have been examined in several species (e.g., Mori 1991, 1996, Arnold 1993, Vincent et al 2006), few studies have compared feeding performance, digestive metabolism, or post-feeding locomotor performance of snakes fed prey that are similar in size but different in shape.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prey morphology constrains the feeding ecology of an aquatic generalist predator

Willson

Hopkins

2011

Ecology

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Abstract. Resource availability and accessibility are primary factors guiding the distribution and abundance of organisms. For generalists, prey availability reflects both prey abundance and differences in quality among prey taxa. Although some aspects of prey quality, such as nutritional composition, are well studied, our understanding of how prey morphology contributes to overall prey quality is limited. Because snakes cannot reduce prey size by mastication, many aspects of their feeding ecology (e.g., maximum prey size, feeding performance, and the degree of postprandial locomotor impairment) may be affected by prey shape. We conducted a uniquely comprehensive comparison of prey quality for a generalist species, the banded watersnake (Nerodia fasciata), using prey that were similar in mass and presumably similar in nutritional composition but different in shape and habitat association. Specifically, we compared nutritional composition and shape of paedomorphic salamanders (Ambystoma talpoideum) and sunfish (Lepomis marginatus) and used a series of repeatedmeasures experiments to examine feeding performance (number of prey consumed, maximum prey size, and intra-oral transport time), digestive metabolism (specific dynamic action, SDA), and postprandial locomotor performance of snakes fed Ambystoma and Lepomis. Cost of digestion was similar between the prey types, likely reflecting their similar nutritional composition. However, snakes consumed larger Ambystoma than Lepomis and intra-oral transport time was much shorter for Ambystoma. Snakes fed Lepomis also suffered greater reduction in crawling speed than those fed Ambystoma. These differences highlight the need for behaviorally integrated approaches to understanding prey quality and support field observations of the importance of amphibian prey for juvenile watersnakes.

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Effects of a Full Stomach on Locomotory Performance of Juvenile Garter Snakes (Thamnophis elegans)

Cited by 125 publications

References 0 publications

The biology of amphibians and reptiles in old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest.

The biology of amphibians and reptiles in old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest.

Shelter availability, stress level, and digestive performances in the aspic viper

Prey morphology constrains the feeding ecology of an aquatic generalist predator

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