Historical Contingency and Animal Diets: The Origins of Egg Eating in Snakes

Queiroz, de; Rodríguez-Robles,

doi:10.2307/3844775

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Families). Tree selection for any particular group was conducted in accordance with previously published methods (de Queiroz & Rodriguez‐Robles, ; Gartner et al ., ) (for details on phylogeny construction, see Figure ; see Supporting Information, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bij.12223/suppinfo and http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bij.12223/suppinfo). The final topology had 80 taxa and initially lacked branch length information.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ambush or active life: foraging mode influences haematocrit levels in snakes

Lourdais

Gartner

Brischoux

2014

Biol J Linn Soc Lond

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The rate at which organisms acquire resources is a critical trait and foraging mode can vary from sit-and-wait tactics to being highly mobile and active. Snakes provide a robust opportunity to examine the physiological correlates of contrasted foraging strategies. In this context, haematocrit (Hct), a proxy of blood oxygen carrying capacity, should be a reliable indicator of aerobic activity levels. We used phylogenetically informed models to examine the relationship between foraging mode and Hct in 80 snake species. After accounting for clade and habitat effects, we found a significant relationship of Hct with foraging mode; Hct is lower in snakes that ambush prey compared to active foragers across habitats. Species using both foraging tactics had marginally lower Hct than active foragers. Ambush foraging tactics are widespread in snakes, notably among low-energy specialists that usually display low feeding frequency, as well as limited activity and daily movements. Because Hct influences blood viscosity, low levels may thus be advantageous by reducing maintenance and locomotory costs. Further studies are required to better understand the implication of foraging mode on blood characteristics and other aspects of snake physiology.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ambush or active life: foraging mode influences haematocrit levels in snakes

Lourdais

Gartner

Brischoux

2014

Biol J Linn Soc Lond

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We constructed this composite tree following the protocol described in de Queiroz & Rodríguez‐Robles (2006). Branch lengths were obtained from a ML analysis of all the genes except CO I (because data from this gene were not available for all the taxa) for all the included taxa using the model chosen by Modeltest for these data.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A peninsula as an island: multiple forms of evidence for overwater colonization of Baja California by the gartersnake Thamnophis validus

Queiroz

Lawson

2008

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The recent shift toward dispersal rather than vicariant explanations of disjunct distributions has been driven by the use of molecular data to estimate divergence dates between lineages. However, other kinds of evidence can also be critical in evaluating such biogeographic hypotheses. In the present study, we used a multifaceted approach employing diverse analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequences to assess explanations for the disjunct distribution of the gartersnake Thamnophis validus. The occurrence of this species in the Cape Region of the Baja California peninsula, isolated from mainland populations that occur along the west coast of Mexico, might be explained by:(1) separation of the peninsula from mainland Mexico through rifting 4-8 Mya (tectonic vicariance); (2) fragmentation of the range of this semi-aquatic species because of post-Pleistocene aridification (vicariance by aridification);(3) natural overwater dispersal across the Gulf of California; or (4) human introduction. Divergence dating indicates that peninsular and mainland T. validus separated from each other within the last 0.5 Myr, thus rejecting tectonic vicariance. In addition, the estimated closest mainland relatives of peninsular snakes are found farther north than expected under this hypothesis. Three findings argue against vicariance by aridification: (1) peninsular snakes and their closest mainland relatives are more genetically similar than predicted; (2) the location of closest mainland relatives is farther south than predicted; and (3) the species is absent from areas where one might expect to find relict populations. Taken together, refutation of the vicariance hypotheses and the fact that the estimated closest mainland relatives are found almost directly across the Gulf from the Cape Region supports some form of overwater colonization. Various additional arguments suggest that natural dispersal is more likely than human introduction. The present study emphasizes the need for multiple kinds of evidence, beyond divergence dates, to discriminate among hypotheses and to provide independent sources of corroboration or refutation in historical biogeography.

show abstract

“…Oophagic snakes typically exhibit one of two feeding strategies to deal with the undigestable eggshell, ingestion of the entire egg with the shell then passed in fecal matter, or regurgitation of the eggshell after the contents have been forced into the gut. The latter is more common in obligate oophagic snakes that specialize on avian eggs (e.g., Gans 1952, Queiroz andRodriguez-Robles 2006).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lessons learned

Hoaglund

Smith

2012

RandA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Plains Hognose Snake (Heterodon nasicus) has been the focus of many studies due, in part, to this species' interesting morphological characteristics and death-feigning behavior. However, significant gaps exist in our understanding of this species' natural history. Often perceived to be a semi-fossorial species in the literature, our data suggests that this species spends the majority of its time during the active season above ground. In addition, we provide some of the first data on communal hibernation for this species. Also discussed are observations on nocturnality, oophagy, and reproduction. Given that the plain Hognose Snake is imperiled in many of the states and provinces in which it occurs, additional research is needed to better inform in-situ conservation efforts.

show abstract

Historical Contingency and Animal Diets: The Origins of Egg Eating in Snakes

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Ambush or active life: foraging mode influences haematocrit levels in snakes

Ambush or active life: foraging mode influences haematocrit levels in snakes

A peninsula as an island: multiple forms of evidence for overwater colonization of Baja California by the gartersnake Thamnophis validus

Lessons learned

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About