Inter-individual variation and temperature-dependent antipredator behavior in the snake Tomodon dorsatus (Dipsadidae)

Citadini, Jessyca Michele; Navas, Carlos A.

doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2013.03.008

Cited by 14 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Indeed, animals may actively avoid, or at least counter the potential effects of temperature changes through their behavior and physiology. Behavioral plasticity may allow animals to overcome the effects of changes in temperature dependence when avoiding suboptimal temperatures is not an option (e.g., multiple reptiles switch their defensive strategy from active fleeing to aggressive ground-standing or thanatosis in colder temperatures, Hertz et al 1982;Citadini & Navas, 2013, but see Gerald, 2008 for an inversed pattern). On the other hand, some animals may be able to avoid or minimize the effects of temperature change by limiting their activities.…”

Section: Ecological Consequences Of Crossing Regimes Of Temperature Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crossing regimes of temperature dependence in animal movement

Gibert

Chelini

Rosenthal

et al. 2016

Global Change Biology

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A pressing challenge in ecology is to understand the effects of changing global temperatures on food web structure and dynamics. The stability of these complex ecological networks largely depends on how predator-prey interactions may respond to temperature changes. Because predators and prey rely on their velocities to catch food or avoid being eaten, understanding how temperatures may affect animal movement is central to this quest. Despite our efforts, we still lack a mechanistic understanding of how the effect of temperature on metabolic processes scales up to animal movement and beyond. Here, we merge a biomechanical approach, the Metabolic Theory of Ecology and empirical data to show that animal movement displays multiple regimes of temperature dependence. We also show that crossing these regimes has important consequences for population dynamics and stability, which depend on the parameters controlling predator-prey interactions. We argue that this dependence upon interaction parameters may help explain why experimental work on the temperature dependence of interaction strengths has so far yielded conflicting results. More importantly, these changes in the temperature dependence of animal movement can have consequences that go well beyond ecological interactions and affect, for example, animal communication, mating, sensory detection, and any behavioral modality dependent on the movement of limbs. Finally, by not taking into account the changes in temperature dependence reported here we might not be able to properly forecast the impact of global warming on ecological processes and propose appropriate mitigation action when needed.

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Section: Ecological Consequences Of Crossing Regimes Of Temperature Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crossing regimes of temperature dependence in animal movement

Gibert

Chelini

Rosenthal

et al. 2016

Global Change Biology

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“…Tomodon dorsatus Duméril, Bibron and Duméril 1854 is a Neotropical snake of the tribe Tachymenini that occurs in the Atlantic Forest, and surrounding areas, in Southeast and South Brazil (Citadini and Navas, 2013). This species is predominant diurnal and uses both terrestrial and arboreal environments (Citadini and Navas, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive biology of the Sword Snake Tomodon dorsatus (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) in South Brazil: comparisons within the tribe Tachymenini

2020

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We described the reproductive cycle, size-fecundity relationships, reproductive effort, and sexual maturity of Tomodon dorsatus in South Brazil. We examined 87 individuals (25 males and 62 females) from herpetological collections. The description of the reproductive cycle was based on the morpho-anatomical and histological changes in male testes, ductus deferens, and kidney and in female ovary and oviduct. The age at the onset of sexual maturity was estimated by skeletochronology of the caudal vertebra. The reproduction is seasonal semi-synchronous with most of the individuals showing a reproductive peak in the spring. Males and females have developed sperm storage strategies, increasing the reproductive success. Males store sperm in the ductus deferens during the autumn and winter, while females storage takes place in the utero-vaginal junction furrows during the autumn and early winter. Larger females produce a higher number of larger follicles and eggs. Females invest more in growth before reaching sexual maturity than males. Females reach sexual maturity earlier (4 years old) than males (5 years old) and have larger bodies but lower longevity. Reproductive strategies of Tachymenini specie are highly conserved.

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“…As explained previously, we focused on antipredatory responses exhibited at 22.5°C because at this temperature adult tegus shift from running away to confronting the predator, and therefore behavioural variation between juveniles and adults is more prominent. To construct the TBS, we assigned different weights to each of the five anti-predatory behaviours reported by de Barros et al (2010), giving positive values to aggressive behaviours and negative values to escape behaviours as follows: bite=2, defensive posture=1, no response/immobility=0, walk=−1 and run=−2 (modified from Citadini and Navas, 2013). In order to differentiate the most aggressive individuals, we granted 5 extra points as a positive bonus to the TBS of individuals that bit or assumed a defensive posture with in the first 20 s of each duplicate test.…”

Section: Muscle Biochemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adult tegus may also face predators when emerging from shelters during the winter, but warming might be slow as a result of their large body size. The preference of adult tegus for aggressive behaviour when facing predators presumably compensates for restrictions in escaping abilities imposed by specific environmental conditions that impair locomotion (de Barros et al, 2010;Brodie and Russell, 1999;Citadini and Navas, 2013;Crowley and Pietruszka, 1983;Hertz et al, 1982). Increased body size often enhances biting forces, probably reducing the threshold for the individual to engage an aggressive encounter because the animal will combat predators while minimizing its risk of injury (see Huyghe et al, 2005;Herrel et al, 2009;de Barros et al, 2010 for some examples).…”

Section: Enzyme Activities On Hindlimb and Head Musclesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, locomotion and metabolism are, in general, reduced at low temperatures (Bennett, 1980(Bennett, , 1990Huey, 1982; but see Angilletta, 2009;James, 2013 for reviews), and an animal's sensorial perception might also be restricted in such conditions (Van Damme et al, 1990). Accordingly, shifts between flight and fight behaviour in response to variation in body temperature have been demonstrated in several squamate lineages (Citadini and Navas, 2013;Crowley and Pietruszka, 1983;Hertz et al, 1982;Mautz et al, 1992;Polčák and Gvoždík, 2014;Schieffelin and De Queiroz, 1991). For example, the agamid lizard Trapelus pallida exhibits a temperature-dependent shift from evasive to aggressive behaviours that could be explained by increased thermal sensitivity of muscles used for sprinting in comparison to those involved in biting .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Beyond body size: muscle biochemistry and body shape explain ontogenetic variation of anti-predatory behaviour in the lizard Salvator merianae (Squamata: Teiidae)

Barros

Carvalho

Abe

et al. 2016

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Anti-predatory behaviour evolves under the strong action of natural selection because the success of individuals avoiding predation essentially defines their fitness. Choice of anti-predatory strategies is defined by prey characteristics as well as environmental temperature. An additional dimension often relegated in this multilevel equation is the ontogenetic component. In the tegu Salvator merianae, adults run away from predators at high temperatures but prefer fighting when it is cold, whereas juveniles exhibit the same flight strategy within a wide thermal range. Here, we integrate physiology and morphology to understand ontogenetic variation in the temperature-dependent shift of anti-predatory behaviour in these lizards. We compiled data for body shape and size, and quantified enzyme activity in hindlimb and head muscles, testing the hypothesis that morphophysiological models explain ontogenetic variation in behavioural associations. Our prediction is that juveniles exhibit body shape and muscle biochemistry that enhance flight strategies. We identified biochemical differences between muscles mainly in the LDH:CS ratio, whereby hindlimb muscles were more glycolytic than the jaw musculature. Juveniles, which often use evasive strategies to avoid predation, have more glycolytic hindlimb muscles and are much smaller when compared with adults 1-2 years old. Ontogenetic differences in body shape were identified but marginally contributed to behavioural variation between juvenile and adult tegus, and variation in antipredatory behaviour in these lizards resides mainly in associations between body size and muscle biochemistry. Our results are discussed in the ecological context of predator avoidance by individuals differing in body size living at temperature-variable environments, where restrictions imposed by the cold could be compensated by specific phenotypes.

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Inter-individual variation and temperature-dependent antipredator behavior in the snake Tomodon dorsatus (Dipsadidae)

Cited by 14 publications

References 45 publications

Crossing regimes of temperature dependence in animal movement

Crossing regimes of temperature dependence in animal movement

Reproductive biology of the Sword Snake Tomodon dorsatus (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) in South Brazil: comparisons within the tribe Tachymenini

Beyond body size: muscle biochemistry and body shape explain ontogenetic variation of anti-predatory behaviour in the lizard Salvator merianae (Squamata: Teiidae)

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