Landscape changes influence the reproductive behaviour of a key ‘capital breeder’ snake (Boa constrictor occidentalis) in the Gran Chaco region, Argentina

Cardozo, Gabriela; Chiaraviglio, Margarita

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2008.08.026

Cited by 23 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Among the weaknesses of the regional conservation plans, poor information regarding behavioural ecology is one of the fundamental issues (The Nature Conservancy et al, 2005). To know whether species might be threatened by habitat change it is necessary to determine the relation between ecological processes and environmental patterns (Cardozo & Chiaraviglio, 2008). Our study provides useful knowledge about the important role of native forest and shrublands in allopatric and sympatric distribution areas of the lizard species.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among the environmental factors that might influence behaviors in Squamata, vegetation structure would be of great importance (Blouin-Demers & Weatherhead, 2001;Chiaraviglio & Bertona, 2007;Row & Blouin-Demers, 2006) because it provides alternative thermal environments for thermoregulation (Chiaraviglio, 2006) and might affect reproductive processes and life history traits (Cardozo & Chiaraviglio, 2008;Cardozo & Chiaraviglio, 2011). Therefore, according to the complexity of the vertical structure of the land covers, we determined three major vegetation classes: forest, shrublands and low vertical structures (LVS).…”

Section: Landscape Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We introduced the following edge contrast weights: forestshrubs=0.25, forest-LVS=0.99, shrubs-LVS=0.75. All metrics were calculated using FragStats 3.3 (Cardozo & Chiaraviglio, 2008;McGarigal & Marks, 1995;Rutledge, 2003).…”

Section: Landscape Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The geographic structure of contact zones determines dynamic evolutionary processes; however, since landscape structure influences population processes (Cardozo et al, 2007;Cardozo & Chiaraviglio, 2008) the maintenance of contact zones is likely to depend on landscape patterns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Numerous research works indicate that several species are globally threatened by habitat loss, and how changes in spatial patterns influence ecological processes has received great attention. For instance, Cardozo & Chiaraviglio (2008) found that landscape influences life history parameters and spatial distribution of reproductive individuals in snakes, leading to geographical variations in mating systems and therefore variations in reproductive potential. Furthermore, Cardozo et al (2007) showed that landscape fragmentation affects dispersal patterns, reducing gene flow.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

The Role of Landscape in Contact Zones of Sister Species of Lizards

Cardozo¹,

Naretto²,

Zak³

et al. 2012

Perspectives on Nature Conservation - Patterns, Pressures and Prospects

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Landscape Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Landscape Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The Role of Landscape in Contact Zones of Sister Species of Lizards

Cardozo¹,

Naretto²,

Zak³

et al. 2012

Perspectives on Nature Conservation - Patterns, Pressures and Prospects

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Phenotypic plasticity of life history traits in relation to reproductive strategies in Boa constrictor occidentalis

Cardozo

Chiaraviglio

2011

Evol Ecol

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The close connection between reproductive ecology and life history in snakes leads to trade-offs between reproductive and other life-history traits. Optimal energy allocation to growth and reproduction is a key factor to determine life history structure. Therefore, elucidating the relationship between body size variations and reproductive characters is essential for a better understanding of life-history plasticity. The aim of this work was to determine to what extent life-history differs among populations of Boa constrictor occidentalis and to identify possible life-history trade-offs between morphological and reproductive traits. We compared two populations from areas that are separated latitudinally, with different climatic conditions and vegetation landscape structure. Reproductive and morphological data of specimens were recorded. Although populations had a similar mean length of mature snakes, the frequency of some size classes tended to be different. Size at sexual maturity differed between populations for females, generating variations in the proportion of mature individuals. Reproductive threshold and follicular size also varied, but female reproductive frequency was similar between populations. Reproductive frequency of males varied between populations although their body condition was similar. We discussed two major issues: (1) implications of size at sexual maturity for body size and fecundity; (2) trade-offs in reproductive characters.

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