Pub Date : 2022-09-26DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10104
Z. Campos, F. Muniz, G. Mourão, W. Magnusson, I. Farias, T. Hrbek
Colour variation in crocodilians is associated with size, environment and genetic structure, but little is known about colour variation in the genus Paleosuchus (Alligatoridae). Different genetic lineages of Paleosuchus palpebrosus (Dwarf caiman) occupy different environments throughout the species extensive distribution, and all are cryptically coloured. We captured 187 P. palpebrosus and recorded their head colour from four genetically distinct geographic clades between 2008 and 2019. Additionally, we determined the jaw and belly spot pattern of a subsample of 95 individuals (22–109 cm snout-vent length). PERMANCOVA was used to investigate the relationships between head colour and spot patterns, to the caiman size, sex, and geographic lineage, as well as ambient temperature. Variation in head colour, and jaw and belly spot patterns, were related to genetic lineage, snout-vent length and temperature, but the model explained only ∼45.4% of the variance in the data. Sex was not significantly related to the head colour, or jaw and belly spot patterns. Dwarf caimans inhabiting cooler climates tend to be darker than individuals from warmer areas, and individuals from the “Cerrado-Pantanal” and “Bolivia” lineages generally darker than the “Amazon” and “Madeira” lineages. However, individuals of a given size in different lineages overlap greatly in colour patterns and colour alone could not be used to distinguish lineages. The Natterer’s hypothesis of head-colour as diagnose from “Cerrado-Pantanal” lineage, cannot be completely accepted according our quantitative analysis, although there are a variation in the geographic distribution of these phenotypic traits, and the “Cerrado-Pantanal” lineage had been the most distinct among the lineages.
{"title":"Geographic variation in colour and spot patterns in Dwarf Caiman, Paleosuchus palpebrosus (Cuvier, 1807) in Brazil","authors":"Z. Campos, F. Muniz, G. Mourão, W. Magnusson, I. Farias, T. Hrbek","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10104","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Colour variation in crocodilians is associated with size, environment and genetic structure, but little is known about colour variation in the genus Paleosuchus (Alligatoridae). Different genetic lineages of Paleosuchus palpebrosus (Dwarf caiman) occupy different environments throughout the species extensive distribution, and all are cryptically coloured. We captured 187 P. palpebrosus and recorded their head colour from four genetically distinct geographic clades between 2008 and 2019. Additionally, we determined the jaw and belly spot pattern of a subsample of 95 individuals (22–109 cm snout-vent length). PERMANCOVA was used to investigate the relationships between head colour and spot patterns, to the caiman size, sex, and geographic lineage, as well as ambient temperature. Variation in head colour, and jaw and belly spot patterns, were related to genetic lineage, snout-vent length and temperature, but the model explained only ∼45.4% of the variance in the data. Sex was not significantly related to the head colour, or jaw and belly spot patterns. Dwarf caimans inhabiting cooler climates tend to be darker than individuals from warmer areas, and individuals from the “Cerrado-Pantanal” and “Bolivia” lineages generally darker than the “Amazon” and “Madeira” lineages. However, individuals of a given size in different lineages overlap greatly in colour patterns and colour alone could not be used to distinguish lineages. The Natterer’s hypothesis of head-colour as diagnose from “Cerrado-Pantanal” lineage, cannot be completely accepted according our quantitative analysis, although there are a variation in the geographic distribution of these phenotypic traits, and the “Cerrado-Pantanal” lineage had been the most distinct among the lineages.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44596959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-09-26DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10105
C. Klaver
Consulting the Reptile Database disclosed the absence of an etymology of three enigmatic reptilian (sub-) specific names. An elucidation on behalf of especially non-German-speaking colleagues is provided.
查阅爬行动物数据库发现，三个神秘的爬行动物（亚）特有名称缺乏词源。代表特别是非德语同事作了说明。
{"title":"The etymology of three enigmatic (sub-)specific names clarified","authors":"C. Klaver","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10105","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Consulting the Reptile Database disclosed the absence of an etymology of three enigmatic reptilian (sub-) specific names. An elucidation on behalf of especially non-German-speaking colleagues is provided.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45452447","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-09-20DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10100
Emina Šunje, Julien Courant, A. Vesnić, T. Koren, Lada Lukić Bilela, R. Van Damme
In this paper we studied the diet in four allopatric populations of alpine salamanders in the Dinarides (Salamandra atra prenjensis). Food consumption was assessed by stomach flushing while food availability by pitfall traps and netting. We aimed to: (i) assess the realized dietary niche, (ii) investigate prey preferences, (ii) explore individual specialization, clustering and nestedness. All populations have an equally wide dietary span that is among the largest reported for terrestrial salamanders. On the other hand, the amount of ingested prey is rather low compared to other salamander species; the quantity of consumed prey did not differ among populations but younger individuals fed more than adults. Food composition somewhat differed among populations but not among sex/age classes. In all four populations, the bulk of diet consisted of beetles, spiders, snails and millipedes; except for beetles, such prey was also preffered together with centipedes and isopods. For most of the prey categories, the direction of the electivity indices was the same across populations. In none of the populations a nested pattern in the interindividual subdivision of dietary resources was registered. However, indications for individual specialization and modularity were observed disclosing that the broad niche of populations is composed of smaller individual niches that cluster along the dietary axis. Overall, the four populations have very similar structural characteristics of the dietary niche and there is little evidence for local dietary differentiation probably due to the absence of drivers for change.
{"title":"Patterns of variation in dietary composition among four populations of Alpine salamanders (Salamandra atra prenjensis)","authors":"Emina Šunje, Julien Courant, A. Vesnić, T. Koren, Lada Lukić Bilela, R. Van Damme","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10100","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 In this paper we studied the diet in four allopatric populations of alpine salamanders in the Dinarides (Salamandra atra prenjensis). Food consumption was assessed by stomach flushing while food availability by pitfall traps and netting. We aimed to: (i) assess the realized dietary niche, (ii) investigate prey preferences, (ii) explore individual specialization, clustering and nestedness. All populations have an equally wide dietary span that is among the largest reported for terrestrial salamanders. On the other hand, the amount of ingested prey is rather low compared to other salamander species; the quantity of consumed prey did not differ among populations but younger individuals fed more than adults. Food composition somewhat differed among populations but not among sex/age classes. In all four populations, the bulk of diet consisted of beetles, spiders, snails and millipedes; except for beetles, such prey was also preffered together with centipedes and isopods. For most of the prey categories, the direction of the electivity indices was the same across populations. In none of the populations a nested pattern in the interindividual subdivision of dietary resources was registered. However, indications for individual specialization and modularity were observed disclosing that the broad niche of populations is composed of smaller individual niches that cluster along the dietary axis. Overall, the four populations have very similar structural characteristics of the dietary niche and there is little evidence for local dietary differentiation probably due to the absence of drivers for change.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48118143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-09-20DOI: 10.1163/15685381-43006seh
{"title":"Free access to scientific papers: towards an improvement of Open Access policies in opening archives","authors":"","doi":"10.1163/15685381-43006seh","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-43006seh","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46026446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-09-20DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10101
Dylan Maag, R. Clark
Rattlesnakes are widespread mesopredators that are themselves killed and eaten by a host of other predators, including birds of prey and carnivorous mammals. Although anecdotal accounts of rattlesnake depredation are common, there are few quantitative data on encounter rates between rattlesnakes and their predators. Here we review a large database of encounters between rattlesnakes and their predators recorded from field videography of snakes in the sit-and-wait phase of their ambush hunting strategy. We found that, across 8300 hours of observation, adult rattlesnakes of six species and multiple populations exhibit low encounter rates with predators; furthermore, when predators were encountered, we never observed them to attack or kill coiled snakes. Thus, we propose that rattlesnakes are preyed upon while performing other, riskier behaviors associated with moving through the landscape. We also discuss why rattlesnakes are at low risk of predation while hunting on the surface.
{"title":"Safety in coils: predation rates of ambush hunting rattlesnakes are extremely low","authors":"Dylan Maag, R. Clark","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10101","url":null,"abstract":"Rattlesnakes are widespread mesopredators that are themselves killed and eaten by a host of other predators, including birds of prey and carnivorous mammals. Although anecdotal accounts of rattlesnake depredation are common, there are few quantitative data on encounter rates between rattlesnakes and their predators. Here we review a large database of encounters between rattlesnakes and their predators recorded from field videography of snakes in the sit-and-wait phase of their ambush hunting strategy. We found that, across 8300 hours of observation, adult rattlesnakes of six species and multiple populations exhibit low encounter rates with predators; furthermore, when predators were encountered, we never observed them to attack or kill coiled snakes. Thus, we propose that rattlesnakes are preyed upon while performing other, riskier behaviors associated with moving through the landscape. We also discuss why rattlesnakes are at low risk of predation while hunting on the surface.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44127546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-09-01DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10099
Clara Ribeiro Porto, C. Fazolato, Ricardo Marques, H. Batalha‐Filho, M. Napoli, A. A. Garda, Maria Luiza Silveira de Carvalho, Flora Maria de Campos Fernandes
Many studies on the diversity of the South American biota support the role of ecological and geological events as main drivers of species diversification. For many groups, geomorphological events are the key drivers of diversification, while the influence of Pleistocene climate oscillations is prominent for others. To precisely indicate which events were key for the development of the astonishing biodiversity in South America, studies on widely distributed species are paramount. One such species, the dwarf swamp frog Pseudopaludicola mystacalis (Leptodactylidae, Leiuperinae), is widely distributed in open habitats of South America and we herein investigate population differentiation and diversification in this species across its geographic range. We sequenced a 1374 bp mtDNA fragment from 64 specimens across 25 localities. We used population assignment and species delimitation methods to assess genetic structure and lineage limits across the species distribution. We estimated, for each lineage, intraspecific diversity, divergence times, and demographic histories. Our results recovered ten lineages with up to 5% of genetic divergence among them. Diversification occurred mainly during the Tertiary, suggesting that Miocene-Pliocene topographic events had a major influence on the diversification of P. mystacalis. Pleistocene climatic oscillations also played a role on evolutionary history of P. mystacalis, causing demographic changes in one lineage.
{"title":"Unravelling the cryptic diversity and evolution of the dwarf swamp frog Pseudopaludicola mystacalis (Anura, Leptodactylidae) in open habitats of South America","authors":"Clara Ribeiro Porto, C. Fazolato, Ricardo Marques, H. Batalha‐Filho, M. Napoli, A. A. Garda, Maria Luiza Silveira de Carvalho, Flora Maria de Campos Fernandes","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10099","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Many studies on the diversity of the South American biota support the role of ecological and geological events as main drivers of species diversification. For many groups, geomorphological events are the key drivers of diversification, while the influence of Pleistocene climate oscillations is prominent for others. To precisely indicate which events were key for the development of the astonishing biodiversity in South America, studies on widely distributed species are paramount. One such species, the dwarf swamp frog Pseudopaludicola mystacalis (Leptodactylidae, Leiuperinae), is widely distributed in open habitats of South America and we herein investigate population differentiation and diversification in this species across its geographic range. We sequenced a 1374 bp mtDNA fragment from 64 specimens across 25 localities. We used population assignment and species delimitation methods to assess genetic structure and lineage limits across the species distribution. We estimated, for each lineage, intraspecific diversity, divergence times, and demographic histories. Our results recovered ten lineages with up to 5% of genetic divergence among them. Diversification occurred mainly during the Tertiary, suggesting that Miocene-Pliocene topographic events had a major influence on the diversification of P. mystacalis. Pleistocene climatic oscillations also played a role on evolutionary history of P. mystacalis, causing demographic changes in one lineage.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49454182","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-19DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10097
Graham T. BeVier, Cole Ayton, Kinsey M. Brock
Intraspecific colour morphs usually differ in more traits than just colour. These traits can manifest as differences in morph physiology, behaviour, and ecology. Ecological differences among colour morphs, such as the degree of parasitism, can influence the evolution, maintenance, and loss of morphs from populations. High ectoparasite load can directly and deleteriously impact host fitness, and thus could influence colour morph persistence in populations if certain morphs are more frequently exposed to parasites or are more susceptible to parasitism. The Aegean wall lizard, Podarcis erhardii, is a colour polymorphic island lizard that is parasitized externally by ticks and mites. These ectoparasites can affect aspects of host lizard behaviour and physiology – including thermoregulation and body mass – and therefore are an important factor influencing the ecology and fitness of P. erhardii. We find that among sympatric colour morphs, ectoparasite loads differ; namely, monochromatic orange morphs have the highest numbers of ectoparasites, and in general, morphs with orange alleles (orange, orange-white, and orange-yellow) are more heavily parasitized by ticks and mites than the other morphs. Our results indicate that morphs with orange alleles tend to occupy microhabitats with significantly more vegetation cover and thus may increase their exposure to ticks and mites. Ecological differences between morphs could be an important factor contributing to demonstrated patterns of orange morph rarity and loss in P. erhardii populations.
{"title":"It ain’t easy being orange: lizard colour morphs occupying highly vegetated microhabitats suffer greater ectoparasitism","authors":"Graham T. BeVier, Cole Ayton, Kinsey M. Brock","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10097","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10097","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Intraspecific colour morphs usually differ in more traits than just colour. These traits can manifest as differences in morph physiology, behaviour, and ecology. Ecological differences among colour morphs, such as the degree of parasitism, can influence the evolution, maintenance, and loss of morphs from populations. High ectoparasite load can directly and deleteriously impact host fitness, and thus could influence colour morph persistence in populations if certain morphs are more frequently exposed to parasites or are more susceptible to parasitism. The Aegean wall lizard, Podarcis erhardii, is a colour polymorphic island lizard that is parasitized externally by ticks and mites. These ectoparasites can affect aspects of host lizard behaviour and physiology – including thermoregulation and body mass – and therefore are an important factor influencing the ecology and fitness of P. erhardii. We find that among sympatric colour morphs, ectoparasite loads differ; namely, monochromatic orange morphs have the highest numbers of ectoparasites, and in general, morphs with orange alleles (orange, orange-white, and orange-yellow) are more heavily parasitized by ticks and mites than the other morphs. Our results indicate that morphs with orange alleles tend to occupy microhabitats with significantly more vegetation cover and thus may increase their exposure to ticks and mites. Ecological differences between morphs could be an important factor contributing to demonstrated patterns of orange morph rarity and loss in P. erhardii populations.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42207021","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-19DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10098
Eleanor G. Tate, Amber L. Pitt, Myles D. Little, Joseph J. Tavano, M. Nickerson
Ecological communities are becoming more typified by generalist species in conjunction with anthropogenic activities. Using a long-term dataset (1968-2019), we documented the expansion of a native generalist species, the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), into a river community, and studied the subsequent population changes that occurred in conjunction with short- and long-term changes within the ecosystem. Trachemys scripta elegans was able to expand into a new geographic area following a harvesting-induced population decline of a native competitor, the northern map turtle (Graptemys geographica). The population of T. s. elegans remained small for approximately 2.5 decades, then significantly increased in conjunction with habitat degradation in the form of increased silt/sediment deposits and nuisance aquatic vegetation growth. Our results demonstrate how a generalist species can expand and establish a population in an area impacted by multiple anthropogenic stressors. This research reveals how ecological communities become characterized by more generalist species following anthropogenically-induced competitive release caused by harvesting of native competitors, habitat degradation, and extreme flooding associated with land cover and climate change.
与人类活动相结合，生态群落正变得越来越以多面手物种为典型。使用长期数据集(1968-2019)，我们记录了本地通才物种红耳滑鱼(Trachemys scripta elegans)在河流群落中的扩张，并研究了随后与生态系统内短期和长期变化一起发生的种群变化。由于当地竞争对手北地龟(Graptemys geographis)的数量因采收而减少，因此，北地龟得以扩展到一个新的地理区域。秀丽隐杆线虫的种群数量在大约25年的时间里保持在较小的水平，然后随着栖息地的退化而显著增加，表现为泥沙淤积的增加和有害的水生植被的生长。我们的研究结果表明，一个通才物种如何在一个受到多种人为压力因素影响的地区扩大和建立种群。本研究揭示了生态群落是如何在本地竞争者的收获、栖息地退化以及与土地覆盖和气候变化相关的极端洪水引起的人为诱导竞争释放后，以更多的多面手物种为特征的。
{"title":"Factors contributing to the range expansion and population increase of a native generalist species","authors":"Eleanor G. Tate, Amber L. Pitt, Myles D. Little, Joseph J. Tavano, M. Nickerson","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10098","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10098","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Ecological communities are becoming more typified by generalist species in conjunction with anthropogenic activities. Using a long-term dataset (1968-2019), we documented the expansion of a native generalist species, the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), into a river community, and studied the subsequent population changes that occurred in conjunction with short- and long-term changes within the ecosystem. Trachemys scripta elegans was able to expand into a new geographic area following a harvesting-induced population decline of a native competitor, the northern map turtle (Graptemys geographica). The population of T. s. elegans remained small for approximately 2.5 decades, then significantly increased in conjunction with habitat degradation in the form of increased silt/sediment deposits and nuisance aquatic vegetation growth. Our results demonstrate how a generalist species can expand and establish a population in an area impacted by multiple anthropogenic stressors. This research reveals how ecological communities become characterized by more generalist species following anthropogenically-induced competitive release caused by harvesting of native competitors, habitat degradation, and extreme flooding associated with land cover and climate change.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47950444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-29DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10096
F. Arfuso, R. D. Cerutti, M. C. Scaglione, A. Sciabarrasi, C. Giannetto, G. Piccione
Turtles as many other reptiles are capable of orientating their bodies toward the sun. This conduct requires the presence of an internal biological chronometer in the organism that regulates this behavior. Thus, a description of the internal clock in these reptiles is of interest. The assessment of locomotor activity can be considered a reliable indicator of biological clock function. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different artificial photoperiod and ambient temperature schedules on total locomotor activity of female Chelonoidis chilensis and its rhythmicity. Six C. chilensis specimens were exposed to different artificial photoperiods and temperature regimes each fixed for seven days. It was observed that the activity period during the different experimental schedules was close to the 24 hours indicating a daily rhythmicity. Moreover, all tortoises showed a similar total locomotor activity pattern displaying the most of motion during light phase. Under the condition of constant light tortoises exhibited a self-sustaining rhythm not entrained to light and temperature zeitgebers, thus, suggesting its possible endogenous periodicity. Though this study deepens the knowledge on the rhythmic system of C. chilensis, further investigations are needed to achieve a more detailed understanding of tortoise biological clock.
{"title":"Evaluation of locomotor activity in female Chelonoidis chilensis (Testudinidae, Gray 1870) in response to artificial photoperiod and temperature treatments","authors":"F. Arfuso, R. D. Cerutti, M. C. Scaglione, A. Sciabarrasi, C. Giannetto, G. Piccione","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10096","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10096","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Turtles as many other reptiles are capable of orientating their bodies toward the sun. This conduct requires the presence of an internal biological chronometer in the organism that regulates this behavior. Thus, a description of the internal clock in these reptiles is of interest. The assessment of locomotor activity can be considered a reliable indicator of biological clock function. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different artificial photoperiod and ambient temperature schedules on total locomotor activity of female Chelonoidis chilensis and its rhythmicity. Six C. chilensis specimens were exposed to different artificial photoperiods and temperature regimes each fixed for seven days. It was observed that the activity period during the different experimental schedules was close to the 24 hours indicating a daily rhythmicity. Moreover, all tortoises showed a similar total locomotor activity pattern displaying the most of motion during light phase. Under the condition of constant light tortoises exhibited a self-sustaining rhythm not entrained to light and temperature zeitgebers, thus, suggesting its possible endogenous periodicity. Though this study deepens the knowledge on the rhythmic system of C. chilensis, further investigations are needed to achieve a more detailed understanding of tortoise biological clock.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43099513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-28DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10094
M. Paracuellos, E. Rodríguez‐Caballero, Enrique Villanueva, Mauricio Santa, Fernando Alcalde, Miguel A. Dionisio, J. R. Fernández Cardenete, M. P. García, Julio Hernández, M. Tapia, S. Yubero, Arturo Cuines, J. Larios, Antonio Lorenzo, I. Pozo, J. Avilés
Population monitoring is essential to determine different aspects of the ecology and conservation of the species. In anurans, recording the acoustic activity of choruses allows surveying populations. Therefore, knowing the timing of male calls is fundamental to achieve this goal. Here we monitored calling activity of the Mediterranean tree frog (Hyla meridionalis) at eight localities in southern Iberian Peninsula and western North Africa in the frame of a citizen science program. Subsequently, after summarizing call activity with Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling, we aimed to identify the geographic and environmental variables that associate with the calling activity of frogs. The results of the 258-hour census showed that male tree frogs called mainly from December to July, although the duration and intensity of choruses varied, depending on the elevation and seasonality of the water bodies. Males sang earlier and had more durable call activities at lower elevation sites, which are sites with higher and more stable ambient temperatures. Also, calling activity was lower in sites where water fluctuates more over the annual cycle. Our results provide a first overview of the calling activity of the Mediterranean tree frog over a relatively large set of populations encompassing a wide variety of environmental conditions in its westernmost range of distribution. However, further studies relying on more intensive sampling, likely using automatic recorders, would be desirable to achieve a full understanding of the calling activity of tree frogs in the region.
{"title":"Citizen science reveals broad-scale variation of calling activity of the Mediterranean tree frog (Hyla meridionalis) in its westernmost range","authors":"M. Paracuellos, E. Rodríguez‐Caballero, Enrique Villanueva, Mauricio Santa, Fernando Alcalde, Miguel A. Dionisio, J. R. Fernández Cardenete, M. P. García, Julio Hernández, M. Tapia, S. Yubero, Arturo Cuines, J. Larios, Antonio Lorenzo, I. Pozo, J. Avilés","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10094","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10094","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Population monitoring is essential to determine different aspects of the ecology and conservation of the species. In anurans, recording the acoustic activity of choruses allows surveying populations. Therefore, knowing the timing of male calls is fundamental to achieve this goal. Here we monitored calling activity of the Mediterranean tree frog (Hyla meridionalis) at eight localities in southern Iberian Peninsula and western North Africa in the frame of a citizen science program. Subsequently, after summarizing call activity with Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling, we aimed to identify the geographic and environmental variables that associate with the calling activity of frogs. The results of the 258-hour census showed that male tree frogs called mainly from December to July, although the duration and intensity of choruses varied, depending on the elevation and seasonality of the water bodies. Males sang earlier and had more durable call activities at lower elevation sites, which are sites with higher and more stable ambient temperatures. Also, calling activity was lower in sites where water fluctuates more over the annual cycle. Our results provide a first overview of the calling activity of the Mediterranean tree frog over a relatively large set of populations encompassing a wide variety of environmental conditions in its westernmost range of distribution. However, further studies relying on more intensive sampling, likely using automatic recorders, would be desirable to achieve a full understanding of the calling activity of tree frogs in the region.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43789679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：