Ecological characteristics of a threatened snake species, Hoplocephalus bungaroides (Serpentes, Elapidae)

Webb, Jonathan K.; Shine, Rick

doi:10.1017/s1367943098000158

Cited by 28 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…In the same study, litter size averaged 4.7 young and the smallest individual was ~18 cm SVL. Reproductive frequency is low; few females in the sample were reproductive, suggesting that reproduction takes place less than annually (as appears to be the case also with both congeners, H. bungaroides and H. stephensii : Webb and Shine 1998a;Fitzgerald et al 2004). In keeping with these data, captive Pale-headed Snakes produced small litters (range 3 to 6) of relatively large offspring (20 to 23 cm SVL : Lazell 2000).…”

Section: Reproductionsupporting

confidence: 51%

Ecology and conservation of the Pale-headed Snake (Hoplocephalus bitorquatus, Elapidae)

Fitzgerald¹,

Brian²,

Shine³

2010

Australian Zoologist

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Section: Reproductionsupporting

confidence: 51%

Ecology and conservation of the Pale-headed Snake (Hoplocephalus bitorquatus, Elapidae)

Fitzgerald¹,

Brian²,

Shine³

2010

Australian Zoologist

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“…This result could be related to some ecological life history constraints of snakes that did not affect lizards. Specialists in some ecological traits and low reproductive output, snakes are particularly sensitive to anthropogenic habitat disturbance (see a review in Webb and Shine 1998). Although many ecological Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological succession and habitat attributes affect the postfire response of a Mediterranean reptile community

Santos¹,

Poquet²

2010

Eur J Wildl Res

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Wildfires are recognized as natural disturbances that have shaped landscape structure and ecosystem composition in many regions of the world. As ectotherms, many Mediterranean reptiles are expected to benefit from the thermal quality of open areas created by fires. However, not all the reptile species respond positively to this pattern. We have explored the response to fire of a Mediterranean reptile community in a protected area of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. We visually searched for reptiles at 102 sites, including unburnt, recently burnt (2003), and old burnt (1985)(1986) localities. The number of reptiles and species richness was higher at burnt sites, and both were related to several variables of the habitat structure. Accordingly, between the two most common species in recently burnt sites, Podarcis hispanica declined in old fire habitats whereas Psammodromus algirus did not. Snakes did not differ between burnt and unburnt areas, although the ambush predator viper Vipera latastei was found more frequently in unburnt habitats. Our results imply that there are different succession trajectories for Mediterranean reptile species according to their habitat preferences, life history traits, and dietary specialization. The study area has been drastically human-altered in the last 100 years by agriculture, pine reforestation, agricultural abandonment, and wildfires. These land use changes drastically alter the vegetation cover, favoring some reptiles and damaging others, and finally can promote local extinctions of sensitive species to habitat shifts.

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“…A taxon may become endangered due to declines in a specific prey resource needed by a particular age/size class of snakes within the population. For example, juvenile broad-headed snakes (Hoplocephalus bungaroides) rely on velvet geckos (Oedura lesueurii ), but adults consume a wider range of prey ( Webb & Shine 1998). Our analysis treated this species as a generalist feeder, ignoring the potential role of a narrower trophic niche during early ontogeny.…”

Section: Specializationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lying in Wait for Extinction: Ecological Correlates of Conservation Status among Australian Elapid Snakes

Reed

Shine

2002

Conservation Biology

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102

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Why do some species decline rapidly with anthropogenic disturbance, whereas others readily exploit disturbed habitats? It is possible that the ecological characteristics of some species render them especially vulnerable to extinction. Previous analyses of a diverse array of taxa have identified a number of intrinsic ecological predictors of vulnerability, but snakes have not been studied in this respect. We collated ecological data on Australian venomous snake species in the family Elapidae, based primarily on examination of preserved specimens in museums, to investigate possible differences between threatened and nonthreatened taxa. We also used comparative ( phylogenetically based) analyses to identify functional associations with endangerment. Correlates of conservation vulnerability identified in previous studies did not discriminate successfully between threatened and nonthreatened elapid species. However, threatened and nonthreatened elapids differed significantly in two main respects. First, threatened species tended to rely on ambush foraging rather than actively searching for prey. Sit‐and‐wait foragers may be vulnerable because (1) they rely on sites with specific types of ground cover, and anthropogenic activities disrupt these habitat features, and (2) ambush foraging is associated with a suite of life‐history traits that involve low rates of feeding, growth, and reproduction. The second major correlate of endangerment involves the mating system. Endangered species typically lacked male‐male combat: In such taxa, females grow larger than males and are more vulnerable to human predation (as judged by the composition of museum collections). Our analysis also identified taxa that, although not currently listed as threatened, share many of the ecological traits of the endangered group. Our results may facilitate future attempts to prioritize conservation actions for Australian snakes.

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Ecological characteristics of a threatened snake species, Hoplocephalus bungaroides (Serpentes, Elapidae)

Cited by 28 publications

References 37 publications

Ecology and conservation of the Pale-headed Snake (Hoplocephalus bitorquatus, Elapidae)

Ecology and conservation of the Pale-headed Snake (Hoplocephalus bitorquatus, Elapidae)

Ecological succession and habitat attributes affect the postfire response of a Mediterranean reptile community

Lying in Wait for Extinction: Ecological Correlates of Conservation Status among Australian Elapid Snakes

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