2010
DOI: 10.1163/156853810791069029
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Ecology of juvenile Northern watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon) inhabiting low-order streams

Abstract: The juvenile stage for many reptiles is considered "the lost years" because of low capture probabilities, however understanding factors impacting juvenile survivorship and recruitment is critical for conservation of populations. We studied the ecology of juvenile Northern watersnakes, Nerodia sipedon, by intensively sampling a first-order stream and determined the occupancy of juveniles in 30 low-order streams in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Juveniles were relatively abundant within a single stream (n = 62 … Show more

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Cited by 5 publications
(3 citation statements)
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“…Survival of young watersnakes is generally low [18], with known predators including snapping turtles, alligators, predatory fish (bass, catfish, and pickerel), mammals (raccoons, otters, mink, and skunks), predatory birds (herons, egrets, bitterns, rails, and hawks), and other snakes [18]. In addition, juveniles are abundant along streams, with density estimates of 0.4 individuals per linear meter [32]. The high total amounts of Hg transferred from females to their offspring, in conjunction with high densities and frequent predation rates on juveniles, suggest that maternal transfer may play an important role in the movement of Hg in the South River food web.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Survival of young watersnakes is generally low [18], with known predators including snapping turtles, alligators, predatory fish (bass, catfish, and pickerel), mammals (raccoons, otters, mink, and skunks), predatory birds (herons, egrets, bitterns, rails, and hawks), and other snakes [18]. In addition, juveniles are abundant along streams, with density estimates of 0.4 individuals per linear meter [32]. The high total amounts of Hg transferred from females to their offspring, in conjunction with high densities and frequent predation rates on juveniles, suggest that maternal transfer may play an important role in the movement of Hg in the South River food web.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Moreover, it is possible that young crayfish are important in the diets of smaller watersnakes. Cecala et al (2010) indicated that 2 out 5 juvenile northern watersnakes had gut contents containing crayfish, and crayfish in watersnake diet may be related to snake ontogeny (Fontenot et al 1993). Young crayfish grow quickly and can molt 11 to 14 times in the first few months (Reynolds 2002, Taylor andSchuster 2004), and crayfish in the process of molting have reduced mobility, soft exoskeletons and are very susceptible to predation (Taylor and Schuster 2004).…”
Section: Snake Sizementioning
confidence: 99%
“…It has the largest range of any watersnake in North America (Gibbons and Dorcas 2004), stretching across portions of the Great Plains, the majority of the eastern United States, southeastern Ontario (Gibbons and Dorcas 2004) and southern Quebec (Ernst and Ernst 2003). It can be found almost in any freshwater habitat type (Ernst andErnst 2003, Gibbons andDorcas 2004), including fish hatcheries (Bauman and Metter 1975), streams (Cecala et al 2010), lakes of various sizes (Zelnick 1966, King 1993) and a variety of wetlands (Roe et al 2003). It also uses a variety of foraging strategies including active foraging, ambush and tongue-flick probing (Meyer 1992, Balent andAndreadis 1998).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%