Male red-sided garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis, determine female mating status from pheromone trails

O’Donnell, Ryan P.; Ford, Neil B.; Shine, Richard; Mason, Robert T.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2003.09.020

Cited by 41 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Males emerge from the den over a period of about 4 weeks and commence courting a day or so after emergence; most leave after 1 or 2 weeks of the 4-week mating season (Shine et al 2001a). Males do not feed during this period (O'Donnell et al 2004).…”

Section: Study Species and Areamentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Traps were checked and cleared at least twice daily; recaptured snakes were reweighed before release the following morning on the opposite side of the fence. Male snakes switch from courting to feeding as they leave the vicinity of the den (O'Donnell et al 2004), so snakes that leave sooner presumably spend less time engaged in reproductive activities.…”

Section: Rates Of Mass Loss In the Fieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Do a male garter snake's energy stores limit his reproductive effort?

Shine¹,

Mason²

2005

Can. J. Zool.

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The storage and utilization of energy plays a critical role in reproductive output for females of many species, including snakes. However, links between energy and reproductive effort in males are less clear. Studies at a communal den of red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis (Say, 1823)) in Manitoba suggest that energy is critical to reproduction for males as well as females. Males vary substantially in body condition (mass relative to body length) at the time they emerge from winter inactivity. The energy to be expended in courtship is stored in the muscles rather than the "conventional" sites for energy storage in snakes (abdominal fat bodies or liver). A male's reproductive effort (the duration of his residency at courting aggregations near the den) was linked to his energy stores and to the rate of depletion of those stores. Male snakes that emerged from hibernation in better condition, and that lost mass slowly thereafter, remained in courting aggregations near the den for longer periods than did males that emerged in poor condition (i.e., with less energy resources) and (or) lost mass more rapidly. In outdoor arenas, males that engaged in courtship lost mass more rapidly than did males with no courtship opportunities. These data suggest that courtship is energetically expensive for male garter snakes and that the amount of effort that a male invests in reproduction is determined by his energy stores.Résumé : La mise en réserve et l'utilisation de l'énergie jouent un rôle fondamental dans le rendement reproductif des femelles de plusieurs espèces, y compris de couleuvres. Les liens entre l'énergie et l'effort reproductif des mâles sont, cependant, moins évidents. Des études faites à un terrier communautaire de couleuvres rayées (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis (Say, 1823)) au Manitoba laissent croire que l'énergie est critique pour la reproduction chez les mâles autant que chez les femelles. Les mâles varient considérablement dans leur condition corporelle (masse en fonction de la longueur du corps) au moment où ils sortent de leur inactivité hivernale. L'énergie qui servira à la cour est stockée dans les muscles plutôt que dans les sites plus « réguliers » de mise en réserve de l'énergie chez les couleuvres, comme les corps gras abdominaux ou le foie. L'effort reproductif du mâle (la durée de son séjour près du terrier dans les rassemblements de cour) est en relation avec ses réserves énergétiques et avec le taux d'utilisation de ces réserves. Les couleuvres mâles qui sortent d'hibernation en meilleure condition et qui subissent une diminution subséquente de masse plus lente demeurent au sein des rassemblements de cour près du terrier plus longtemps que les mâles qui émergent en mauvaise condition (c'est-à-dire avec moins de ressources énergétiques) et (ou) qui subissent une perte de masse plus accélérée. Dans les arènes externes, les mâles qui entreprennent des comportements de cour ont des pertes de masse plus rapides que les mâles qui n'ont aucune occasion de faire la cour. Ces données i...

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Section: Study Species and Areamentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Rates Of Mass Loss In the Fieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do a male garter snake's energy stores limit his reproductive effort?

Shine¹,

Mason²

2005

Can. J. Zool.

Self Cite

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“…They sample and sense chemosignals through the tonguevomeronasal system (Font 1996), which allows them, for example, to recognize their partners (Bull 2000), and determine from a potential partner its body size (Lemaster and Mason 2002), body condition (Shine et al 2003), and mating status (Cooper and Pérez-Mellado 2002;O'Donnell et al 2004). In other social contexts, chemosignals can give detailed information about the fighting abilities of the owner (Labra 2006) and allow for the identification of the sex of the signalers (Cooper and Pérez-Mellado 2002), discrimination of familiar from unfamiliar individuals (Font and Desfilis 2002), mother-offspring recognition (Bull and Baghurst 1998), and self-recognition (Alberts 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical self-recognition in the lizard Liolaemus fitzgeraldi

Aguilar

Labra

Niemeyer

2008

J Ethol

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Social-chemical recognition is exhibited by all the Liolaemus lizards tested to date, except Liolaemus fitzgeraldi, which during post-hibernation did not discriminate chemosignals of same-sex individuals from a control. To clarify if L. fitzgeraldi is unique among the studied Liolaemus in lacking social-chemical recognition or if this was previously undetected, we recorded behavior during pre-and post-hibernation when confronted with chemosignals of conspecifics and from themselves. L fitzgeraldi showed self-recognition and seasonal changes in two exploratory behaviors. Potentially, conspecific recognition in L fitzgeraldi was undetected due to seasonality, but this species may rely comparatively less on chemical communication than congeners.

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“…Female gartersnakes are simultaneously courted by multiple males, but the males cease courting as soon as one of them begins to copulate with the female. The cessation of courting is mediated by copulatory fluids; females smeared with those fluids cease to attract courtship [14,17]. The dilute watery appearance of the ejaculate suggests that it might diffuse through the air, and thus constitute an airborne sex pheromone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sex-identifying chemical cues so far identified in snakes are large epidermal lipids, incapable of diffusing through the air [5] or water [11]. Thus, snakes must tongue-flick other snakes, or substrate-deposited trails, to determine another animal's sex and reproductive state [12][13][14][15]. In lizards also, males appear to determine the sex of conspecifics based on substrate-borne and not airborne cues [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An airborne sex pheromone in snakes

Shine

Mason

2011

Biol. Lett.

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Most reptile sex pheromones so far described are lipid molecules too large to diffuse through the air; instead, they are detected via direct contact (tongue-flicking) with another animal's body or substrate-deposited trails, using the vomeronasal system. The only non-lipid pheromone reported in snakes involves courtship termination in red-sided gartersnakes ( Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis ): males that encounter copulatory fluids cease courtship, presumably reflecting the futility of courting an already-mating female. Our field experiments at a communal den in Manitoba show that this pheromone can work via olfaction: courtship is terminated by exposure to airborne scents from mating conspecifics, and does not require direct contact (tongue-flicking). Hence, the sexual behaviour of reptiles can be affected by airborne as well as substrate-bound pheromones.

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Male red-sided garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis, determine female mating status from pheromone trails

Cited by 41 publications

References 36 publications

Do a male garter snake's energy stores limit his reproductive effort?

Do a male garter snake's energy stores limit his reproductive effort?

Chemical self-recognition in the lizard Liolaemus fitzgeraldi

An airborne sex pheromone in snakes

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