Seasonal Changes in the Body Composition of the Garter Snake (Thamnophis Sirtalis Parietalis) at Northern Lattitudes

Aleksiuk, Michael; Stewart, Kenneth W.

doi:10.2307/1937631

Cited by 65 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…During this month, viperine snakes did not forage (Santos et al 2000) and, as observed in the present study, lipids in fat bodies decreased. Furthermore, lipids in other compartments such as the liver also decreased sharply, which suggests that this organ plays a critical role as energetic resource during aphagia periods, as reported by Aleksiuk and Stewart (1971). In mid‐May, fields and canals overflowed and viperine snakes increased foraging activity (Santos et al 2000), which provoked a fast recovery of fat reserves.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…The association between snake reproductive activity and variation in fat bodies has been widely reported in literature ( Krohmer and Aldridge 1985, Aldridge et al 1990, Bonnet and Naulleau 1996). Less attention has been paid to the relationship between reproduction and variation in other energetic body parts (Aleksiuk and Stewart 1971, Nilson 1981, Bonnet et al 1992, Scott et al 1995). Lipid dynamics in the body (current study) provide the basis to compare the importance of each body compartment during reproduction as well as to evaluate sexual differences in energetic strategies linked to reproduction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lipid dynamics in the viperine snake, Natrix maura, from the Ebro Delta (NE Spain)

Santos¹,

Llorente²

2004

Oikos

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Body reserves play a major role in several aspects of vertebrate biology. Accurate identification and quantification of body reserves constitute a useful contribution to the better understanding of the energetic costs of reproduction and the implication of food availability in life history traits of organisms. In this study, lipid content in fat bodies, liver and muscle of the viperine snake (Natrix maura) were measured along an active season. Samples were collected monthly from a natural population of the Ebro Delta Natural Park (NE Spain). This methodology pointed out that lipids stored in fat bodies were the main energetic source during reproduction. In addition, lipids stored in liver appeared to be critical for vitellogenesis, while lipids stored in muscle turned out to be a supplementary energetic resource to fuel reproductive effort. Relationships between changes in body reserves and prey availability in canals of the Ebro Delta were also considered. In males, lipid reserves presented a positive correlation with food availability. On the contrary, lipid reserves in female viperine snakes decreased during vitellogenesis even though food availability increased in this period, which suggests a quick transfer of body lipids to clutch. In April, when rice fields of the Ebro Delta were dry and aquatic prey was scarce for viperine snakes, males and females presented a lower lipid content in fat bodies, liver and muscle than they did in other months, showing a clear link between prey availability and body reserves during food shortage. Thus, patterns of variation in fat levels indicated that Natrix maura is a capital breeder since it acquires resources in advance and stores them until they are invested during the reproductive period. Nevertheless, the shortage in April forces Natrix maura to turn into a facultative income breeder to fuel vitellogenesis. Finally, fat reserves in body components were compared with an estimate of body condition calculated by the residuals from the regression of body mass on body length. In male viperine snakes, the estimate of body condition was correlated with fat levels, revealing that this index is useful to measure condition in living individuals. On the contrary, body condition in females was not correlated with fat levels, which suggests that it is not appropriate to infer condition in female viperine snakes since it depends on the reproductive status of the individuals.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lipid dynamics in the viperine snake, Natrix maura, from the Ebro Delta (NE Spain)

Santos¹,

Llorente²

2004

Oikos

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“…Collections were made by hand during the boreal spring breeding season when snakes were emerging from winter hibernation. Snakes remain aphagous throughout hibernation and the breeding season (Aleksiuk and Stewart 1971) thus any Alaria spp. mesocercariae contained within them were acquired during feeding in the previous summer.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alaria mesocercariae in the tails of red-sided garter snakes: evidence for parasite-mediated caudectomy

et al. 2015

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Trematodes of the genus Alaria develop into an arrested stage, known as mesocercariae, within their amphibian second intermediate host. The mesocercariae are frequently transmitted to a non-obligate paratenic host before reaching a definitive host where further development and reproduction can occur. Snakes are common paratenic hosts for Alaria spp. with the mesocercariae often aggregating in the host’s tail. In the current study, we used morphological examination and molecular analyses based on partial sequences of nuclear large ribosomal subunit gene and mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 gene to identify larvae in the tails of red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) as mesocercariae of Alaria marcianae, Alaria mustelae, and Alaria sp. as well as metacercariae of Diplostomidae sp. of unknown generic affiliation. We assessed infection prevalence, absolute and relative intensity, and associated pathological changes in these snakes. Infection prevalence was 100% for both male and female snakes. Infection intensity ranged from 11 to more than 2,000 mesocercariae per snake tail, but did not differ between the sexes. Gross pathological changes included tail swelling while histopathological changes included mild inflammation and the presence of mucus-filled pseudocysts surrounding mesocercariae, as well as the compression and degeneration of muscle fibers. Our results indicate that mesocercariae can lead to extensive muscle damage and loss in both sexes which likely increases the fragility of the tail making it more prone to breakage. As tail loss in garter snakes can affect both survival and reproduction, infection by Alaria mesocercariae clearly has serious fitness implications for these snakes.

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“…Den sizes vary considerably, but in one area within the species' range (southern Manitoba), dens may contain many thousands of snakes (Aleksiuk and Stewart 1971;Gregory 1974). The spectacular aggregations of courting snakes in the vicinity of these large dens during springtime provide a unique opportunity to quantify many aspects of the biology of these animals.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bumpus in the Snake Den: Effects of Sex, Size, and Body Condition on Mortality of Red-Sided Garter Snakes

et al. 2007

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Huge breeding aggregations of red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) at overwintering dens in Manitoba provide a unique opportunity to identify sources of mortality and to clarify factors that influence a snake's vulnerability to these factors. Comparisons of sexes, body sizes, and body condition of more than 1000 dead snakes versus live animals sampled at the same time reveal significant biases. Three primary sources of mortality were identified. Predation by crows, Corvus brachyrhynchos (590 snakes killed), was focussed mostly on small snakes of both sexes. Crows generally removed the snake's liver and left the carcass, but very small snakes were sometimes brought back to the nest. Suffocation beneath massive piles of other snakes within the den (301 dead animals) involved mostly small males and (to a lesser extent) large females; snakes in poor body condition were particularly vulnerable. Many emaciated snakes (n ϭ 142, mostly females) also died without overt injuries, probably due to depleted energy reserves. These biases in vulnerability are readily interpretable from information on behavioral ecology of the snakes. For example, sex biases in mortality reflect differences in postemergence behavior and locomotor capacity, the greater attractiveness of larger females to males, and the high energy costs of reproduction for females.

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Seasonal Changes in the Body Composition of the Garter Snake (Thamnophis Sirtalis Parietalis) at Northern Lattitudes

Cited by 65 publications

References 10 publications

Lipid dynamics in the viperine snake, Natrix maura, from the Ebro Delta (NE Spain)

Lipid dynamics in the viperine snake, Natrix maura, from the Ebro Delta (NE Spain)

Alaria mesocercariae in the tails of red-sided garter snakes: evidence for parasite-mediated caudectomy

Bumpus in the Snake Den: Effects of Sex, Size, and Body Condition on Mortality of Red-Sided Garter Snakes

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