The scent of the others: chemical recognition in two distinct populations of the European whip snake, Hierophis viridiflavus

Fornasiero, Sara; Dendi, Federica; Bresciani, Elisa; Cecchinelli, Elena; Zuffi, Marco Alberto Luca

doi:10.1163/017353710x541850

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…It is also possible that speciation is more related to traits other than the morphological aspects associated with microhabitat use that were measured in our study. For example, speciation could be more related to traits associated with sexual selection, and, in fact, differential recognition with a subsequent preference for different chemical signals is suggested to play a significant role during the speciation process in organisms, such as snakes [64,65], that more heavily rely on chemical senses than vision [66,67]. Lastly, morphological differentiation could still occur during speciation in terrestrial vipers, but arboreal snakes would be more prone to another speciation mechanism, such as geographical isolation (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arboreality constrains morphological evolution but not species diversification in vipers

Alencar¹,

Martins²,

Burin³

et al. 2017

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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An increase in ecological opportunities, either through changes in the environment or acquisition of new traits, is frequently associated with an increase in species and morphological diversification. However, it is possible that certain ecological settings might prevent lineages from diversifying. Arboreality evolved multiple times in vipers, making them ideal organisms for exploring how potentially new ecological opportunities affect their morphology and speciation regimes. Arboreal snakes are frequently suggested to have a very specialized morphology, and being too large, too small, too heavy, or having short tails might be challenging for them. Using trait-evolution models, we show that arboreal vipers are evolving towards intermediate body sizes, with longer tails and more slender bodies than terrestrial vipers. Arboreality strongly constrains body size and circumference evolution in vipers, while terrestrial lineages are evolving towards a broader range of morphological variants. Trait-dependent diversification models, however, suggest similar speciation rates between microhabitats. Thus, we show that arboreality might constrain morphological evolution but not necessarily affect the rates at which lineages generate new species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arboreality constrains morphological evolution but not species diversification in vipers

Alencar¹,

Martins²,

Burin³

et al. 2017

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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show abstract

“…However, it is important to note that whether these responses are predisposed or require learning is not known (Verzijden et al, 2012). Pheromones that reveal species identity should be relatively consistent between individuals of the same species, although populations sometimes differ in their pheromone profiles (Fornasiero et al, 2011). Despite being rarely explored beyond the theoretical argument that these pheromones are expected to be consistent between all individuals within a species, these data suggest that an environmental factor, such as diet, may have a strong influence on the profile of these pheromones.…”

Section: Diet-mediated Pheromones and Species Recognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet-Mediated Pheromones and Signature Mixtures Can Enforce Signal Reliability

et al. 2017

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Diet is arguably the most significant environmental factor shaping chemical signals in animals. In rare cases, dietary components are converted directly into pheromones or signature mixtures but more generally variation in an individual's diet influences their overall condition and thus capacity to synthesize the signal. Typically, diet is variable between individuals of the same species and this can lead to variation in signals. This variation presents specific challenges to receivers, who must be able to recognize and respond to a greater range of signals. However, such variation might also provide the receiver with key information about the signaller, allowing them to respond to the signal advantageously. Here we investigate how dietary-mediated pheromones and signature mixtures can provide the receiver with reliable information about the signaller, ultimately benefiting the receiver in a way not achievable by a static signal.

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“…With this respect, hemipenial morphology does not seem to be potentially impeding copulation. If these taxa are indeed reproductively isolated, alternative mechanisms other than genital compatibility must be at play to keep the two entities distinct, such as behavioural strategies (e.g., chemical communication as in Fornasiero et al, 2007) or selection against hybrids (Servedio et al, 2004). In accordance with past research, hemipenial features of both species are not consistent with their mating strategy, suggesting that hemipenial morphology and its evolution are more challenging then expected to investigate under the perspective of common hypotheses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Hemipenial morphology does not provide insight on mating barriers between the two main lineages of Hierophis viridiflavus (Lacépède, 1789)

Storniolo,

Dadda,

Scali

et al. 2024

Acta Herpetol.

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Copulatory organs are a key trait in reproductive compatibility and sexual isolation. The role of male genitalia in boosting mating success is well known and is often the outcome of behavioural and biological constraints, although no clear and common interpretation about their evolution appears broadly applicable. In snakes, hemipenial morphology has often been described under the perspective of sexual selection, taking into consideration both behavioural and morphological traits of both sexes. We investigated hemipenial morphology and ornamentation in the two subspecies of Hierophis viridiflavus, a male-male combating colubrid, and compared it to the sister species H. gemonensis, to assess intraspecific variation in size of genitalia and ornamentation richness. The male intromitted organ of this species is unilobed and bulbous, with rich ornamentations consisting of basal spines and apical calyculations. We detected no statistically significant difference in hemipenial size, basal spine count, and spine length between the two subspecies, suggesting that no copulatory barrier is present between the two clades. Although hemipenial morphology and anatomy do not seem suitable to assess intraspecific variability as shown in this study, they are often highly variable at the family or genus level, suggesting that the evolution of male genitalia is linked to phylogenetic relationships and that hemipenial divergence might be correlated to lineage splitting despite not being necessarily the main cause. Future studies should be aimed at investigating hemipenial morphology and anatomy across species under the perspective of comparative phylogeny and reproductive behaviours to address thoroughly the constraints of hemipenial evolution and development.

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The scent of the others: chemical recognition in two distinct populations of the European whip snake, Hierophis viridiflavus

Cited by 6 publications

References 62 publications

Arboreality constrains morphological evolution but not species diversification in vipers

Arboreality constrains morphological evolution but not species diversification in vipers

Diet-Mediated Pheromones and Signature Mixtures Can Enforce Signal Reliability

Hemipenial morphology does not provide insight on mating barriers between the two main lineages of Hierophis viridiflavus (Lacépède, 1789)

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