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Spaseni P, Sahlean TC, Gherghel I, Zamfirescu ȘR, Petreanu I, Melenciuc R, Alistar CF, Gavril VD, Strugariu A. Natrix natrix after dark: citizen science sheds light on the common grass snake's nightlife. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17168. [PMID: 38680898 PMCID: PMC11056106 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Activity patterns in animals are often species-specific, and can be generally categorized as diurnal, crepuscular, or nocturnal. Understanding these patterns provides insight into ecological adaptations and behaviors. The common grass snake (Natrix natrix), one of the most common and widespread European snake species, is traditionally considered diurnal, with scarce evidence of its crepuscular and nocturnal activity. We aimed to document the distribution, environmental conditions, and potential phenotype associations of nighttime activity in N. natrix. We used citizen science data from iNaturalist (1992-2022), Observation.org (2012-2022), together with personal field observations (2010-2023) to collect 127 crepuscular and nocturnal activity records. Most observations occurred between May and August, coinciding with the peak activity period of grass snakes across their distribution range. Statistical analyses revealed no significant difference in mean daily temperatures between crepuscular and nocturnal observations. However, striped individuals displayed nocturnal activity at higher temperatures, consistent with their distribution in warmer regions, but failed to register any difference when tested on a geographic subsample, that accounted for sympatry of the phenotypes. Surprisingly, we found no significant impact of moon presence or moonlight on nighttime activity or age class, contrary to expectations based on other snake species' responses. While our study reveals that nocturnal activity in the common grass snake is geographically widespread, further research is warranted to understand its drivers and ecological implications. This study highlights the value of citizen science platforms for biological and ecological research, offering unparalleled spatial and temporal coverage by their users. In conclusion, our work extends the knowledge of nocturnal behavior in N. natrix and underlines the critical role of citizen science in discovering behavioral aspects of common and widespread species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petronel Spaseni
- Department of Exact and Natural Sciences, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Iași, Iași, Romania
- Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Iași, Iași, Romania
| | - Tiberiu C. Sahlean
- Department of Exact and Natural Sciences, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Iași, Iași, Romania
- Institute of Biology Bucharest, Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Iulian Gherghel
- Department of Exact and Natural Sciences, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Iași, Iași, Romania
- Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Ovidius University of Constanţa, Constanța, Constanța, Romania
| | | | - Ionuț C. Petreanu
- Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Iași, Iași, Romania
| | - Raluca Melenciuc
- Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Ovidius University of Constanţa, Constanța, Constanța, Romania
| | - Cristina F. Alistar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Viorel D. Gavril
- Institute of Biology Bucharest, Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Alexandru Strugariu
- Department of Exact and Natural Sciences, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Iași, Iași, Romania
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2
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Rutschmann A, Perry C, Le Galliard JF, Dupoué A, Lourdais O, Guillon M, Brusch G, Cote J, Richard M, Clobert J, Miles DB. Ecological responses of squamate reptiles to nocturnal warming. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:598-621. [PMID: 38062628 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Nocturnal temperatures are increasing at a pace exceeding diurnal temperatures in most parts of the world. The role of warmer nocturnal temperatures in animal ecology has received scant attention and most studies focus on diurnal or daily descriptors of thermal environments' temporal trends. Yet, available evidence from plant and insect studies suggests that organisms can exhibit contrasting physiological responses to diurnal and nocturnal warming. Limiting studies to diurnal trends can thus result in incomplete and misleading interpretations of the ability of species to cope with global warming. Although they are expected to be impacted by warmer nocturnal temperatures, insufficient data are available regarding the night-time ecology of vertebrate ectotherms. Here, we illustrate the complex effects of nocturnal warming on squamate reptiles, a keystone group of vertebrate ectotherms. Our review includes discussion of diurnal and nocturnal ectotherms, but we mainly focus on diurnal species for which nocturnal warming affects a period dedicated to physiological recovery, and thus may perturb activity patterns and energy balance. We first summarise the physical consequences of nocturnal warming on habitats used by squamate reptiles. Second, we describe how such changes can alter the energy balance of diurnal species. We illustrate this with empirical data from the asp viper (Vipera aspis) and common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), two diurnal species found throughout western Europe. Third, we make use of a mechanistic approach based on an energy-balance model to draw general conclusions about the effects of nocturnal temperatures. Fourth, we examine how warmer nights may affect squamates over their lifetime, with potential consequences on individual fitness and population dynamics. We review quantitative evidence for such lifetime effects using recent data derived from a range of studies on the European common lizard (Zootoca vivipara). Finally, we consider the broader eco-evolutionary ramifications of nocturnal warming and highlight several research questions that require future attention. Our work emphasises the importance of considering the joint influence of diurnal and nocturnal warming on the responses of vertebrate ectotherms to climate warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Rutschmann
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale de Moulis, CNRS UAR2029, 02 route du CNRS, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Constant Perry
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale de Moulis, CNRS UAR2029, 02 route du CNRS, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Jean-François Le Galliard
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7618, IRD, INRAE, Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement (iEES Paris), Tours 44-45, 4 Place Jussieu, Paris, 75005, France
- Département de Biologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS, UMS 3194, Centre de Recherche en écologie expérimentale et Prédictive (CEREEP-Ecotron IleDeFrance), 78 rue du château, Saint-Pierre-Lès-Nemours, 77140, France
| | - Andréaz Dupoué
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, IRD, UMR 6539, LEMAR, 1625 Rte de Sainte-Anne, Plouzané, 29280, France
| | - Olivier Lourdais
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS UMR 7372-Université de La Rochelle, 405 Route de Prissé la Charrière, Villiers-en-Bois, 79630, France
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Life Sciences Center Building, 427E Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA
| | - Michaël Guillon
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS UMR 7372-Université de La Rochelle, 405 Route de Prissé la Charrière, Villiers-en-Bois, 79630, France
- Cistude Nature, Chemin du Moulinat-33185, Le Haillan, France
| | - George Brusch
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University San Marcos, 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Rd., San Marcos, CA, 92096, USA
| | - Julien Cote
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB), UMR5174, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, CNRS, IRD, 118 Rte de Narbonne, Toulouse, 31077, France
| | - Murielle Richard
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale de Moulis, CNRS UAR2029, 02 route du CNRS, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Jean Clobert
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale de Moulis, CNRS UAR2029, 02 route du CNRS, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Donald B Miles
- Department of Biological Sciences, 131 Life Science Building, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA
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Dubiner S, Jamison S, Meiri S, Levin E. Squamate metabolic rates decrease in winter beyond the effect of temperature. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:2163-2174. [PMID: 37632258 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
The reptilian form of hibernation (brumation) is much less studied than its mammalian and insect equivalents. Hibernation and brumation share some basic features but may differ in others. Evidence for hypometabolism in brumating reptiles beyond the effect of temperature is sporadic and often ignored. We calculated the standard metabolic rates (SMR, oxygen uptake during inactivity), in winter and/or summer, of 156 individuals representing 59 species of Israeli squamates across all 17 local families. For 32 species, we measured the same individuals during both seasons. We measured gas exchange continuously in a dark metabolic chamber, under the average January high and low temperatures (20°C and 12°C), during daytime and nighttime. We examined how SMR changes with season, biome, body size, temperature and time of day, using phylogenetic mixed models. Metabolic rates increased at sunrise in the diurnal species, despite no light or other external cues, while in nocturnal species the metabolic rates did not increase. Cathemeral species shifted from a diurnal-like diel pattern in winter to a nocturnal-like pattern in summer. Regardless of season, Mediterranean species SMRs were 30% higher than similar-sized desert species. Summer SMR of all species together scaled with body size with an exponent of 0.84 but dropped to 0.71 during brumation. Individuals measured during both seasons decreased their SMR between summer and winter by a 47%, on average, at 20°C and by 70% at 12°C. Q10 was 1.75 times higher in winter than in summer, possibly indicating an active suppression of metabolic processes under cold temperatures. Our results challenge the commonly held perception that squamate physiology is mainly shaped by temperature, with little role for intrinsic metabolic regulation. The patterns we describe indicate that seasonal, diel and geographic factors can trigger remarkable shifts in metabolism across squamate species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahar Dubiner
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Simon Jamison
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shai Meiri
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Eran Levin
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Schalk CM, Weng YH, Adams CS, Saenz D. Spatiotemporal Patterns of Snake Captures and Activity in Upland Pine Forests. AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 2022. [DOI: 10.1674/0003-0031-187.2.195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M. Schalk
- Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas 75962
| | - Yuhui H. Weng
- Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas 75962
| | - Connor S. Adams
- Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas 75962
| | - Daniel Saenz
- Southern Research Station, U.S. Forest Service, Nacogdoches, Texas 75965
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Sperry JH, Wolff PJ, Melder CA, Nevarez JG, Huskins SD, Pearce SE. Habitat Use, Activity Patterns, and Survival of Louisiana Pinesnakes (Pituophis ruthveni) in West-central Louisiana. SOUTHEAST NAT 2021. [DOI: 10.1656/058.020.0206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Christopher A. Melder
- Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, United States Army, 1697 23rdStreet, Building 2543, Fort Polk, LA 71459
| | | | - Stacy D. Huskins
- Fort Bragg Endangered Species Branch, United States Army, Building O-9125 McKellar's Road, Fort Bragg, NC 28310
| | - Sarah E. Pearce
- Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, United States Army, 1697 23rdStreet, Building 2543, Fort Polk, LA 71459
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Camp CD, Wooten JA, Pepper MK, Austin RM, Whitfield Gibbons J. Eye size in North American watersnakes (genus Nerodia) correlates with variation in feeding ecology. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Visual acuity and sensitivity positively correlate to eye size in vertebrates, and eye size relates to the ecology of colubrid snakes. We investigated whether eye morphology of North American colubrids of the genus Nerodia correlates with ecology as well. Although all members of the genus utilize aquatic habits, they differ widely in the proportion of anurans they eat. We specifically tested whether eye size and placement is associated with the proportion of frogs in the diet to determine whether these two aspects of eye morphology relate to feeding ecology. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, we found a significantly positive association between eye size and the proportion of anurans eaten by Nerodia species. Although the evidence is equivocal, the anterior placement of relatively small eyes in one species may also enhance anurophagy. Although eye size may improve a snake’s ability to feed on frogs, eye size must compete with other selective forces on head shape in trade-offs that may also influence eye size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos D Camp
- Department of Biology, Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, USA
| | | | | | | | - J Whitfield Gibbons
- University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, SC, USA
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Levy O, Dayan T, Porter WP, Kronfeld-Schor N. Time and ecological resilience: can diurnal animals compensate for climate change by shifting to nocturnal activity? ECOL MONOGR 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ofir Levy
- School of Zoology; Tel Aviv University; Tel Aviv 69978 Israel
| | - Tamar Dayan
- School of Zoology; Tel Aviv University; Tel Aviv 69978 Israel
- The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History; Tel Aviv University; Tel Aviv 69978 Israel
| | - Warren P. Porter
- Department of Integrative Biology; University of Wisconsin; Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
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8
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DeGregorio BA, Sperry JH, Ward MP, Weatherhead PJ. Wait Until Dark? Daily Activity Patterns and Nest Predation by Snakes. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brett A. DeGregorio
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; ERDC-CERL; Champaign IL USA
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Urbana IL USA
| | - Jinelle H. Sperry
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; ERDC-CERL; Champaign IL USA
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Urbana IL USA
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Tuberville TD, Andrews KM, Sperry JH, Grosse AM. Use of the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index as an Assessment Tool for Reptiles and Amphibians: Lessons Learned. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2015; 56:822-834. [PMID: 25971738 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-015-0537-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2014] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Climate change threatens biodiversity globally, yet it can be challenging to predict which species may be most vulnerable. Given the scope of the problem, it is imperative to rapidly assess vulnerability and identify actions to decrease risk. Although a variety of tools have been developed to assess climate change vulnerability, few have been evaluated with regard to their suitability for certain taxonomic groups. Due to their ectothermic physiology, low vagility, and strong association with temporary wetlands, reptiles and amphibians may be particularly vulnerable relative to other groups. Here, we evaluate use of the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) to assess a large suite of herpetofauna from the Sand Hills Ecoregion of the southeastern United States. Although data were frequently lacking for certain variables (e.g., phenological response to climate change, genetic variation), sufficient data were available to evaluate all 117 species. Sensitivity analyses indicated that results were highly dependent on size of assessment area and climate scenario selection. In addition, several ecological traits common in, but relatively unique to, herpetofauna are likely to contribute to their vulnerability and need special consideration during the scoring process. Despite some limitations, the NatureServe CCVI was a useful tool for screening large numbers of reptile and amphibian species. We provide general recommendations as to how the CCVI tool's application to herpetofauna can be improved through more specific guidance to the user regarding how to incorporate unique physiological and behavioral traits into scoring existing sensitivity factors and through modification to the assessment tool itself.
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Indirect effect of climate change: Shifts in ratsnake behavior alter intensity and timing of avian nest predation. Ecol Modell 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2015.05.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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