When Basking Is Not an Option: Thermoregulation of a Viperid Snake Endemic to a Small Island in the South Atlantic of Brazil
| Autor: | Rafael P. Bovo, Denis V. Andrade, Otavio A. V. Marques |
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| Rok vydání: | 2012 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Copeia. 2012:408-418 |
| ISSN: | 1938-5110 0045-8511 |
| DOI: | 10.1643/cp-11-029 |
| Popis: | It is broadly accepted that snakes are able to regulate their body temperature (Tb) behaviorally, but fundamental differences in this ability have been suggested to exist between temperate and tropical species. Herein, we examined the thermal ecology of the Golden Lancehead, Bothrops insularis, a critically endangered Neotropical crotaline snake endemic to Queimada Grande Island (QGI), southeastern Brazil. We sampled Tb's of individual snakes found in the field and tested which proximal factors, biotic and abiotic, were potentially relevant for their thermoregulatory behavior and Tb selection. We verified whether Tb regulation would be compensated, through the day and/or seasons, by adjustments in the thermoregulatory effort. Finally, we hypothesized that for a Neotropical snake, the thermoregulatory effort would be lower because the thermal quality of habitat is higher compared to species inhabiting temperate zones. In general, B. insularis conformed to this hypothesis. However, seasonal declines in the ... |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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