To hold or not to hold? The effects of prey type and size on the predatory strategy of a venomous snake

2017 ◽  
Vol 302 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Glaudas ◽  
T. C. Kearney ◽  
G. J. Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Prey Type ◽  
Venomous Snake ◽  
Predatory Strategy

Prey type constrains growth and photosynthetic capacity of the kleptoplastidic ciliate Mesodinium chamaeleon (Ciliophora)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly V. Moeller ◽  
Veronica Hsu ◽  
Michelle Lepori‐Bui ◽  
Lisa Y. Mesrop ◽  
Cara Chinn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Photosynthetic Capacity ◽  
Prey Type

scholarly journals Diet Diversity in Carnivorous Terebrid Snails Is Tied to the Presence and Absence of a Venom Gland

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Juliette Gorson ◽  
Giulia Fassio ◽  
Emily S. Lau ◽  
Mandë Holford
Keyword(s):  
Venom Gland ◽  
Molecular Study ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Animal Evolution ◽  
Diet Diversity ◽  
Dietary Breadth ◽  
Venom Composition ◽  
Marine Snails ◽  
Predatory Strategy ◽  
Definition Of

Predator-prey interactions are thought to play a driving role in animal evolution, especially for groups that have developed venom as their predatory strategy. However, how the diet of venomous animals influences the composition of venom arsenals remains uncertain. Two prevailing hypotheses to explain the relationship between diet and venom composition focus on prey preference and the types of compounds in venom, and a positive correlation between dietary breadth and the number of compounds in venom. Here, we examined venom complexity, phylogenetic relationship, collection depth, and biogeography of the Terebridae (auger snails) to determine if repeated innovations in terebrid foregut anatomy and venom composition correspond to diet variation. We performed the first molecular study of the diet of terebrid marine snails by metabarcoding the gut content of 71 terebrid specimens from 17 species. Our results suggest that the presence or absence of a venom gland is strongly correlated with dietary breadth. Specifically, terebrid species without a venom gland displayed greater diversity in their diet. Additionally, we propose a revision of the definition of venom complexity in conoidean snails to more accurately capture the breadth of ecological influences. These findings suggest that prey diet is an important factor in terebrid venom evolution and diversification and further investigations of other understudied organisms, like terebrids, are needed to develop robust hypotheses in this area.

Do helpers really help? Provisioning biomass and prey type effects on nestling growth in the cooperative bell miner

2009 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 727-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc te Marvelde ◽  
Paul G. McDonald ◽  
Anahita J.N. Kazem ◽  
Jonathan Wright
Keyword(s):  
Prey Type ◽  
Nestling Growth

A study on the venom yield of venomous snake species from Argentina

Toxicon ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 36 (12) ◽  
pp. 1949-1957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adolfo R de Roodt ◽  
Jorge A Dolab ◽  
Pedro P Galarce ◽  
Eduardo Gould ◽  
Silvana Litwin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Venomous Snake ◽  
Snake Species

scholarly journals Envenomation by neotropical Opisthoglyphous colubrid Thamnodynastes cf. pallidus Linné, 1758 (Serpentes:Colubridae) in Venezuela

2004 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 287-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fresnel Diaz ◽  
Luis F. Navarrete ◽  
Jaime Pefaur ◽  
Alexis Rodriguez-Acosta
Keyword(s):  
Case Report ◽  
Marked Improvement ◽  
Middle Finger ◽  
Snake Bite ◽  
Venomous Snake ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
At Home

This is a case report of a "non-venomous" snake bite in a herpetologist observed at the Sciences Faculty of the Universidad de los Andes (Mérida, Venezuela). The patient was bitten on the middle finger of the left hand, and shows signs of pronounced local manifestations of envenomation such as bleeding from the tooth imprint, swelling and warmth. He was treated with local care, analgesics, and steroids. He was dismissed from the hospital and observed at home during five days with marked improvement of envenomation. The snake was brought to the medical consult and identified as a Thamnodynastes cf. pallidus specimen. This report represents the first T. pallidus accident described in a human.

Larval sand lance (Ammodytes sp.) in the diet of small juvenile wolffish (Anarhichas spp.): predatory interactions in frontal water masses off western Greenland

2002 ◽  
Vol 59 (11) ◽  
pp. 1759-1767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Munk
Keyword(s):  
Fish Larvae ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Ontogenetic Changes ◽  
Sand Lance ◽  
Larval Size ◽  
Predatory Behaviour ◽  
Dietary Shift ◽  
Abundance Estimates ◽  
Anarhichas Lupus

The predatory behaviour of two species of juvenile wolffish (Anarhichas lupus and Anarhichas minor) was studied during a field campaign across a frontal area off western Greenland. The study focused on ontogenetic changes in prey-type and -size preference of the wolffish and their predatory impact on a cohabiting population of larval sand lance (Ammodytes sp.). Sampling took place along a cross-shelf transect at latitude 66°20' N, and the analysis is based on stomach contents of assembled wolffish (2–5 cm in length) and abundance estimates of plankton and fish. An ontogenetic change in wolffish prey preference was evident as a dietary shift from copepods and smaller amphipods to larger amphipods and fish larvae. The inclusion of fish larvae in the wolffish diet led to a marked increase in prey biomass, and fish larvae constituted up to 77% of diet biomass in the largest juveniles caught. Wolffish selectively targeted the smaller-sized part of the larval sand lance population; hence, larval vulnerability increased with decreasing size. Comparison between estimated predation rates and abundances of predator and prey indicated larval predation mortalities of up to 5% per day, with mortality peaking in the vicinity of a hydrographic front. Hence, findings suggest substantial predation pressure on larvae, primarily related to larval size and distribution.

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