Locomotion and antipredator behaviour in three species of semi-aquatic snakes

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 321-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Scribner ◽  
Patrick J. Weatherhead
Keyword(s):  
Cold Water ◽  
Swimming Performance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Antipredator Behaviour ◽  
Thamnophis Sirtalis ◽  
Potential Cost ◽  
Water Snake ◽  
Defensive Behaviours ◽  
Water Snakes

For temperate-zone ectotherms, a potential cost of an aquatic lifestyle may be impaired locomotor performance, due to rapid cooling of the body when in cold water. Contrary to the hypothesis that more-aquatic species should be better adapted for locomotion at low temperatures, the decline in swimming performance with temperature was similar for three species of snakes (the northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon), eastern ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritus) and common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)) that varied in their association with aquatic habitats. The effect of temperature on antipredator behaviour was also similar for the three species; at lower body temperatures, snakes relied more on alternative defensive behaviours. However, antipredator behaviour was used less by water snakes than by garter and ribbon snakes. Except for the smallest individuals, all snakes crawled more slowly than they swam, and the difference in performance was greatest for the largest snakes. When crawling, all three species relied more on alternative defensive behaviours than when swimming. In the field, water snakes fled at greater distances from human "predators" than did garter and ribbon snakes, which tended to rely on crypsis. The greater dependence on flight as the primary antipredator behaviour by water snakes, and on other tactics such as crypsis by garter and ribbon snakes, does not conform to the generalization that a species' antipredator behaviour is related to its characteristic dorsal pigmentation pattern. Species differences in antipredator behaviour appear to be more strongly related to habitat use.

Thermal constraints on swimming performance and escape response of northern water snakes (Nerodia sipedon)

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Weatherhead ◽  
Ian C. Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Swimming Speed ◽  
Escape Response ◽  
Swimming Performance ◽  
Nerodia Sipedon ◽  
Water Snake ◽  
Northern Water Snakes ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Water Snakes

We examined the influence of body temperature on swimming speed of northern water snakes (Nerodia sipedon) and determined how variation in water temperature influenced their escape response. In a laboratory experiment, swimming speed increased as a function of water temperature and body size. Swimming speed was less thermally dependent at temperatures approximating the snakes' normal range of activity, suggesting that selection has favoured increased performance breadth at this range. In the field, basking snakes retreated to water when approached. Despite a decrease in swimming speed at lower temperatures, and the cost associated with reduced metabolic rate due to loss of body temperature, however, flight distances were independent of water temperature. We found that basking snakes retreated to water sooner when perched at lower heights, possibly indicating that N. sipedon are more vulnerable to predators when on low perches. Predicting water snake escape behaviour may require not only knowledge of variation both among snakes and in their environment, but also a better understanding of the interaction between the snakes and their natural predators.

Predicting cold-water bleaching in corals: role of temperature, and potential integration of light exposure

2020 ◽  
Vol 642 ◽  
pp. 133-146
Author(s):  
PC González-Espinosa ◽  
SD Donner
Keyword(s):  
Coral Bleaching ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Light Attenuation ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Cold Temperature ◽  
Warm Water ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Type I

Warm-water growth and survival of corals are constrained by a set of environmental conditions such as temperature, light, nutrient levels and salinity. Water temperatures of 1 to 2°C above the usual summer maximum can trigger a phenomenon known as coral bleaching, whereby disruption of the symbiosis between coral and dinoflagellate micro-algae, living within the coral tissue, reveals the white skeleton of coral. Anomalously cold water can also lead to coral bleaching but has been the subject of limited research. Although cold-water bleaching events are less common, they can produce similar impacts on coral reefs as warm-water events. In this study, we explored the effect of temperature and light on the likelihood of cold-water coral bleaching from 1998-2017 using available bleaching observations from the Eastern Tropical Pacific and the Florida Keys. Using satellite-derived sea surface temperature, photosynthetically available radiation and light attenuation data, cold temperature and light exposure metrics were developed and then tested against the bleaching observations using logistic regression. The results show that cold-water bleaching can be best predicted with an accumulated cold-temperature metric, i.e. ‘degree cooling weeks’, analogous to the heat stress metric ‘degree heating weeks’, with high accuracy (90%) and fewer Type I and Type II errors in comparison with other models. Although light, when also considered, improved prediction accuracy, we found that the most reliable framework for cold-water bleaching prediction may be based solely on cold-temperature exposure.

scholarly journals The Respiration of some Planktonic copepods II. The Effect Of Temperature

1953 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. T. Gauld ◽  
J. E. G. Raymont
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Rate ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Acartia Clausi ◽  
Temora Longicornis ◽  
Different Temperatures ◽  
Planktonic Copepods ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Relationship

The respiratory rates of three species of planktonic copepods, Acartia clausi, Centropages hamatus and Temora longicornis, were measured at four different temperatures.The relationship between respiratory rate and temperature was found to be similar to that previously found for Calanus, although the slope of the curves differed in the different species.The observations on Centropages at 13 and 170 C. can be divided into two groups and it is suggested that the differences are due to the use of copepods from two different generations.The relationship between the respiratory rates and lengths of Acartia and Centropages agreed very well with that previously found for other species. That for Temora was rather different: the difference is probably due to the distinct difference in the shape of the body of Temora from those of the other species.The application of these measurements to estimates of the food requirements of the copepods is discussed.

Heat balance precedes stabilization of body temperatures during cold water immersion

2003 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Tikuisis
Keyword(s):  
Heat Balance ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Water Immersion ◽  
Heat Content ◽  
Cold Water Immersion ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Mean Body Temperature ◽  
The Core ◽  
Region Temperature

Certain previous studies suggest, as hypothesized herein, that heat balance (i.e., when heat loss is matched by heat production) is attained before stabilization of body temperatures during cold exposure. This phenomenon is explained through a theoretical analysis of heat distribution in the body applied to an experiment involving cold water immersion. Six healthy and fit men (mean ± SD of age = 37.5 ± 6.5 yr, height = 1.79 ± 0.07 m, mass = 81.8 ± 9.5 kg, body fat = 17.3 ± 4.2%, maximal O2 uptake = 46.9 ± 5.5 l/min) were immersed in water ranging from 16.4 to 24.1°C for up to 10 h. Core temperature (Tco) underwent an insignificant transient rise during the first hour of immersion, then declined steadily for several hours, although no subject's Tco reached 35°C. Despite the continued decrease in Tco, shivering had reached a steady state of ∼2 × resting metabolism. Heat debt peaked at 932 ± 334 kJ after 2 h of immersion, indicating the attainment of heat balance, but unexpectedly proceeded to decline at ∼48 kJ/h, indicating a recovery of mean body temperature. These observations were rationalized by introducing a third compartment of the body, comprising fat, connective tissue, muscle, and bone, between the core (viscera and vessels) and skin. Temperature change in this “mid region” can account for the incongruity between the body's heat debt and the changes in only the core and skin temperatures. The mid region temperature decreased by 3.7 ± 1.1°C at maximal heat debt and increased slowly thereafter. The reversal in heat debt might help explain why shivering drive failed to respond to a continued decrease in Tco, as shivering drive might be modulated by changes in body heat content.

Influence of the environmental temperature on the post-partum testosterone surge in the rat

1987 ◽  
Vol 115 (4) ◽  
pp. 478-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Roffi ◽  
F. Chami ◽  
P. Corbier ◽  
D. A. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Ambient Temperature ◽  
Environmental Temperature ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Serum Testosterone ◽  
The Body ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Male Rat ◽  
Foster Mother ◽  
The Central Nervous System

Abstract. In the neonatal male rat, a rapid and transient increase in serum testosterone occurs about 2 h after birth. This post-partum testosterone surge (PPTS) has been implicated in the masculinization and defeminization of the central nervous system. The present study shows that environmental temperature can have a profound influence on the PPTS. Male rats were delivered from their mothers by caesarean section on day 22 of gestation. Immediately thereafter, neonatal males were placed at an ambient temperature of either 18, 21, 24 or 30°C. With 2 h of exposure, the body temperature was in close correspondence with the ambient temperature. The PPTS was clearly abolished in the pups exposed for 2 h at either 18 or 21°C. The effect of temperature was reversible: by placing pups at either 18 or 21°C for 2 h after delivery, and then rewarming by placing them with a foster mother, the PPTS was delayed until 4 h after birth, i.e. 2 h after the beginning of rewarming. Thus, environmental cooling appears to retard the development of neural and/or endocrine systems mediating the PPTS. Aberrant maternal care which would produce substantial cooling of the male pups would be expected to affect the PPTS, which in turn might affect the sexuality of male progeny.

The effect of temperature on repeat swimming performance in juvenile qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis)

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Pang ◽  
Xing-Zhong Yuan ◽  
Zhen-Dong Cao ◽  
Yao-Guang Zhang ◽  
Shi-Jian Fu
Keyword(s):  
Swimming Performance ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Spinibarbus Sinensis

The role of temperature in microhabitat selection by northern water snakes (Nerodia sipedon)

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian C. Robertson ◽  
Patrick J. Weatherhead
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Microhabitat Selection ◽  
Nerodia Sipedon ◽  
Leopard Frogs ◽  
Water Snake ◽  
Northern Water Snakes ◽  
Water Snakes ◽  
Circadian Patterns

Using field observations and laboratory experiments we examined the role of temperature in microhabitat selection by an eastern Ontario population of northern water snakes (Nerodia sipedon). From 1349 random transects through a marsh we found that basking activity peaked at 09:00 and then declined steadily until 14:00 before increasing again. Our ability to detect snakes depended upon the microhabitat they occupied, and to the time of day when the snakes were encountered in water. In the field, temperatures of basking snakes averaged (±SE) 26.3 ± 0.7 °C (n = 36), while captive snakes in a thermal gradient showed a narrower selectivity, averaging 27.7 ± 0.4 °C (n = 21). The temperatures of basking snakes never exceeded 33 °C, even though a model snake placed in the sun reached 48 °C, suggesting that the snakes were thermoregulating to prevent overheating. In both the field and enclosures, water snakes basked more frequently as the temperature of the air increased relative to the water. Experimental manipulation of water temperature relative to air temperature revealed that temperature influenced microhabitat selection independently of circadian patterns. Finally, when in water, snakes tended to frequent habitats where leopard frogs (Rana pipiens), a common prey species, were most abundant, suggesting that prey distribution may also be an important component of water snake habitat selection.

scholarly journals Effect of Drinking Hot or Cold Water and Intaking Hot Meal on the Body Temperature Measured by Ear Drum. Meaning of ONPUKU.

1994 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-587
Author(s):  
Minoru HIGASA ◽  
Iwao YAMAMOTO ◽  
Ichiro NARIKAWA
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
The Body

Hydrodynamic drag of two frog species: Hymenochirus boettgeri and Rana pipiens

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 1085-1090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julianna M. Gal ◽  
R. W. Blake
Keyword(s):  
Flow Visualization ◽  
Rana Pipiens ◽  
Swimming Performance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Hydrodynamic Drag ◽  
Subtraction Method ◽  
Flat Plates ◽  
Hind Limbs ◽  
Hymenochirus Boettgeri ◽  
Visualization Experiments

Drag of the aquatic frog Hymenochirus boettgeri was investigated by a series of drop-tank and flow visualization experiments. The maximum drag coefficient (CD) of the body and hind limbs was 0.24–0.11, for a Reynolds number (Re) of 1500–8000. Results of the flow visualization experiment support the CD values obtained for the body and hind limbs of H. boettgeri. CD similarly measured for Rana pipiens was 0.060–0.050, for a Re range of 16 600 – 40 400. A comparison of CD under dynamically similar conditions suggests that jumping may not compromise swimming performance in these two species. CD for the foot of H. boettgeri was examined by three methods: drop-tank experiments with isolated frog's feet and with isolated acetate model feet, and a subtraction method. CD for the isolated foot was 2.5–1.6 for 100 < Re < 700. Results were similar to those obtained with isolated model feet, where 1.8 > CD > 1.2 for 300 < Re < 1300. The subtraction method gave similar results to those obtained from drop-tank experiments with isolated model and real feet, within the Re range of 300–3000. The results of all three methods and flow visualization experiments support the assumption that animal paddles can be treated as three-dimensional flat plates, oriented normal to the direction of flow.

The relationship between cirral activity and oxygen uptake in Balanus balanoides

1965 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 387-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Newell ◽  
H. R. Northcroft
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Oxygen Uptake ◽  
Mantle Cavity ◽  
The Body ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Zero Rate ◽  
Rate Of Oxygen Consumption ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Balanus Balanoides

The rate of cirral beat of Balanus balanoides is related to the logarithm of the body weight as an exponential function. In any one animal, there is little effect of temperature on cirral activity between 7·5° and 10° C. Between 10° and 20° C, however, there is a rapid increase in cirral beat with temperature followed by a fall at temperatures above 20° C.Balanus balanoides exhibits a fast, medium and zero rate of oxygen consumption. These rates of oxygen consumption correspond with (a) normal cirral beating, (b) ‘testing’ activity with no cirral movement, and (c) with the closure of the mantle cavity. Both of the possible levels of oxygen uptake are related to the logarithm of the body weight in a logarithmic fashion over the temperature range 7·5°–22·5° C. Temperature affects the two rates of oxygen consumption differently. In the slower rate (rate B) there is an increase in the rate of oxygen consumption between 7·5° and 14° C but there is no significant increase in the rate of oxygen consumption between 14° and 22·5 C°.

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