Salamander Tail Autotomy and Snake Predation: Role of Antipredator Behavior and Toxicity for Three Neotropical Bolitoglossa (Caudata: Plethodontidae)

Biotropica ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter K. Ducey ◽  
Edmund D. Brodie ◽  
Elizabeth A. Baness
Keyword(s):  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Tail Autotomy

Quantifying insect predation with predator exclusion cages: the role of prey antipredator behavior as a source of bias

2015 ◽  
Vol 157 (3) ◽  
pp. 360-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Castellanos ◽  
Pedro Barbosa ◽  
Iriana Zuria ◽  
Astrid Caldas
Keyword(s):  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Predator Exclusion ◽  
Insect Predation

The role of corticosterone and toxicity in the antipredator behavior of the Rough-skinned Newt (Taricha granulosa)

2015 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. 59-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorin A. Neuman-Lee ◽  
Amber N. Stokes ◽  
Sydney Greenfield ◽  
Gareth R. Hopkins ◽  
Edmund D. Brodie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Taricha Granulosa

OFFSPRING-PARENT COMMUNICATION IN A SUBSOCIAL TREEHOPPER (HEMIPTERA: MEMBRACIDAE: UMBONIA CRASSICORNIS)

Behaviour ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reginald Cocroft
Keyword(s):  
Complex System ◽  
Maternal Care ◽  
Defensive Behavior ◽  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Recent Experience ◽  
Parent Communication ◽  
Umbonia Crassicornis ◽  
Vibrational Signals ◽  
Predator Signals

Parental care of post-hatching offspring is widespread in insects, but the role of communication in parent-offspring interactions remains largely unknown. I have found that, in the subsocial treehopper Umbonia crassicornis , aggregated nymphal offspring produce substrate-borne, vibrational signals in synchronized bursts that elicit the mother's antipredator behavior. In this study I describe the signals used by nymphs and explore their role in mother-offspring interactions and within-brood communication. Nymphs were stimulated to signal in the laboratory in response to light contact, simulating the approach of a predator. Signals of nymphs at the site of disturbance triggered a rapid wave of signaling by many individuals within the aggregation. This coordinated signaling was associated with the mother's defensive behavior. Signaling was limited to the vibrational channel: when transmission of vibrations was blocked between signaling nymphs and the mother, the mothers' response was abolished. Nymphs signaled not only in response to contact, but also in response to playback of signals from their siblings. Nymphs in otherwise undisturbed aggregations signaled only in response to signals coordinated into synchronized, group displays, and not to signals in random temporal patterns. However, nymphal signaling thresholds were lowered after a recent experience of simulated predation. After a period in which nymphs were stimulated to signal (by light contact simulating a predator's approach), playback of one individual signal could trigger a coordinated burst within the aggregation. It remains unknown if coordination among siblings to produce synchronized, group signals is completely cooperative, or if siblings compete for the mother's proximity. But it is clear that a complex system of communication among siblings, and between siblings and their parent, is an important feature of maternal care in these subsocial insects.

The role of the tail in channel passage by the sand skink, Neoseps reynoldsi

1992 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry R. Mushinsky ◽  
Carl Gans
Keyword(s):  
Flat Surface ◽  
Static Friction ◽  
Lower Mass ◽  
Forward Movement ◽  
Anterior Portion ◽  
Posterior Portion ◽  
Tail Autotomy ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Lateral Undulation

AbstractThirteen sand skinks, Neoseps reynoldsi, were observed and videotaped traversing variously spaced plexiglass channels and spacings of pins to investigate locomotory patterns of a slender elongate lizard, with reduced limbs. Five individuals were recorded both before and after tail autotomy. Neoseps moves its limbs in locomotion on a flat surface; the hindlimbs participate in propulsion and their position, relative to their body, reflects the curvature of the trunk. Distance between pins, width of the plexiglass channel, and surface texture influence locomotory patterns. Individuals move more rapidly in wide channels, and movement is most irregular in channels with sandpaper floors. Whether on a plexiglass or a sandpaper floor, individuals travel more rapidly down the 2cm wide channel than the 1 cm channel. Fewer bends in the trunk in the wider channels may allow for more rapid movement. Autotomy of the tail slows movement on a plexiglass or sandpaper floor. The anterior portion of the tail contributes to the establishment of a static friction site that is jerked toward the head during locomotion, advancing the center of gravity in that direction. From the new site the trunk can be straightened by pushing against the friction site. The posterior portion of a tailless individual slides backward as the trunk is straightened, slowing their forward movement. The backward slide may reflect the lower mass and reduced static friction of the partial tail. In channels, Neoseps uses limbed concertina rather than simple concertina to generate a propulsive force. Evolutionarily, it appears that elongation of the tail and trunk did not incorporate the capacity for lateral undulation; as the curves of the trunk and tail seem preprogrammed and do not adjust to local points of contact.

scholarly journals Telomere length covaries with age across an elevational gradient in a Mediterranean lizard

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Burraco ◽  
Mar Comas ◽  
Senda Reguera ◽  
Francisco Javier Zamora-Camacho ◽  
Gregorio Moreno-Rueda
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Tail Autotomy ◽  
Non Linear

AbstractThe timing of organisms’ senescence is developmentally programmed but also shaped by the interaction between environmental inputs and life-history traits. In ectotherms, ageing dynamics are still poorly understood despite their particularities concerning thermoregulation, regeneration capacity, or growth trajectory. Here, we investigate the role of life-history traits such as age, sex, body size, body condition, and tail autotomy (i.e self-amputation) in shaping telomere length of six populations of the Algerian sand lizard (Psammodromus algirus) distributed across an elevational gradient from 300 to 2500 meters above the sea level. Additionally, we show in a review table the available information on reptiles’ telomere length. We found that telomeres elongated with lizards’ age. We also observed that body size and age class showed a positive relationship, suggesting that cell replication did not shorten lizards’ telomeres by itself. Elevation affected telomere length in a non-linear way, a pattern that mirrored the variation in age structure across elevation. Telomere length was unaffected by tail autotomy, and was sex-independent, but positively correlated with body condition. Our results show that telomeres elongate throughout the first four years of lizards’ lifetime, a process that stress the role of telomerase in maintaining ectothermic telomeres, and, likely, in extending lifespan in organisms with indeterminate growth. Regarding the non-linear impact that elevation had on telomere length of lizards, our results suggest that habitat (mainly temperature) and organisms’ condition might play a key role in regulation ageing rate. Our findings emphasize the relevance of understanding species’ life histories (e.g. age and body condition) and habitat characteristics for fully disentangling the causes and consequences of lifespan trajectory.

Terrestrial Salamanders Alter Antipredator Behavior Thresholds Following Tail Autotomy

Herpetologica ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret M. Bliss ◽  
Kristen K. Cecala
Keyword(s):  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Tail Autotomy

Role of dactinomycin in the improved survival of children with Wilms' tumor

JAMA ◽  
1966 ◽  
Vol 195 (12) ◽  
pp. 1005-1009 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Fernbach
Keyword(s):  
Wilms Tumor
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