scholarly journals Ontogenetic shift in response to prey-derived chemical cues in prairie rattlesnakes Crotalus viridis viridis

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 549-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Saviola ◽  
David Chiszar ◽  
Stephen P. Mackessy
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Deer Mouse ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Ontogenetic Shift ◽  
Crotalus Viridis ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Chemical Stimuli ◽  
Tongue Flicking

Abstract Snakes often have specialized diets that undergo a shift from one prey type to another depending on the life stage of the snake. Crotalus viridis viridis (prairie rattlesnake) takes different prey at different life stages, and neonates typically prey on ectotherms, while adults feed almost entirely on small endotherms. We hypothesized that elevated rates of tongue flicking to chemical stimuli should correlate with particular prey consumed, and that this response shifts from one prey type to another as individuals age. To examine if an ontogenetic shift in response to chemical cues occurred, we recorded the rate of tongue flicking for 25 neonate, 20 subadult, and 20 adult (average SVL = 280.9, 552, 789.5 mm, respectively) wild-caught C. v. viridis to chemical stimuli presented on a cotton-tipped applicator; water-soluble cues from two ectotherms (prairie lizard, Sceloporus undulatus, and house gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus), two endotherms (deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus and lab mouse, Mus musculus), and water controls were used. Neonates tongue flicked significantly more to chemical cues of their common prey, S. undulatus, than to all other chemical cues; however, the response to this lizard’s chemical cues decreased in adult rattlesnakes. Subadults tongue flicked with a higher rate of tongue flicking to both S. undulatus and P. maniculatus than to all other treatments, and adults tongue flicked significantly more to P. maniculatus than to all other chemical cues. In addition, all three sub-classes demonstrated a greater response for natural prey chemical cues over chemical stimuli of prey not encountered in the wild (M. musculus and H. frenatus). This shift in chemosensory response correlated with the previously described ontogenetic shifts in C. v. viridis diet. Because many vipers show a similar ontogenetic shift in diet and venom composition, we suggest that this shift in prey cue discrimination is likely a general phenomenon among viperid snakes.

scholarly journals Chemosensory response in stunted prairie rattlesnakes Crotalus viridis viridis

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Saviola ◽  
David Chiszar ◽  
Hobart M. Smith ◽  
Stephen P. Mackessy
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Population Expansion ◽  
Recent Population Expansion ◽  
Crotalus Viridis ◽  
Natural Prey ◽  
Feeding Experience ◽  
Prey Chemicals ◽  
Chemical Stimuli ◽  
Geographical Locations ◽  
Prey Items

Abstract Rattlesnakes use chemical stimuli in ambush site selection and for relocation of envenomated prey through strike-induced chemosensory searching. Shifts in responsiveness to prey chemicals have been documented in many snakes, and often correlate with prey commonly taken as snakes increase in age and size as well as geographical locations of the species. For instance, neonate rattlesnakes that prey primarily on ectotherms responded most strongly to chemical cues of commonly taken lizard prey, whereas adult rattlesnakes that prey primarily on small mammals responded significantly to chemical cues of commonly taken rodents. In the current study, 11 Prairie Rattlesnakes Crotalus viridis viridis which were classified as large neonates based on measures of snout-vent length (SVL) and body mass, yet chronologically were at or near adulthood, were tested for their responsiveness to chemical extracts of natural and non-natural prey items. Although the snakes had eaten only neonate lab mice (Mus musculus), they responded significantly more to chemical cues of natural prey items and particularly to chemical cues of prey normally taken by subadults (Peromyscus mice and Sceloporus lizard). These results suggest that ontogenetic shifts in responsiveness to natural prey chemical cues are innately programmed and are not based on body size or feeding experience in C. v. viridis. This does not imply, however, that growth and experience are without effects, especially with novel prey or rare prey that have experienced recent population expansion.

scholarly journals The Chemistry of Stress: Understanding the ‘Cry for Help’ of Plant Roots

Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 357
Author(s):  
Muhammad Syamsu Rizaludin ◽  
Nejc Stopnisek ◽  
Jos M. Raaijmakers ◽  
Paolina Garbeva
Keyword(s):  
Root Exudate ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Plant Roots ◽  
Plant Tissues ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Primary And Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Cry For Help ◽  
Micro Organisms ◽  
Qualitative Changes

Plants are faced with various biotic and abiotic stresses during their life cycle. To withstand these stresses, plants have evolved adaptive strategies including the production of a wide array of primary and secondary metabolites. Some of these metabolites can have direct defensive effects, while others act as chemical cues attracting beneficial (micro)organisms for protection. Similar to aboveground plant tissues, plant roots also appear to have evolved “a cry for help” response upon exposure to stress, leading to the recruitment of beneficial microorganisms to help minimize the damage caused by the stress. Furthermore, emerging evidence indicates that microbial recruitment to the plant roots is, at least in part, mediated by quantitative and/or qualitative changes in root exudate composition. Both volatile and water-soluble compounds have been implicated as important signals for the recruitment and activation of beneficial root-associated microbes. Here we provide an overview of our current understanding of belowground chemical communication, particularly how stressed plants shape its protective root microbiome.

Abstract 064: 20-HETE Contributes to Vasoconstriction of Renal Microvessels and Sodium Retention in Cyp4a14-/- Mice, a Model of 20-HETE Dependent Hypertension

Hypertension ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankit Gilani ◽  
Varunkumar Pandey ◽  
Joseph Zullo ◽  
Priyanka Mishra ◽  
John R Falck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Isotonic Saline ◽  
Urinary Sodium Excretion ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Arachidonic Acid Metabolite ◽  
Male Mice ◽  
Kidney Weight ◽  
Doppler Flowmetry ◽  
In The Wild

20-HETE (20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid), is a cytochrome P450 (CYP) 4A-derived arachidonic acid metabolite. 20-HETE has been linked to both pro-hypertensive (via increased vasoconstriction, vascular remodeling and vascular injury of renal microvessels) and anti-hypertensive (inhibiting ion transport in the distal nephron) functions. In this study we examined the effect of 20-SOLA (2,5,8,11,14,17-hexaoxanonadecan-19-yl-20-hydroxyeicosa-6(Z),15(Z)-dienoate), a water soluble antagonist of the actions of 20-HETE on renal hemodynamics and sodium (Na) excretion in Cyp4a14 knockout (CYP4a14-/-) male mice. The CYP4a14-/- male mice display hypertension accompanied by increased vascular 20-HETE levels. Administration of 20-SOLA (10mg/kg/day in drinking water) normalized blood pressure (BP) in male Cyp4a14-/- mice at day 10 of treatment (124±1 vs. 153±2 mmHg in untreated male Cyp4a14-/- mice; p<0.05). The normalization of blood pressure was accompanied by transient increase in the urinary sodium excretion in the Cyp4a14-/- male mice (8.3±0.7 vs. 5.8±0.5 μmol/g body weight/day; p<0.05). Importantly, 20-SOLA increased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of Cyp4a14-/- mice (2.38±0.05 vs. 1.88±0.18 μL/min/mg kidney weight, p<0.05) as opposed to no changes observed in the wild type (WT: (2.26±0.18 vs. 2.33±0.20μL/min/mg kidney weight). Evaluation of the renal blood flow (RBF) by laser Doppler flowmetry showed that treatment with 20-SOLA increased the RBF in Cyp4a14-/- mice by 12.3±4%, which remained unaltered in the WT. Additionally, the pressure-induced myogenic tone of isolated preglomerular microvessels was significantly elevated in Cyp4a14-/- mice; 20-SOLA treatment prevented the increase in myogenic responses. The natriuretic response to an isotonic saline loading challenge (10% of body weight, IP) was significantly attenuated in the Cyp4a14-/- mice as compared to the WT (35.5±2.8 vs. 57.4±8.3 percentage of Na load, p<0.05); this was corrected by 20-SOLA (61.7±5.7 percentage of Na load, p<0.05). These results confirm that 20-SOLA normalizes blood pressure of Cyp4a14-/- male mice and demonstrates that this is associated with increases in GFR, RBF and natriuresis.

Response to Visual, Chemical, and Tactile Stimuli

2020 ◽  
pp. 333-360
Author(s):  
Jonathan H. Cohen ◽  
Charles E. Epifanio
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Vertical Plane ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Free Swimming ◽  
Egg Hatching ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
Settlement And Metamorphosis ◽  
Tactile Cues

Early life history in marine benthic crustaceans often includes externally brooded eggs that hatch into free-swimming planktonic larvae. These larvae are relatively strong swimmers, and movement in the vertical plane provides a number of advantages, including modulation of horizontal transport and assurance of favorable predator–prey interactions. Swimming behavior in larval crustaceans is regulated by predictable external cues in the water column, primarily light, gravity, and hydrostatic pressure. Light-regulated behavior depends upon the optical physics of seawater and the physiology of light-detecting sensory structures in the larvae, which overall vary little with ontogeny. Swimming in response to light contributes to ecologically significant behaviors in planktonic crustacean larvae, including shadow responses, depth regulation, and diel vertical migration. Moreover, the photoresponses themselves, and in turn the evoked behaviors, change with the needs of larvae as development progresses. Regarding other sensory modalities, crustacean embryos and larvae respond to chemical cues using bimodal sensilla (chemosensory and mechanosensory) as contact receptors, and aesthetascs for detection of water-soluble cues. Processes and behaviors are stimulated by larval detection of chemical cues throughout ontogeny, including egg-hatching, avoidance of predators during free-swimming stages, and, ultimately, settlement and metamorphosis in juvenile habitats. The latter process can also involve tactile cues. The sensory-mediated behaviors described here for crustacean larvae have parallels in numerous arthropod and nonarthropod taxa. Emerging directions for future research on sensory aspects of behavior in crustacean larvae include multimodal sensory integration and behavioral responses to changing environmental stressors.

Variation in the diet of the Lataste's viper Vipera latastei in the Iberian Peninsula: seasonal, sexual and size-related effects

2007 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Pleguezuelos ◽  
José Brito ◽  
Soumia Fahd ◽  
Xavier Santos ◽  
Gustavo Llorente ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Feeding Activity ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Ontogenetic Shift ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Iberian Range ◽  
Ambush Predation

AbstractSeveral life-history traits may increase vulnerability of species to extinction. Among snakes, ambush predation and dietary specialisation are factors that increase this vulnerability. European viper species, genus Vipera, display such traits and are categorised as endangered in several parts of its range. For their conservation management, a deeper knowledge of their ecology and habitat use is highly relevant. One of the species with less ecological data is the Lataste's viper Vipera latastei, a species which lives in the Iberian Peninsula and northwestern Africa. Here, we describe its diet based on the analysis of gut content of 435 museum specimens plus nine bibliographic data from the entire Iberian range. The species showed seasonal and ontogenetic shift in diet but no sexual variations. Feeding activity (percentage of vipers with prey) was low in accordance with its ambush predation tactics, being lower in spring than in summer and autumn. Prey spectrum included two main (reptiles and small mammals), and three sporadic, types of prey (arthropods, amphibians and birds). The consumption of reptiles and mammals was seasonal; the former decreased in occurrence from spring to autumn, whereas the latter showed an opposite pattern. There was an ontogenetic shift in the diet: juveniles fed mainly on reptiles and arthropods, whereas adult vipers progressively substitute this prey with insectivores, and the largest vipers primarily foraged on rodents and birds. Our results suggest that the seasonal variation in prey type was related to prey availability, whereas the ontogenetic shift was linked to gape limitation. The apparently wide prey spectrum of V. latastei must therefore be examined, taking into account that there are seasonal and ontogenetic dietary variations as well as geographic differences, the latter probably driven by climatic contrasts into the Iberian Peninsula. This new data of the endangered Iberian V. latastei can aid the effective conservation management of this species.

Nonvolatile Chemical Cues Affect Host-Plant Ranking by Gravid Polygonia c-album Females

2012 ◽  
Vol 67 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 93-102
Author(s):  
Raimondas Mozūraitis ◽  
Rushana Murtazina ◽  
Sören Nylin ◽  
Anna-Karin Borg-Karlson
Keyword(s):  
Host Plant ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Reversed Phase ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Salix Caprea ◽  
Methanol Extracts ◽  
Ranking Order

In a multiple-choice test, the preference of egg-laying Polygonia c-album (comma butterfly) females was studied for oviposition on plants bearing surrogate leaves treated with crude methanol extracts obtained from leaves of seven host-plant species: Humulus lupulus, Urtica dioica, Ulmus glabra, Salix caprea, Ribes nigrum, Corylus avellana, and Betula pubescens. The ranking order of surrogate leaves treated with host-plant extracts corresponded well to that reported on natural foliage, except R. nigrum. Thus, host-plant choice in P. c-album seems to be highly dependent on chemical cues. Moreover, after two subsequent fractionations using reversed-phase chromatography the nonvolatile chemical cues residing in the most polar water-soluble fractions evidently provided sufficient information for egg-laying females to discriminate and rank between the samples of more and less preferred plants, since the ranking in these assays was similar to that for natural foliage or whole methanol extracts, while the physical traits of the surrogate leaves remained uniform.

Intraspecific Differential Response of Wild Oat and Barley to Barban

Weed Science ◽  
1972 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben Jacobsohn ◽  
Robert N. Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Hordeum Vulgare ◽  
Foliar Application ◽  
Differential Response ◽  
Avena Fatua ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Wild Oat ◽  
Partial Explanation ◽  
Treated Leaf ◽  
In The Wild

Two wild oat(Avena fatuaL.) biotypes and two barley(Hordeum vulgareL.) varieties known to have intraspecific differential response to foliarly-applied 4-chloro-2-butynylm-chlorocarbanilate (barban) were studied. When barban was applied to the roots, the intraspecific differential response (measured by shoot retardation) was maintained in both species but to a much lesser extent than previously observed with foliar application. Wild oat maintained a greater differential response than barley. Therefore, the factors causing the differential response to foliarly-applied barban may reside primarily in the leaves of both species but to some extent elsewhere (perhaps at the plant apex) in the wild oat biotypes and to a lesser extent elsewhere in the barley varieties. Differential response to foliar applications was not caused by differential uptake, but may be caused primarily by the susceptible biotype or variety's reduced ability to degrade barban beyond 3-chloroaniline. This might cause the greater build-up of compound X (a water-soluble 3-chloroaniline-containing metabolite of barban) observed in the susceptible biotype or variety. Compound X appeared to be nonphytotoxic. The build-up of compound X in turn may reduce the rate of metabolism of barban resulting in the greater amount of free barban found in the treated leaf of the susceptible biotype or variety 12 to 24 hr after treatment. This greater amount of free barban in the leaf of the susceptible biotype or variety may be responsible for the differential response to foliar applications of barban. Evidence for this partial explanation of the differential response was better for barley than for wild oat.

Predation of artificial Xantus's murrelet (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus scrippsi) nests before and after black rat (Rattus rattus) eradication

2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 320-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
HOLLY P. JONES ◽  
R. WILLIAMHENRY ◽  
GREGG R. HOWALD ◽  
BERNIE R. TERSHY ◽  
DONALD A. CROLL
Keyword(s):  
Nest Predation ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Deer Mouse ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Eradication Programme ◽  
Artificial Nests ◽  
Black Rat ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Synthliboramphus Hypoleucus

Introduced rats depredate every life stage of island nesting seabirds, but the extent of predation is rarely quantified. Introduced black rat (Rattus rattus) and native deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus anacapae) predation on Xantus's murrelet (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus scrippsi) nests was experimentally quantified using artificial nests before and after rat eradication on Anacapa Island (California). The staged rat eradication programme provided experimental treatments: in 2002 rats were eradicated on one island (East Anacapa Islet) and remained on two islands (Middle and West Anacapa Islets), providing a control comparison, and, in 2003, rats were eradicated from the remaining islands (Middle and West Anacapa Islets). In 2002, 96% of artificial nests were depredated on control islands (rats present) with rats accounting for most predation. Nest predation on the treatment island (rats eradicated) in 2002 was significantly lower: 8% of artificial nests were depredated, mostly by endemic deer mice. In 2003, following rat eradication on the remaining islands (Middle and West Anacapa Islets), nest predation was reduced from 96% in 2002 to 3% of total nests in 2003. Predation of nests on East Anacapa Islet (rats eradicated in 2002) increased significantly due to reintroduction and recovery of native deer mouse populations, with 23% of artificial nests depredated. The inference is that rat predation on real Xantus's murrelet nests was responsible for the historically low nesting success and small population sizes of breeding murrelets on Anacapa Island. With rats removed, the hatching success of Xantus's murrelet chicks and the number of individuals nesting on Anacapa Island will increase dramatically. Artificial nest studies are particularly well suited to quantifying introduced rat impacts on hole and crevice nesting seabirds and can simultaneously serve as an effective monitoring tool to detect the presence of rats and the recovery of native nest predators.

The shadow of the shell: a cue for a new home

2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 1165-1169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monserrat Suárez-Rodríguez ◽  
Karla Kruesi ◽  
Guillermina Alcaraz
Keyword(s):  
Visual Perception ◽  
Hermit Crab ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Chemical Signals ◽  
Hermit Crabs ◽  
The Real ◽  
Chemical Stimuli ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Intertidal Environments

AbstractHermit crabs use different senses to search for and find shells. In most cases, chemical cues have been proven to act as a very efficient way of finding new shells. However, in intertidal environments, the water transports chemical signals in different directions and velocities may make it harder to track the source of the cue, so visual stimuli may be a more precise source of information. The hermit crab Calcinus californiensis shows a preference for the biconical shells of Stramonita biserialis, although the crabs may also use the less preferred shell of Nerita scabricosta. We were interested in exploring if C. californiensis identify the preferred shell species through vision in the absence of chemical stimuli. We presented both shell species to hermit crabs in two different sets of experiments. In one experiment, we presented to the hermit crabs real shells of N. scabricosta and S. biserialis, and in another, we presented only the silhouettes of the same shells. The hermit crabs discriminated between the real shells and the silhouettes of N. scabricosta and S. biserialis. Females attended with higher frequency to real shells and silhouettes of S. biserialis; while males attended more to shells and silhouettes of N. scabricosta. Although, larger males biased their attendance toward shells of S. biserialis. Our results show that visual perception may be more important than we have thought in intertidal animals.

Alimentación de Coluber hippocrepis en el SE de la península Ibérica

1990 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan M. Pleguezuelos ◽  
Manuel Moreno
Keyword(s):  
Food Habits ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Ontogenetic Shift ◽  
The South ◽  
Extensive Area ◽  
Small Prey ◽  
Food Diversity ◽  
Prey Mass ◽  
Península Ibérica

AbstractThe food habits of 214 specimens of C. hippocrepis were analyzed throughout the year in an extensive area (44000 km2). This species mainly fed on vertebrates, especially mammals and reptiles which constituted more than 92% of its prey; other items included birds and invertebrates. Mammals represented more than 70% of the total prey mass. There was an ontogenetic shift in prey type; small snakes fed almost exclusively on small lizards, large snakes on rodents, although this change was gradual. There was not an ontogenetic shift in the percentage of snakes with gut contents, number of prey types or food diversity. C. hippocrepis captured relatively small prey. Most of them were taken head first, and those taken tail first were significantly smaller. We discuss the type of prey and the ontogenetic food shift in relation to the habits of this species in the south of Iberian Pcninsula.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document