Pattern and Function of Sexual Dimorphism: A Biometric Study of Character Variation in the Grass Snake (Natrix natrix, Colubridae) Due to Sex and Its Interaction with Geography

Copeia ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 1989 (1) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Thorpe
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Natrix Natrix ◽  
Character Variation ◽  
Grass Snake ◽  
And Function

scholarly journals Sexual dimorphism in a top predator ( Notophthalmus viridescens ) drives aquatic prey community assembly

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1890) ◽  
pp. 20181717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denon Start ◽  
Stephen De Lisle
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Intraspecific Variation ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Top Predator ◽  
Aquatic Mesocosms ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Impact

Intraspecific variation can have important consequences for the structure and function of ecological communities, and serves to link community ecology to evolutionary processes. Differences between the sexes are an overwhelmingly common form of intraspecific variation, but its community-level consequences have never been experimentally investigated. Here, we manipulate the sex ratio of a sexually dimorphic predacious newt in aquatic mesocosms, then track their impact on prey communities. Female and male newts preferentially forage in the benthic and pelagic zones, respectively, causing corresponding reductions in prey abundances in those habitats. Sex ratio differences also explained a large proportion (33%) of differences in the composition of entire pond communities. Ultimately, we demonstrate the impact of known patterns of sexual dimorphism in a predator on its prey, uncovering overlooked links between evolutionary adaptation and the structure of contemporary communities. Given the extreme prevalence of sexual dimorphism, we argue that the independent evolution of the sexes will often have important consequences for ecological communities.

scholarly journals Cloacal Gram-Negative Microbiota in Free-Living Grass Snake Natrix natrix from Poland

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (9) ◽  
pp. 2166-2171
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Pawlak ◽  
Katarzyna Morka ◽  
Stanisław Bury ◽  
Zuzanna Antoniewicz ◽  
Anna Wzorek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Free Living ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Natrix Natrix ◽  
Grass Snake
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