scholarly journals Intersexual chemo-sensation in a “visually-oriented” lizard,Anolis sagrei

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Baeckens ◽  
Tess Driessens ◽  
Raoul Van Damme
Keyword(s):  
Untreated Control ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Great Depth ◽  
Tongue Flick ◽  
Anolis Sagrei ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Anole Lizard ◽  
Chemical Signalling ◽  
Display Behaviour ◽  
The Absolute

While the conspicuous visual displays of anoles have been studied in great depth, the possibility that these lizards may also interact through chemical signalling has received hardly any consideration. In this study, we observed the behaviour of male brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) when introduced into an environment previously inhabited by female conspecifics, and compared it to when they were introduced into an untreated environment. The males in our tests exhibited significantly more elaborate display behaviour (i.e., greater number of dewlap extensions and head-nods) and a significantly greater number of tongue extrusions while in the cage formerly occupied by females than when placed in the untreated, control cage. The absolute numbers of tongue extrusions, however, were relatively low in comparison to average tongue-flick rates of ‘true’ chemically-oriented lizards. Our results strongly suggest that the males were capable of detecting chemical cues left behind by the females. These observations provide the first evidence of intersexual chemo-sensation in an anole lizard.

scholarly journals Offspring and adult chemosensory recognition by an amphisbaenian reptile may allow maintaining familiar links in the fossorial environment

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e10780
Author(s):  
José Martín ◽  
Ernesto Raya-García ◽  
Jesús Ortega ◽  
Pilar López
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Kin Recognition ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Tongue Flick ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Stable Family ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Family Groups

Kin recognition is a phenomenon with an important function in maintaining cohesive social groups in animals. Several studies have examined parent–offspring recognition in species with direct parental care. Few studies have, however, explored parent–offspring recognition in animals that, at best, only show apparent indirect parental care, such as some reptiles. In this study, we investigated reciprocal parent–offspring recognition in the fossorial amphisbaenian Trogonophis wiegmanni, a viviparous species that shows potential stable ‘family groups’ in the form of parent-offspring long-term associations. We examined whether adult males and females could discriminate via chemical cues between familiar juveniles which associate with them within their family groups, and are potentially their offspring, to that of unfamiliar juveniles, and whether juveniles could discriminate between familiar adult males and females of their family group (probably their parents) and unfamiliar unrelated adults. We measured tongue flick behavior to study chemosensory responses to the scent of conspecifics. We found that adult female amphisbaenians, but not males, could discriminate between scents of familiar and unfamiliar juveniles. Juvenile amphisbaenians did not discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar adult females, but recognize familiar from unfamiliar males. We discuss our results of parent–offspring recognition according to its potential social function in an ecological fossorial context where visibility is limited and chemosensory kin recognition may contribute to the establishment of stable family groups.

Chemosensory deficiency may render island-dwelling lizards more vulnerable to invasive predators

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Van Moorleghem ◽  
Katleen Huyghe ◽  
Raoul Van Damme
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Tongue Flick ◽  
Predator Detection ◽  
Invasive Predators ◽  
Introduced Predators ◽  
Herpestes Auropunctatus ◽  
Scent Detection ◽  
Mammalian Predator ◽  
Whip Snake ◽  
Small Indian Mongoose

Abstract Newly introduced predators constitute a major threat to prey populations worldwide. Insular prey animals in particular often do not succeed in overcoming their naivety towards alien predators, making them specifically vulnerable. Why this is the case remains incompletely understood. Here, we investigate how the ability to detect and respond to predator chemical cues varies among populations of the Dalmatian wall lizard, Podarcis melisellensis. Lizards were sampled from five locations in south-eastern Croatia (one mainland location and four islands) that varied in the composition of their predator community. We observed the lizards’ behaviour in response to chemical cues of native saurophagous snakes (the Balkan whip snake, Hierophis gemonensis, and eastern Montpellier snake, Malpolon insignitus) and an introduced mammalian predator (the small Indian mongoose, Herpestes auropunctatus – a species held responsible for the loss of numerous insular reptile populations worldwide). Mainland lizards showed elevated tongue-flick rates (indicative of scent detection) as well as behaviours associated with distress in response to scents of both native and introduced predators. In sharp contrast, island lizards did not alter their behaviour when confronted with any of the predator cues. Alarmingly, even lizards from islands with native predators (both snakes and mammals) and from an island on which mongooses were introduced during the 1920s were non-responsive. This suggests that insular populations are chemosensorily deprived. As failure at the predator-detection level is often seen as the most damaging form of naivety, these results provide further insight into the mechanisms that render insular-living animals vulnerable to invasive species.

scholarly journals A systematic study of injectable anesthetic agents in the brown anole lizard (Anolis sagrei )

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley M Rasys ◽  
Stephen J Divers ◽  
James D Lauderdale ◽  
Douglas B Menke
Keyword(s):  
Important Research ◽  
Anolis Sagrei ◽  
Time Duration ◽  
Moderate Sedation ◽  
Anole Lizard ◽  
Anesthetic Agents ◽  
Brown Anole ◽  
Significant Step ◽  
Drug Induction ◽  
Anesthesia Level

Anolis lizards have served as important research models in fields ranging from evolution and ecology to physiology and biomechanics. However, anoles are also emerging as important models for studies of embryo development and tissue regeneration. The increased use of anoles in the laboratory has produced a need to establish effective methods of anesthesia, both for routine veterinary procedures and for research procedures. Therefore, we tested the efficacy of different anesthetic treatments in adult female Anolis sagrei. Alfaxalone, dexmedetomidine, hydromorphone, ketamine and tribromoethanol were administered subcutaneously (SC), either alone or combined at varying doses in a total of 64 female anoles. Drug induction time, duration, anesthesia level and adverse effects were assessed. Differences in anesthesia level were observed depending on injection site and drug combination. Alfaxalone/dexmedetomidine and tribromoethanol/dexmedetomidine were the most effective drug combinations for inducing a surgical plane of anesthesia in anoles. Brown anoles injected SC with alfaxalone (30 mg/kg) plus dexmedetomidine (0.1 mg/kg) or with tribromoethanol (400 mg/kg) plus dexmedetomidine (0.1 mg/kg) experienced mean durations of surgical anesthesia levels of 31.2 ± 5.3 and 87.5 ± 19.8 min with full recovery after another 10.9 ± 2.9 and 46.2 ± 41.8 min, respectively. Hydromorphone given with alfaxalone/dexmedetomidine resulted in deep anesthesia with respiratory depression, while ketamine/hydromorphone/dexmedetomidine produced only light to moderate sedation. We determined that alfaxalone/dexmedetomidine or tribromoethanol/dexmedetomidine combinations were sufficient to maintain a lizard under general anesthesia for coeliotomy. This study represents a significant step towards understanding the effects of anesthetic agents in anole lizards and will benefit both veterinary care and research on these animals.

Chemosensory predator recognition induces defensive behavior in the slow-worm (Anguis fragilis)

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 510-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Cabido ◽  
Adega Gonzalo ◽  
Pedro Galán ◽  
José Martín ◽  
Pilar López
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Tongue Flick ◽  
Defensive Behaviors ◽  
Low Visibility ◽  
Grass Snake ◽  
Chemical Stimuli ◽  
Anguis Fragilis ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Tongue Flicks ◽  
Coronella Austriaca

Many antipredator adaptations are induced or mediated by the ability of the prey to recognize chemical cues from the predator. This ability is particularly advantageous for organisms whose environment precludes the effective use of other sensory systems, such as fossorial lizards. We tested the ability of the slow-worm, Anguis fragilis Linnaeus, 1758, a semifossorial legless lizard, to detect and discriminate chemical stimuli arising from potential predators. We compared rates of tongue-flicks to swabs impregnated with scents from the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca Laurenti, 1768), a sympatric predator, the grass snake (Natrix natrix (Linnaeus, 1758)), a sympatric but non-saurophagous predator, and the three-toed skink (Chalcides striatus (Cuvier, 1829)), a sympatric insectivorous, and thus innocuous, skink. Differential tongue-flick rates suggest that scents of smooth snakes were recognized by slow-worms. Moreover, scents of smooth snakes were quickly avoided and elicited defensive behaviors much more often than any other scent, suggesting that chemical cues are a reliable means of assessing the snake's presence. These chemosensory capacities would be evolutionarily advantageous to avoid predation by snakes and are likely to represent a component of the suite of adaptations associated with low-visibility habitats.

Strong response to anuran chemical cues by an extreme dietary specialist, the eastern hog-nosed snake (Heterodon platirhinos)

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 619-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
William E. Cooper, ◽  
Stephen Secor
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Response Strength ◽  
Tongue Flick ◽  
Vomeronasal System ◽  
Potential Prey ◽  
Food Cues ◽  
Strong Response ◽  
Bufo Terrestris ◽  
Plant Chemical ◽  
Tongue Flicking

Squamate reptiles use the lingual–vomeronasal system to identify food using only chemical cues. In lizards, most of which are dietary generalists that consume a wide variety of arthropods and other small animals, correlated evolution has occurred between addition of plants to the diet and responsiveness to plant chemical cues. In snakes, many of which are dietary specialists, several studies have detected differences in response strength among populations that correspond to the importance of prey types in different geographic locations. In one species of Thamnophis Fitzinger, 1843, such variation in responsiveness has been demonstrated to have a genetic basis. We studied tongue-flicking and biting responses to chemical cues from a range of potential prey types by nine ingestively naive hatchlings of the eastern hog-nosed snake ( Heterodon platirhinos Latreille in Sonnini and Latreille, 1801), which is an extreme toad specialist that less frequently eats other anurans. The snakes responded most strongly to chemical cues from the southern toad ( Bufo terrestris (Bonnaterre, 1789)), as indicated by significantly greater tongue-flick rate. Only two individuals bit in response to chemicals cues, both to the toad cues. Elevated tongue-flick rates were also elicited by chemical cues from the green frog ( Rana clamitans Latreille in Sonnini de Manoncourt and Latreille, 1801), but the mean rate for frog cues was less than for toad cues. Responses to other potential prey types did not differ from those of the control stimuli. Our findings are consistent with those of several other investigators in showing close correspondence between the inclusion and importance of dietary items and the intensity of chemosensory investigation in snakes. Studies of diverse dietary specialists are needed to establish the generality of this relationship in snakes and to demonstrate that diet and chemosensory responses to food cues coevolve.

Lingually mediated discrimination of prey, but not plant chemicals, by the Central American anguid lizard, Mesaspis moreletii

2001 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Habegger ◽  
William Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Deionized Water ◽  
Central American ◽  
Tongue Flick ◽  
Romaine Lettuce ◽  
Plant Chemicals ◽  
Chemical Stimuli ◽  
Differential Responses ◽  
Tongue Flicks ◽  
Number Of Individuals

AbstractThe ability of the anguid lizard Mesaspis moreletii to identify food using only chemical cues was tested experimentally by presenting a series of chemical stimuli to lizards on the cotton tips of wooden applicators. The lizards responded much more strongly to cricket surface chemicals than to surface chemicals from romaine lettuce, diluted cologne (pungency control), and deionized water (odorless control). In a second experiment, there were no significant differences among conditions in tongue-flicks, tongue-flick attack scores, or number of individuals that bit swabs bearing stimuli from banana, white grape, dandelion, or deionized water. The absence of differential responses was not due to habituation because individuals tested again with cricket stimuli immediately after experiment two all bit the swabs. In the laboratory the lizards readily consumed insects, but refused to eat plants selected for their palatability to herbivorous lizards. Our data suggest that M. moreletii is carnivorous.

scholarly journals Application of Hydraulic Backfill for Rockburst Prevention in the Mining Field with Remnant in the Polish Underground Copper Mines

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3869
Author(s):  
Karolina Adach-Pawelus ◽  
Daniel Pawelus
Keyword(s):  
Great Depth ◽  
Mining System ◽  
Rockburst Hazard ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Room And Pillar Mining ◽  
Mining Conditions ◽  
Copper Mines ◽  
Pillar Mining ◽  
Rock Mass Deformation ◽  
High Level

In the polish underground copper mines owned by KGHM Polska Miedz S.A, various types of room and pillar mining systems are used, mainly with roof deflection, but also with dry and hydraulic backfill. One of the basic problems associated with the exploitation of copper deposits is rockburst hazard. Aa high level of rockburst hazard is caused by mining the ore at great depth in difficult geological and mining conditions, among others, in the vicinity of remnants. The main goal of this study is to investigate how hydraulic backfill improves the geomechanical situation in the mining filed and reduce rockburst risk in the vicinity of remnants. Numerical modeling was conducted for the case study of a mining field where undisturbed ore remnant, 40 m in width, was left behind. To compare the results, simulations were performed for a room and pillar mining system with roof deflection and for a room and pillar mining system with hydraulic backfill. Results of numerical analysis demonstrate that hydraulic backfill can limit rock mass deformation and disintegration in the mining field where remnants have been left. It may also reduce stress concentration inside or in the vicinity of a remnant, increase its stability, as well as prevent and reduce seismic and rockburst hazards. Hydraulic backfill as a local support stabilizes the geomechanical situation in the mining field.

The Broad Applications of the Scanning Electron Microscope

1969 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 20-21
Author(s):  
C. T. Nightingale ◽  
S. E. Summers ◽  
T. P. Turnbull
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscope ◽  
Light Microscopy ◽  
Surface Topography ◽  
Great Depth ◽  
Resolving Power ◽  
Depth Of Field ◽  
Pictorial Representations ◽  
Scanning Electron

The ease of operation of the scanning electron microscope has insured its wide application in medicine and industry. The micrographs are pictorial representations of surface topography obtained directly from the specimen. The need to replicate is eliminated. The great depth of field and the high resolving power provide far more information than light microscopy.

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