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Resource partitioning and dwarfism patterns between sympatric snakes in a micro‐insular Mediterranean environment
Author(s) -
Luiselli Luca,
Petrozzi Fabio,
Mebert Konrad,
Zuffi Marco A. L.,
Amori Giovanni
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
ecological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1440-1703
pISSN - 0912-3814
DOI - 10.1007/s11284-015-1250-x
Subject(s) - viper , ecology , biology , colubridae , mainland , fauna , sympatric speciation , mediterranean climate , arboreal locomotion , habitat , zoology , geography , venom
Islands provide an evolutionary window, where a simplified natural network combined with unusual environmental conditions promote selective processes that trigger rapid changes in biological constituents of a species. The Mediterranean island of Montecristo, Italy, provides such a situation with a reduced fauna and flora compared to the mainland. We measured body size (SVL) and recorded diet of the two snake species occurring on the island, the Asp Viper ( Vipera aspis ) and the Western Whip Snake ( Hierophis viridiflavus ), and compared these data with populations of conspecifics from the mainland. Compared to mainland populations, the three principal results are: (1) no obvious niche shift along the food or habitat axes between the two snake species; (2) significant body size shift (insular dwarfism) of the whip snake by 30 %, and ca. 10 % in the viper; and (3) arboreal ambushing in the viper to add an alternative diet (birds) compared to mainland populations (more mice) to compensate for the lack of suitable micro‐mammals on Montecristo Island.