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McEachin S, Drury JP, Grether GF. Competitive Displacement and Agonistic Character Displacement, or the Ghost of Interference Competition. Am Nat 2024; 203:335-346. [PMID: 38358816 DOI: 10.1086/728671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
AbstractInterference competition can drive species apart in habitat use through competitive displacement in ecological time and agonistic character displacement (ACD) over evolutionary time. As predicted by ACD theory, sympatric species of rubyspot damselflies (Hetaerina spp.) that respond more aggressively to each other in staged encounters differ more in microhabitat use. However, the same pattern could arise from competitive displacement if dominant species actively exclude subordinate species from preferred microhabitats. The degree to which habitat partitioning is caused by competitive displacement can be assessed with removal experiments. We carried out removal experiments with three species pairs of rubyspot damselflies. With competitive displacement, removing dominant species should allow subordinate species to shift into the dominant species' microhabitat. Instead, we found that species-specific microhabitat use persisted after the experimental removals. Thus, the previously documented association between heterospecific aggression and microhabitat partitioning in this genus is most likely a product of divergence in habitat preferences caused by interference competition in the evolutionary past.
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Zdunek P, Jarmoliński M. Microhabitat sharing for basking between squamate species in Poland. HERPETOZOA 2023. [DOI: 10.3897/herpetozoa.36.e94064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Aggregations (e.g. group basking) by snakes are usually limited to specific life cycle phases (e.g. mating) or are a consequence of drastic environmental changes (e.g. habitat destruction), high prey densities or highly limited resources within an environment (e.g. basking sites, wintering dens). Here, we report intra- and interspecific observations of four reptile species (primarily Natrix natrix and Vipera berus) sharing basking sites at the confluence of the rivers Dunajec and Poprad near the town of Stary Sącz in southern Poland. From a total of 84 records in the field between 2020–2022, there were 11 interactions from 24 July 2020 to 1 May 2022. Previous studies have indicated direct competition or interference in many species, which we did not observe. There is a noticeable lack of such observations of microhabitat sharing for basking between squamate species in scientific literature. Hence, the accumulation of such observations has the potential to reveal new insights into the behaviour and ecology of N. natrix and V. berus.
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McEachin S, Drury JP, Anderson CN, Grether GF. Mechanisms of reduced interspecific interference between territorial species. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Interspecific territoriality has complex ecological and evolutionary consequences. Species that interact aggressively often exhibit spatial or temporal shifts in activity that reduce the frequency of costly encounters. We analyzed data collected over a 13-year period on 50 populations of rubyspot damselflies (Hetaerina spp.) to examine how rates of interspecific fighting covary with fine-scale habitat partitioning and to test for agonistic character displacement in microhabitat preferences. In most sympatric species, interspecific fights occur less frequently than expected based on the species’ relative densities. Incorporating measurements of spatial segregation and species discrimination into the calculation of expected frequencies accounted for most of the reduction in interspecific fighting (subtle differences in microhabitat preferences could account for the rest). In 23 of 25 sympatric population pairs, we found multivariate differences between species in territory microhabitat (perch height, stream width, current speed, and canopy cover). As predicted by the agonistic character displacement hypothesis, sympatric species that respond more aggressively to each other in direct encounters differ more in microhabitat use and have higher levels of spatial segregation. Previous work established that species with the lowest levels of interspecific fighting have diverged in territory signals and competitor recognition through agonistic character displacement. In the other species pairs, interspecific aggression appears to be maintained as an adaptive response to reproductive interference, but interspecific fighting is still costly. We now have robust evidence that evolved shifts in microhabitat preferences also reduce the frequency of interspecific fighting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn McEachin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Gregory F Grether
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Dallas J, Meshaka WE, Delis PR. Evidence of Intraguild Predation in a Snake Assemblage: Bigger Seems Better. Northeast Nat (Steuben) 2021. [DOI: 10.1656/045.028.0302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jason Dallas
- Department of Biology, Shippensburg University, 1871 Old Main Drive, Shippensburg, PA 17257
| | - Walter E. Meshaka
- Section of Zoology and Botany, State Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120
| | - Pablo R. Delis
- Department of Biology, Shippensburg University, 1871 Old Main Drive, Shippensburg, PA 17257
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Abstract
Reptile behavior varies widely among the approximately 11,000 species of this class. The authors' objective is to allow practitioners to discriminate between normal and abnormal behaviors in reptiles. Some of the most common reasons for presentation of behavioral issues are discussed, including hyperactivity, self-mutilation, biting, repetitive behaviors, and postural abnormalities. Medical problems and suboptimal husbandry causing abnormal behaviors should be ruled out by attending veterinarians. Addressing behavior issues involves determining a differential diagnosis through a systematic approach, which then allows implementation of necessary environmental changes including enrichment, developing plans for behavior modification and biomedical training, and medication when appropriate.
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Cox CL, Morrill MC. HERPETOFAUNAL ASSEMBLAGE AND NATURAL HISTORY OF A WETLAND AND PRAIRIE COMPLEX OF THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS. SOUTHWEST NAT 2020. [DOI: 10.1894/0038-4909-64-2-89] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Yanqing C, Bo W, Ping W, Bisheng H, Hegang L, Chao X, Mingli W, Nili W, Di L, Zhigang H, Shilin C. Rapid identification of common medicinal snakes and their adulterants using the Bar-HRM analysis method. Mitochondrial DNA A DNA Mapp Seq Anal 2019; 30:367-374. [PMID: 30686100 DOI: 10.1080/24701394.2018.1532417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Effective identification methods for snake species are lacking, exacerbating the extermination of medicinal and commercially valuable snake species. Hence, it is imperative to find fast and reliable methods to distinguish snake samples available on the market. Seventy-three samples from four families belonging to 13 genera were collected in China and found to contain common medicinal snakes and their adulterants. Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) was utilized as a DNA barcode to analyse these common snakes, and a DNA mini-barcode was employed for fast detection. Then, the DNA mini-barcode assays were coupled with a high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis (Bar-HRM) to realize the rapid discrimination of these snake species. The results showed the power of DNA barcoding with COI, which was capable of distinguishing all collected snake samples, and the combined Bar-HRM method can successfully identify the adulterants and different snake species. In particular, Bar-HRM revealed Bungarus fasciatus adulterants in B. multicinctus at concentrations as low as 1.6%. Moreover, the results of the study confirmed the effectiveness of the technique in terms of the rapid identification of snakes, which has great potential for ensuring the safety of commercially valuable snake species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Yanqing
- a College of Pharmacy , Hubei University of Chinese Medicine , Wuhan , China
| | - Wang Bo
- b Hubei Institute for Drug Control , Wuhan , China
| | - Wang Ping
- a College of Pharmacy , Hubei University of Chinese Medicine , Wuhan , China
| | - Huang Bisheng
- a College of Pharmacy , Hubei University of Chinese Medicine , Wuhan , China
| | - Liu Hegang
- a College of Pharmacy , Hubei University of Chinese Medicine , Wuhan , China.,c Zhan Yahua National Famous Traditional Chinese Medicine Experts Inheritance Studio , Wuhan , China
| | - Xiong Chao
- a College of Pharmacy , Hubei University of Chinese Medicine , Wuhan , China
| | - Wu Mingli
- a College of Pharmacy , Hubei University of Chinese Medicine , Wuhan , China
| | - Wang Nili
- a College of Pharmacy , Hubei University of Chinese Medicine , Wuhan , China
| | - Liu Di
- a College of Pharmacy , Hubei University of Chinese Medicine , Wuhan , China.,c Zhan Yahua National Famous Traditional Chinese Medicine Experts Inheritance Studio , Wuhan , China
| | - Hu Zhigang
- a College of Pharmacy , Hubei University of Chinese Medicine , Wuhan , China.,c Zhan Yahua National Famous Traditional Chinese Medicine Experts Inheritance Studio , Wuhan , China
| | - Chen Shilin
- d Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences , Beijing , China
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