Intraspecific variation in the diet of the Mexican garter snake Thamnophis eques

dc.creatorMANJARREZ SILVA, FRANCISCO JAVIER; 79434
dc.creatorPACHECO TINOCO, MARTHA SIC SIC; 370877
dc.creatorVENEGAS BARRERA, CRYSTIAN SADIEL; 38792
dc.creatorMANJARREZ SILVA, FRANCISCO JAVIER
dc.creatorPACHECO TINOCO, MARTHA SIC SIC
dc.creatorVENEGAS BARRERA, CRYSTIAN SADIEL
dc.date2018-02-07T20:01:05Z
dc.date2018-02-07T20:01:05Z
dc.date2017-11-14
dc.identifier2167-8359
dc.identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11799/68446
dc.descriptionThe Mexican Garter Snake (Thamnophis eques) is a terrestrial-aquatic generalist that feeds on both aquatic and terrestrial prey. We describe size-related variation and sexual variation in the diet of T. eques through analysis of 262 samples of identifiable stomach contents in snakes from 23 locations on the Mexican Plateau. The snake T. eques we studied consumed mostly fish, followed in lesser amounts by leeches, earthworms, frogs, and tadpoles. Correspondence analysis suggested that the frequency of consumption of various prey items differed between the categories of age but not between sex of snakes, and the general pattern was a reduction of prey item diversity with size of snake. Snake length was correlated positively with mass of ingested prey. Large snakes consumed large prey and continued to consume smaller prey. In general, no differences were found between the prey taxa of male and female snakes, although males ate two times more tadpoles than females. Males and females did not differ in the mass of leeches, earthworms, fishes, frogs and tadpoles that they ate, and males and females that ate each prey taxon were similar in length. We discuss proximate and functional determinants of diet and suggest that the observed intraspecific variation in T. eques could be explored by temporal variation in prey availability, proportions of snake size classes and possible sexual dimorphism in head traits and prey dimensions to assess the role of intersexual resource competition.
dc.descriptionUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de México (3589/2013SF, 4047/2016SF)
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherPeerJ
dc.relationDOI;10.7717/peerj.4036
dc.rightsopenAccess
dc.rightshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
dc.subjectOntogenetic
dc.subjectSize
dc.subjectSexual variation
dc.subjectThamnophis
dc.subjectBIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA
dc.titleIntraspecific variation in the diet of the Mexican garter snake Thamnophis eques
dc.typeArtículo
dc.typearticle


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