Loss of largest and oldest individuals of the Montpellier snake correlates with recent warming in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula

Current Zoology
Cosme López-CalderónJuan M Pleguezuelos

Abstract

The effects of climate change on organisms are now being extensively studied in many different taxa. However, the variation in body size, usually shrinkage in response to increasing temperature, has received little attention regarding to reptiles. During past periods of global warming, many organisms shrank in size, and current evidence and experiments manipulating temperature have shown a biomass decrease in some organisms with increasing temperatures. Here we test whether the body size of the Montpellier snakeMalpolon monspessulanusfrom the southeastern Iberian Peninsula is changing and correlated with the increasing temperature in this region during a 39-year period (1976-2014). We measured the snout-vent length (SVL) of vouchers in scientific collections to check for trends in adult body size at the population level in relation with temperature, while controlling for the age of the individuals (estimated by skeletochronology,n =141). Given the great ontogenetic variation in body size of the study species, we categorized age in 3 classes: "young adults" (under 5 years old), "intermediate adults" (from 5 to 7 years old), and "old adults" (from 8 to 14 years old). By means of linear mixed models, we found a negative relationsh...Continue Reading

References

Mar 29, 2002·Nature·Gian-Reto WaltherFranz Bairlein
Jun 14, 2003·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Richard Shine
Jun 27, 2006·Ecology Letters·Virginie MillienYoram Yom-Tov
Oct 26, 2007·Statistics in Medicine·Andrew Gelman
Oct 7, 2009·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Jon J SmithDaniel T Woody
Jun 11, 2010·Biology Letters·C J ReadingL Rugiero
Jun 24, 2010·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Shinichi Nakagawa, Holger Schielzeth
Jan 29, 2011·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·C E GrueberI G Jamieson
Nov 22, 2011·Conservation Biology : the Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology·Gregorio Moreno-RuedaAlbert Montori
Sep 7, 2012·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Andrew B SmithAlistair J McGowan
Mar 26, 2014·Global Change Biology·Nicholas M CarusoKaren R Lips
Nov 13, 2014·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·F J Zamora-CamachoG Moreno-Rueda

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Sep 8, 2021·Environmental Science and Pollution Research International·Stanisław BuryAleksandra Kolanek

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Software Mentioned

lme4
R
MuMIn
rptR
ggplot2
AICcmodavg

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.