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Resource partitioning and dwarfism patterns between sympatric snakes in a micro-insular Mediterranean environment

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Ecological Research

Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgments

We thank for their help, support, and information Leonardo Pettinari, Enrico Lupetti, Luciana Andriolo, Giorgio Marsiaj, Alessio Orsini, Maurizio Mannini, Gianpiero Sammuri, and Davide Zenobi. Two anonymous referees considerably improved the submitted draft. Ministero Politiche Agricole e Forestaly kindly gave permission of access to the Montecristo island, and snakes were captured under authorization of the Ministry of Environment and the Parco nazionale dell’Arcipelago Toscano. The Parco nazionale dell’Arcipelago Toscano funded the present research project (CIG Z9A0C38542).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Niger Delta Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation Unit, Department of Applied and Environmental Biology, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, PMB 5080, Nkpolu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

    Luca Luiselli & Fabio Petrozzi

  2. Environmental Studies Centre Demetra, via Olona 7, 00198, Rome, Italy

    Luca Luiselli & Fabio Petrozzi

  3. Section of Conservation Biology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, St. Johanns-Vorstadt 10, 4056, Basel, Switzerland

    Konrad Mebert

  4. Museo di Storia natural dell’Università di Pisa, Calci, Pisa, Italy

    Marco A. L. Zuffi

  5. CNR Institute of Ecosystem studies, Viale dell’Università 32, 00181, Rome, Italy

    Giovanni Amori

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  1. Luca Luiselli
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  2. Fabio Petrozzi
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  3. Konrad Mebert
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  4. Marco A. L. Zuffi
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  5. Giovanni Amori
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Correspondence to Luca Luiselli.

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Luiselli, L., Petrozzi, F., Mebert, K. et al. Resource partitioning and dwarfism patterns between sympatric snakes in a micro-insular Mediterranean environment. Ecol Res 30, 527–535 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-015-1250-x

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