Overcoming the phantoms of the past: Influence of predatory stimuli on the antipredator behavior of island pitvipers.

ABSTRACT: The reduction of predation is a potentially important factor for the evolution of the traits of an island animal species. By relaxed selection, insular animals tend to lose their antipredator behaviors. A monophyletic group of pitvipers (genus Bothrops) in southeastern Brazil, which have high genetic affinity and dwell on the mainland and adjacent islands, provide an appropriate setting to study the evolution of antipredator behavior and how different predatory stimuli can influence this behavior. The mainland Bothrops jararaca has several terrestrial and aerial predators, whereas B. insularis and B. alcatraz, restricted to two small islands, Queimada Grande and Alcatrazes, respectively, have a smaller range of aerial predators. Terrestrial predators are absent on Queimada Grande, but one

SUBMITTER: Alves-Nunes JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10597524 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature