Interpopulation morphological differences and sexual dimorphism of Dekay's brownsnake (<i>Storeria dekayi</i>) along a rural-urban gradient.

ABSTRACT: In response to the surge of urbanization in the modern era, many organisms have undergone various changes, such as the shift of their morphological traits to face the challenges brought by this drastic environmental transformation. Rapid adaptive evolution in the morphology of urban-dwelling organisms has been documented in a broad array of taxa, such as lizards and birds, by comparing urban populations with their nonurban counterparts. However, relevant studies concerning more elusive and secretive organisms that also occur in both natural and urbanized habitats (e.g., snakes), are still lacking. Snakes lack appendages, which are often the trait of interest in other morphological studies, but factors such as head shape play a critical role in snakes, as it determines the prey size

SUBMITTER: Huang T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12166847 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature