Colours influence numerous aspects of an animal’s ecology and the adaptive significance of
colour variation has been intensively studied in diverse taxonomic groups. This study was
motivated by the question: Why do garter snakes vary in colour? To answer this question, I
focused on Western Terrestrial Garter Snakes, Thamnophis elegans, which exhibit geographic
variation in colouration (dark morph vs. light morph), and two different species of garter snake
that occur in the same geographic region but vary in colour –light T. elegans and the Common
Garter Snake, T. sirtalis. My work provides an objective quantification and analysis of snake
colour and evaluates the influence of colour variation on ecological processes such as
thermoregulation, crypsis, and antipredator behaviour.
I compared body temperatures (Tbs) with available thermal opportunities, both in wild snakes and
in a field experiment, to determine how snakes with contrasting colours differ in thermoregulation
and temperature-dependent behaviours. Gravid females of the light and dark colour morphs of T.
elegans exhibited comparable thermoregulatory behaviour at high temperatures; however, dark T.
elegans maintained elevated Tbs when available temperatures dropped. In the field, dark-coloured
snakes were more likely to be moving when first detected when Tbs were high, but this trend was
reversed in light T. elegans.
I quantified crypsis of snakes, in terms of colour and brightness, by measuring the spectral
reflectance of snakes and the surrounding habitat. These data were visually modeled from the
perspective of potential snake predators and human researchers. Overall, snakes selected basking
sites that maximized crypsis and both colour morphs of T. elegans were equally cryptic. There
was evidence suggesting that T. sirtalis was more cryptic than light T. elegans to snake predators.
I collected a series of behavioural measurements for snakes pre- and post-capture. Light T.
elegans were more likely to be moving when originally detected in the field than dark snakes.
Distance to cover and injuries were important factors in explaining the antipredator behaviour of
snakes in the field. Snakes became generally faster with increasing Tbs, but differences
attributable to colour morph were not straightforward. A higher proportion of T. elegans of both
colour morphs exhibited some type of movement when exposed to a simulated predatory attack.
Thamnophis sirtalis, on the other hand, hung limp and motionless in the air. The less cryptic light
T. elegans had a higher probability of having an injury than T. sirtalis but injury patterns between
the equally cryptic light and dark T. elegans differed by sex.
The relationships between colour and these various traits were complex, but, taken together, they
highlighted how thermal ecology, crypsis, and anti-predator behaviours were related to a snake’s
visual appearance. These results therefore provide an ecological underpinning for future genetic
studies to identify potential candidate genes that may be responsible for the control of colour
pattern in garter snakes. / Graduate / 0329 / 0306 / 0472
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uvic.ca/oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/5006 |
| Date | 29 October 2013 |
| Creators | Isaac, Leigh Anne. |
| Contributors | Gregory, Patrick T. |
| Source Sets | University of Victoria |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | Available to the World Wide Web |
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