TY - JOUR
T1 - Facultative thermogenesis during brooding is not the norm among pythons
AU - Brashears, Jake
AU - Denardo, Dale
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by the National Science Foundation, IOS-0543979 to DFD. All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Arizona State University.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
PY - 2015/8/27
Y1 - 2015/8/27
N2 - Facultative thermogenesis is often attributed to pythons in general despite limited comparative data available for the family. While all species within Pythonidae brood their eggs, only two species are known to produce heat to enhance embryonic thermal regulation. By contrast, a few python species have been reported to have insignificant thermogenic capabilities. To provide insight into potential phylogenetic, morphological, and ecological factors influencing thermogenic capability among pythons, we measured metabolic rates and clutch-environment temperature differentials at two environmental temperatures—python preferred brooding temperature (31.5 °C) and a sub-optimal temperature (25.5 °C)—in six species of pythons, including members of two major phylogenetic branches currently devoid of data on the subject. We found no evidence of facultative thermogenesis in five species: Aspidites melanocephalus, A. ramsayi, Morelia viridis, M. spilota cheynei, and Python regius. However, we found that Bothrochilus boa had a thermal metabolic sensitivity indicative of facultative thermogenesis (i.e., a higher metabolic rate at the lower temperature). However, its metabolic rate was quite low and technical challenges prevented us from measuring temperature differential to make conclusions about facultative endothermy in this species. Regardless, our data combined with existing literature demonstrate that facultative thermogenesis is not as widespread among pythons as previously thought.
AB - Facultative thermogenesis is often attributed to pythons in general despite limited comparative data available for the family. While all species within Pythonidae brood their eggs, only two species are known to produce heat to enhance embryonic thermal regulation. By contrast, a few python species have been reported to have insignificant thermogenic capabilities. To provide insight into potential phylogenetic, morphological, and ecological factors influencing thermogenic capability among pythons, we measured metabolic rates and clutch-environment temperature differentials at two environmental temperatures—python preferred brooding temperature (31.5 °C) and a sub-optimal temperature (25.5 °C)—in six species of pythons, including members of two major phylogenetic branches currently devoid of data on the subject. We found no evidence of facultative thermogenesis in five species: Aspidites melanocephalus, A. ramsayi, Morelia viridis, M. spilota cheynei, and Python regius. However, we found that Bothrochilus boa had a thermal metabolic sensitivity indicative of facultative thermogenesis (i.e., a higher metabolic rate at the lower temperature). However, its metabolic rate was quite low and technical challenges prevented us from measuring temperature differential to make conclusions about facultative endothermy in this species. Regardless, our data combined with existing literature demonstrate that facultative thermogenesis is not as widespread among pythons as previously thought.
KW - Evolution of endothermy
KW - Metabolic rate
KW - Parental care
KW - Reptile
KW - Snake
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84938975617&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84938975617&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00359-015-1025-4
DO - 10.1007/s00359-015-1025-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 26113382
AN - SCOPUS:84938975617
SN - 0340-7594
VL - 201
SP - 817
EP - 825
JO - Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
JF - Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
IS - 8
ER -