Research Jonathan Brecko

Abstract

A trade-off exists in semi-aquatic snakes, between catching and transporting a large prey item swift and easily and catching an elusive prey underwater. The first demands a large, wide and mobile head, while the second requires a head shape that reduces the drag and should be being narrow and streamlined. In the European Dice snake, Natrix tessellata, there exists a large intra-specific variation in the diet, which can be broken up in frog versus fish eating populations. This system gives us a unique opportunity to measure the role of phenotypic plasticity in the development of local adaptations in morphology, performance and behavior in relation to differences in resource availability.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Damme Raoul
• Fellow: Brecko Jonathan

Research team(s)

• Functional Morphology

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

A trade-off exists in semi-aquatic snakes, between catching and transporting a large prey item swift and easily and catching an elusive prey underwater. The first demands a large, wide and mobile head, while the second requires a head shape that reduces the drag and should be being narrow and streamlined. In the European Dice snake, Natrix tessellata, there exists a large intra-specific variation in the diet, which can be broken up in frog versus fish eating populations. This system gives us a unique opportunity to measure the role of phenotypic plasticity in the development of local adaptations in morphology, performance and behavior in relation to differences in resource availability.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Damme Raoul
• Fellow: Brecko Jonathan

Research team(s)

• Functional Morphology

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Damme Raoul
• Fellow: Brecko Jonathan

Research team(s)

• Functional Morphology

Project type(s)

• Research Project