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Capital-breeding and reproductive effort in a variable environment: a longitudinal study of a viviparous snake

  1. Olivier Lourdais1,2,*,
  2. Xavier Bonnet1,3,
  3. Richard Shine4,
  4. Dale DeNardo5,
  5. Guy Naulleau1,
  6. Michael Guillon1

Article first published online: 8 MAY 2002

DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2656.2002.00612.x

Issue

Journal of Animal Ecology

Journal of Animal Ecology

Volume 71, Issue 3, pages 470–479, May 2002

Additional Information

How to Cite

Lourdais, O., Bonnet, X., Shine, R., DeNardo, D., Naulleau, G. and Guillon, M. (2002), Capital-breeding and reproductive effort in a variable environment: a longitudinal study of a viviparous snake. Journal of Animal Ecology, 71: 470–479. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2656.2002.00612.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, 79360, Villiers en Bois, France;

  2. 2

    University of Poitiers, 40 avenue du recteur Pineau, 86022 Poitiers, France;

  3. 3

    Conseil Général des Deux Sèvres, rue de l’abreuvoir, 79000 Niort, France;

  4. 4

    School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia; and

  5. 5

    Department of Biology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

* Olivier Lourdais, CEBC-CNRS, 79360, Villiers en Bois, France. Tel.: +33 5 49 09 78 79; Fax: +33 5 49 09 65 26; E-mail: lourdais@cebc.cnrs.fr

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 8 MAY 2002
  2. Article first published online: 8 MAY 2002
  3. Received 12 September 2001; revision received 8 January 2002

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Keywords:

  • capital breeding;
  • ectothermy;
  • environmental fluctuations;
  • food availability;
  • temperature

Summary

  • 1
    The ways that fluctuations in prey abundance and weather conditions can affect reproductive output in a ‘capital breeding’ ectotherm, the aspic viper (Vipera aspis) were examined.
  • 2
    Our longitudinal study confirms that female aspic vipers adjust reproductive investment by integrating allocations of energy from stores (‘capital’) and facultative feeding (‘income’). Thus, long-term energy storage enabled females to reproduce successfully even in years when prey were scarce.
  • 3
    Not surprisingly, temporal changes in body reserves of female vipers preparing for reproduction depended upon current feeding rates. However, the mean environmental temperature during the active season also affected mass gain.
  • 4
    Allometric patterns suggest that reproductive output was limited by energy availability in 8 out of the 9 years of our study. In the other year, high prey availability in the preceding season meant that reproductive output was maximized within the constraints set by maternal body size (and thus, abdominal volume).
  • 5
    High summer temperatures increased basking opportunities of gravid vipers and thus accelerated gestation. However, maternal metabolic costs also increased in such situations, resulting in low postpartum body condition.
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