Population and behavioural ecology of snakes and lizards

我的研究主要集中在生活史变异，种群生态学和行为生态学的鳞片爬行动物（蜥蜴和蛇）。我提出了四个项目：(1)个体动物在影响其生存和繁殖可能性的特征（例如大小）上存在差异。在这里，我的问题是，哪些特征对动物一生的繁殖成功率影响最大。我也会问，一个物种的生活史的哪些组成部分（如成年存活率、出生率）对其人口增长率的影响最大。(2)实验室研究表明，交配时状态较好的雌性分娩较早。我们将在野外自由放养的蛇身上测试这种效果，并确定其中的机制。我们也想知道早生是否有好处（后代更好的生存，母亲更频繁的繁殖）。动物经常受伤，这表明它们在遭遇捕食者后幸存了下来。然而，捕食者造成的伤害是否有延迟的负面影响（例如，生长、繁殖或存活率降低）？伤害的发生率是否随反捕食者的特征（例如伪装）而变化？我们能发现不同反捕食者特征之间的生存差异吗？(4)在产卵物种中，雌性产卵前的体温可能对后代的发育很重要。如果是这样的话，在寒冷气候下产卵的雌性是否会保留更长时间的卵，从而从雌性自身的体温调节中获得额外的优势？另一个问题是，雌性对筑巢地点的温度有多挑剔？合适的筑巢地点是否会限制产卵物种的生存？

My research focuses on life-history variation, population ecology, and behavioural ecology of squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes). I propose four projects: (1) Individual animals vary in traits (e.g. size) that affect their likelihood of survival and reproduction. Here, I ask which traits most influence an animal's lifetime reproductive success. I also ask which components of a species' life history (e.g. adult survival, birth rate) have the greatest effect on its population growth rate. (2) Laboratory studies suggest that females in better condition when they mate give birth earlier. We will test this effect in free-ranging snakes in the field and determine the mechanisms involved. We also ask whether there are advantages to earlier birth (better survival of offspring, more frequent reproduction of mother). (3) Animals frequently have injuries, suggesting that they have survived an encounter with a predator. However, do predator-induced injuries have delayed negative effects (e.g. reduced growth, reproduction, or survival)? Does the incidence of injury vary with anti-predator traits (e.g. camouflage)? Can we detect survival differences between different anti-predator traits? (4) In egg-laying species, the female's pre-laying body temperature presumably is important for development of offspring. If so, do egg-laying females in cool climates retain eggs for longer to gain additional advantages from the female's own body temperature regulation? Alternatively, how selective are females about temperatures of nest sites? Could availability of suitable nest sites limit where egg-laying species can live?