Population and behavioural ecology of snakes and lizards

我的研究重点是有鳞爬行动物(蜥蜴和蛇)的生活史变异、种群生态学和行为生态学。我提出了四个项目，每个项目都有多个问题：(1)单个动物的特征(例如大小)不同，这些特征会影响它们生存和繁殖的可能性。在这里，我问一下，哪些特征对动物一生的繁殖成功影响最大。我还问一个物种的生活史的哪些组成部分(例如成虫存活率、出生率)对其种群增长率影响最大。(2)实验室研究表明，交配时条件较好的雌性生育得更早。我们将在野外自由放养的蛇身上测试这种效果，并确定涉及的机制。我们还询问早产是否有好处(更好的后代存活率，更频繁的母亲繁殖)。(3)动物经常受伤，这表明它们在与捕食者的遭遇中幸存下来。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、存活减少)？伤害的发生率是否随反捕食者的特征(如伪装)而变化？我们能否发现具有不同抗捕食者特征的动物之间的生存差异？(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，在凉爽的气候中产卵的雌性是否会为了从雌性自身的体温调节中获得额外的优势而保留卵子更长时间？或者，雌性对筑巢地点的温度有多高的选择性？合适的筑巢地点是否会限制产卵物种的生存空间？最后，卵子保留时间的长短对生长和未来的繁殖有什么影响？我使用现场和实验室两种方法，包括：标记-重新捕获分析(1，2，3)；种群矩阵分析(1)；无线电跟踪(2，4)；温度敏感无线电遥测(2，4)；温度制度的实验操纵(2，4)；以及动物及其背景的颜色模式的分光光度分析(3)。这项工作将有助于我们理解生活史特征和行为的权衡，以及它们如何影响适用于保护的种群动态。

My research focuses on life-history variation, population ecology, and behavioural ecology of squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes). I propose four projects, each with multiple questions: (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, survival)? Does the incidence of injury vary with anti-predator traits (e.g. camouflage)? Can we detect survival differences between animals with 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? Finally, what are the consequences of length of egg retention for growth and future reproduction? I use both field and laboratory methods, including: mark-recapture analysis (1, 2, 3); population matrix analysis (1); radio-tracking (2, 4); temperature-sensitive radio-telemetry (2, 4); experimental manipulation of temperature regimes (2, 4); and spectrophotometric analysis of colour patterns of animals and their backgrounds (3). This work will contribute significantly to our understanding of tradeoffs in life-history traits and behaviour and how they influence population dynamics, which is applicable to conservation.