Reproductive traits of the gray ratsnake Ptyas korros from three geographically distinct populations  

作　　者：Long-Hui LIN Fei MAO Ce CHEN Xiang JI 

机构地区：[1]Hangzhou Key Laboratory for Animal Adaptation and Evolution,School of Life Sciences,Hangzhou Normal University,Hangzhou 310036,Zhejiang,China [2]Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology,College of Life Sciences,Nanjing Normal University,Nanjing 210046,Jiangsu,China

出　　处：《Current Zoology》2012年第6期820-827,共8页动物学报（英文版）

基　　金：The work was carried out in compliance with the current laws on animal welfare and research in China, and was supported by grants from Natural Science Foundation of China （30770378 and 31071910）, Zhejiang Provincial Foundation of Natural Science （Z3090461）, Hangzhou Bureau of Science and Technology （20100332T20） and Zhejiang Department of Science and Technology for Innovation Teams （2010R50039-26）. We thank Jian-Fang Gao, Rui-Bin Hu, Yan-Fu Qu and Ling Zhang for their help during the research.

摘　　要：Abstract We collected gravid gray rat snakes Ptyas korros from three geographically distinct populations in China, Chenzhou （CZ）, Jiangshan （JS） and Dinghai （DH）, to study geographical variation in female reproductive traits. Egg-laying dates differed among the three populations such that at the most northern latitude egg-laying was latest, and earliest at the most southern latitutde. Clutch size, clutch mass, egg mass, egg shape, within clutch variability in egg sizes and relative clutch mass differed among the three populations, whereas post-oviposition body mass did not. Except for egg-laying date, none of the traits examined varied in a geographically continuous trend. CZ and DH females, although separated by a distance of approximately 1100 km as the crow flies, were similar in nearly all traits examined. JS females were distinguished from CZ and DH females by their higher fecundity （clutch size）, greater reproductive output （clutch mass） and more rounded eggs. Our data do not validate the prediction that larger offspring should be produced in colder localities. The absence of an egg size-number trade-off in each of the three populations presumably suggests that P. korros is among species where eggs are well optimized for size within a population.

关 键 词：COLUBRIDAE LIFE-HISTORY Reproductive output Egg size Clutch size Geographical variation Egg-laying date 

分 类 号：S966.126[农业科学—水产养殖] S828.2[农业科学—水产科学]