蛇类雌性繁殖与以王锦蛇为代表动物的热生物学分析.doc

-- --- Abstract Female reproduction in snakes and studies of thermal biology using the king ratsnake Elaphe carinata as the model animal Hu Rui-Bin Institute of Genetic Resources, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046 Abstract Snakes of both sexes display remarkable flexibility and diversity in their reproductive tactics. Many features of reproduction in female snakes (such as reproductive mode and frequency, seasonality and multiple mating) allow flexible maternal control. For example, females can manipulate not only the genotypes of their offspring (through mate choice or enhanced sperm competition) but also the phenotypes of their offspring (through allocation ‘decisions’, behavioural and physiological thermoregulation, and nest-site selection). Reliance on stored energy to fuel breeding results in low frequencies of female reproduction and, in extreme cases, semelparity. A sophisticated vomeronasal system not only allows male snakes to locate reproductive females by following scent trails, but also facilitates pheromonally mediated mate choice by males. Male-male rivalry takes diverse forms, including female mimicry and mate guarding; combat bouts impose strong selection for large body size in males of some species. Intraspecific variation and phenotypic plasticity in a wide array of reproductive traits (such as offspring size and number; reproductive frequency; incidence of multiple mating; mate choice criteria) provide exceptional opportunities for future studies. In the present study, I summarize original data of female reproduction of fourteen species of snakes collected over the past 15 years (from 1993 to 2008) in our laboratory to study interspecific differences in reproductive strategies. Of the 14 species, eleven (Dinodon rufozonatum, Elaphe carinata, E. taeniura, Ptyas korros, P. mucosus, Rhabdophis tigrinus lateralis, Xenochrophis piscator, Zaocys dhumnades, Naja atra, Bungarus multicintus and Deinagkistrodon acutus) are