Publication
Title
Temperature effects on snapping performance in the common snapper **Chelydra serpentina** (Reptilia, Testudines)
Author
Abstract
Studies on the effect of temperature on whole-animal performance traits other than locomotion are rare. Here we investigate the effects of temperature on the performance of the turtle feeding apparatus in a defensive context. We measured bite force and the kinematics of snapping in the Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) over a wide range of body temperatures. Bite force performance was thermally insensitive over the broad range of temperatures typically experienced by these turtles in nature. In contrast, neck extension (velocity, acceleration, and deceleration) and jaw movements (velocity, acceleration, and deceleration) showed clear temperature dependence with peak acceleration and deceleration capacity increasing with increasing temperatures. Our results regarding the temperature dependence of defensive behavior are reflected by the ecology and overall behavior of this species. These data illustrate the necessity for carefully controlling Tb when carrying out behavioral and functional studies on turtles as temperature affects the velocity, acceleration, and deceleration of jaw and neck extension movements. More generally, these data add to the limited but increasing number of studies showing that temperature may have important effects on feeding and defensive performance in ectotherms.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Journal of experimental zoology: part A : comparative experimental biology. - Bognor Regis, 2003 - 2006
Publication
Bognor Regis : 2011
ISSN
1548-8969 [print]
1552-499X [online]
DOI
10.1002/JEZ.650
Volume/pages
315 :1 (2011) , p. 41-47
ISI
000285310600005
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 18.01.2011
Last edited 15.11.2022
To cite this reference