Loading…

Effects of Moderate Food Deprivation on Plasma Corticosterone and Blood Metabolites in Common Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon)

Lack of food is one of the most common natural stressors that animals face, yet the physiological response to food restriction in most nonmammalian species is poorly understood. Food restriction can elicit an elevation of plasma glucocorticoid hormones and changes in blood metabolites in several ver...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of herpetology 2017-03, Vol.51 (1), p.134-141
Main Authors: Webb, Alison C, Chick, Lacy D, Cobb, Vincent A, Klukowski, Matthew
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
cited_by cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-b274t-3760a73ed334c9ac58aafeadfa7f1e9901f960408e0ef2f85430c18ea80638bd3
cites cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-b274t-3760a73ed334c9ac58aafeadfa7f1e9901f960408e0ef2f85430c18ea80638bd3
container_end_page 141
container_issue 1
container_start_page 134
container_title Journal of herpetology
container_volume 51
creator Webb, Alison C
Chick, Lacy D
Cobb, Vincent A
Klukowski, Matthew
description Lack of food is one of the most common natural stressors that animals face, yet the physiological response to food restriction in most nonmammalian species is poorly understood. Food restriction can elicit an elevation of plasma glucocorticoid hormones and changes in blood metabolites in several vertebrates, but this has not been shown in snakes, despite their remarkable ability to tolerate food shortages. The purpose of this study was to determine the physiological response to moderate food deprivation in Common Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon). When food was withheld for 15 d, snakes lost body mass, had elevated baseline plasma corticosterone concentrations, lower hematocrit, and depressed levels of triglycerides and uric acid. Food deprivation had no effect on blood glucose or lactate. Elevation of corticosterone levels could help snakes mobilize stored energy to allow them to survive periods of restricted feeding. Depressed triglycerides likely indicate increased utilization of lipid stores. Because uric acid is the main excretory product of protein breakdown in reptiles, the decreased uric acid we observed suggests that snakes were not utilizing their stored protein. Protein stores may be conserved during short-term food deprivation, but could be utilized during more severe food shortages. These results help illuminate the physiological and behavioral mechanisms watersnakes employ to survive food shortages and serve as useful reference values for future studies looking at longer periods of food deprivation.
doi_str_mv 10.1670/15-112
format article
fullrecord <record><control><sourceid>jstor_cross</sourceid><recordid>TN_cdi_crossref_primary_10_1670_15_112</recordid><sourceformat>XML</sourceformat><sourcesystem>PC</sourcesystem><jstor_id>44843939</jstor_id><sourcerecordid>44843939</sourcerecordid><originalsourceid>FETCH-LOGICAL-b274t-3760a73ed334c9ac58aafeadfa7f1e9901f960408e0ef2f85430c18ea80638bd3</originalsourceid><addsrcrecordid>eNp1kE9LxDAQxYMouK76DYQcRPRQTZq0TY-6rn9gVz0oHsu0mUDWtlmSIIhf3iwr3mQGBmZ-78EbQo45u-Rlxa54kXGe75AJr0WV5ZKrXTJhLM8zXnC-Tw5CWDHGc1apCfmeG4NdDNQZunQaPUSkd85peotrbz8hWjfS1C89hAHozPloOxciejcihVHTm36DLzFC63obMVA7Jm4Ykuo92fkwwkfanj8ljbZAg12jduPFIdkz0Ac8-p1T8nY3f509ZIvn-8fZ9SJr80rGTFQlg0qgFkJ2NXSFAjAI2kBlONY146YumWQKGZrcqEIK1nGFoFgpVKvFlJxtfTvvQvBompRsAP_VcNZsXtbwokkvS-DJFlyF6PwfJaWSok41Jafbe2tdSv-fzQ86NHRh</addsrcrecordid><sourcetype>Aggregation Database</sourcetype><iscdi>true</iscdi><recordtype>article</recordtype></control><display><type>article</type><title>Effects of Moderate Food Deprivation on Plasma Corticosterone and Blood Metabolites in Common Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon)</title><source>JSTOR Archival Journals and Primary Sources Collection</source><creator>Webb, Alison C ; Chick, Lacy D ; Cobb, Vincent A ; Klukowski, Matthew</creator><creatorcontrib>Webb, Alison C ; Chick, Lacy D ; Cobb, Vincent A ; Klukowski, Matthew</creatorcontrib><description>Lack of food is one of the most common natural stressors that animals face, yet the physiological response to food restriction in most nonmammalian species is poorly understood. Food restriction can elicit an elevation of plasma glucocorticoid hormones and changes in blood metabolites in several vertebrates, but this has not been shown in snakes, despite their remarkable ability to tolerate food shortages. The purpose of this study was to determine the physiological response to moderate food deprivation in Common Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon). When food was withheld for 15 d, snakes lost body mass, had elevated baseline plasma corticosterone concentrations, lower hematocrit, and depressed levels of triglycerides and uric acid. Food deprivation had no effect on blood glucose or lactate. Elevation of corticosterone levels could help snakes mobilize stored energy to allow them to survive periods of restricted feeding. Depressed triglycerides likely indicate increased utilization of lipid stores. Because uric acid is the main excretory product of protein breakdown in reptiles, the decreased uric acid we observed suggests that snakes were not utilizing their stored protein. Protein stores may be conserved during short-term food deprivation, but could be utilized during more severe food shortages. These results help illuminate the physiological and behavioral mechanisms watersnakes employ to survive food shortages and serve as useful reference values for future studies looking at longer periods of food deprivation.</description><identifier>ISSN: 0022-1511</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 1937-2418</identifier><identifier>DOI: 10.1670/15-112</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles</publisher><subject>PHYSIOLOGY</subject><ispartof>Journal of herpetology, 2017-03, Vol.51 (1), p.134-141</ispartof><rights>Copyright 2016 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles</rights><rights>2017 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles</rights><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed><citedby>FETCH-LOGICAL-b274t-3760a73ed334c9ac58aafeadfa7f1e9901f960408e0ef2f85430c18ea80638bd3</citedby><cites>FETCH-LOGICAL-b274t-3760a73ed334c9ac58aafeadfa7f1e9901f960408e0ef2f85430c18ea80638bd3</cites></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Tsyndetics_thumb_exl</thumbnail><linktopdf>$$Uhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/44843939$$EPDF$$P50$$Gjstor$$H</linktopdf><linktohtml>$$Uhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/44843939$$EHTML$$P50$$Gjstor$$H</linktohtml><link.rule.ids>314,780,784,27924,27925,58238,58471</link.rule.ids></links><search><creatorcontrib>Webb, Alison C</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Chick, Lacy D</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Cobb, Vincent A</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Klukowski, Matthew</creatorcontrib><title>Effects of Moderate Food Deprivation on Plasma Corticosterone and Blood Metabolites in Common Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon)</title><title>Journal of herpetology</title><description>Lack of food is one of the most common natural stressors that animals face, yet the physiological response to food restriction in most nonmammalian species is poorly understood. Food restriction can elicit an elevation of plasma glucocorticoid hormones and changes in blood metabolites in several vertebrates, but this has not been shown in snakes, despite their remarkable ability to tolerate food shortages. The purpose of this study was to determine the physiological response to moderate food deprivation in Common Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon). When food was withheld for 15 d, snakes lost body mass, had elevated baseline plasma corticosterone concentrations, lower hematocrit, and depressed levels of triglycerides and uric acid. Food deprivation had no effect on blood glucose or lactate. Elevation of corticosterone levels could help snakes mobilize stored energy to allow them to survive periods of restricted feeding. Depressed triglycerides likely indicate increased utilization of lipid stores. Because uric acid is the main excretory product of protein breakdown in reptiles, the decreased uric acid we observed suggests that snakes were not utilizing their stored protein. Protein stores may be conserved during short-term food deprivation, but could be utilized during more severe food shortages. These results help illuminate the physiological and behavioral mechanisms watersnakes employ to survive food shortages and serve as useful reference values for future studies looking at longer periods of food deprivation.</description><subject>PHYSIOLOGY</subject><issn>0022-1511</issn><issn>1937-2418</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2017</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><recordid>eNp1kE9LxDAQxYMouK76DYQcRPRQTZq0TY-6rn9gVz0oHsu0mUDWtlmSIIhf3iwr3mQGBmZ-78EbQo45u-Rlxa54kXGe75AJr0WV5ZKrXTJhLM8zXnC-Tw5CWDHGc1apCfmeG4NdDNQZunQaPUSkd85peotrbz8hWjfS1C89hAHozPloOxciejcihVHTm36DLzFC63obMVA7Jm4Ykuo92fkwwkfanj8ljbZAg12jduPFIdkz0Ac8-p1T8nY3f509ZIvn-8fZ9SJr80rGTFQlg0qgFkJ2NXSFAjAI2kBlONY146YumWQKGZrcqEIK1nGFoFgpVKvFlJxtfTvvQvBompRsAP_VcNZsXtbwokkvS-DJFlyF6PwfJaWSok41Jafbe2tdSv-fzQ86NHRh</recordid><startdate>201703</startdate><enddate>201703</enddate><creator>Webb, Alison C</creator><creator>Chick, Lacy D</creator><creator>Cobb, Vincent A</creator><creator>Klukowski, Matthew</creator><general>the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles</general><general>Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles</general><scope>AAYXX</scope><scope>CITATION</scope></search><sort><creationdate>201703</creationdate><title>Effects of Moderate Food Deprivation on Plasma Corticosterone and Blood Metabolites in Common Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon)</title><author>Webb, Alison C ; Chick, Lacy D ; Cobb, Vincent A ; Klukowski, Matthew</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-b274t-3760a73ed334c9ac58aafeadfa7f1e9901f960408e0ef2f85430c18ea80638bd3</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2017</creationdate><topic>PHYSIOLOGY</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Webb, Alison C</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Chick, Lacy D</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Cobb, Vincent A</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Klukowski, Matthew</creatorcontrib><collection>CrossRef</collection><jtitle>Journal of herpetology</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Webb, Alison C</au><au>Chick, Lacy D</au><au>Cobb, Vincent A</au><au>Klukowski, Matthew</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Effects of Moderate Food Deprivation on Plasma Corticosterone and Blood Metabolites in Common Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon)</atitle><jtitle>Journal of herpetology</jtitle><date>2017-03</date><risdate>2017</risdate><volume>51</volume><issue>1</issue><spage>134</spage><epage>141</epage><pages>134-141</pages><issn>0022-1511</issn><eissn>1937-2418</eissn><abstract>Lack of food is one of the most common natural stressors that animals face, yet the physiological response to food restriction in most nonmammalian species is poorly understood. Food restriction can elicit an elevation of plasma glucocorticoid hormones and changes in blood metabolites in several vertebrates, but this has not been shown in snakes, despite their remarkable ability to tolerate food shortages. The purpose of this study was to determine the physiological response to moderate food deprivation in Common Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon). When food was withheld for 15 d, snakes lost body mass, had elevated baseline plasma corticosterone concentrations, lower hematocrit, and depressed levels of triglycerides and uric acid. Food deprivation had no effect on blood glucose or lactate. Elevation of corticosterone levels could help snakes mobilize stored energy to allow them to survive periods of restricted feeding. Depressed triglycerides likely indicate increased utilization of lipid stores. Because uric acid is the main excretory product of protein breakdown in reptiles, the decreased uric acid we observed suggests that snakes were not utilizing their stored protein. Protein stores may be conserved during short-term food deprivation, but could be utilized during more severe food shortages. These results help illuminate the physiological and behavioral mechanisms watersnakes employ to survive food shortages and serve as useful reference values for future studies looking at longer periods of food deprivation.</abstract><pub>the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles</pub><doi>10.1670/15-112</doi><tpages>8</tpages></addata></record>
fulltext fulltext
identifier ISSN: 0022-1511
ispartof Journal of herpetology, 2017-03, Vol.51 (1), p.134-141
issn 0022-1511
1937-2418
language eng
recordid cdi_crossref_primary_10_1670_15_112
source JSTOR Archival Journals and Primary Sources Collection
subjects PHYSIOLOGY
title Effects of Moderate Food Deprivation on Plasma Corticosterone and Blood Metabolites in Common Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon)
url http://sfxeu10.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/loughborough?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_tim=2025-01-07T17%3A45%3A45IST&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=infofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com:primo3-Article-jstor_cross&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Effects%20of%20Moderate%20Food%20Deprivation%20on%20Plasma%20Corticosterone%20and%20Blood%20Metabolites%20in%20Common%20Watersnakes%20(Nerodia%20sipedon)&rft.jtitle=Journal%20of%20herpetology&rft.au=Webb,%20Alison%20C&rft.date=2017-03&rft.volume=51&rft.issue=1&rft.spage=134&rft.epage=141&rft.pages=134-141&rft.issn=0022-1511&rft.eissn=1937-2418&rft_id=info:doi/10.1670/15-112&rft_dat=%3Cjstor_cross%3E44843939%3C/jstor_cross%3E%3Cgrp_id%3Ecdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-b274t-3760a73ed334c9ac58aafeadfa7f1e9901f960408e0ef2f85430c18ea80638bd3%3C/grp_id%3E%3Coa%3E%3C/oa%3E%3Curl%3E%3C/url%3E&rft_id=info:oai/&rft_id=info:pmid/&rft_jstor_id=44843939&rfr_iscdi=true