Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
101
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
101 results for “snake evolution”
Data from: Foraging predicts the evolution of warning coloration and mimicry in snakes
<p><span>Warning coloration and Batesian mimicry are classic examples of Darwinian evolution, but empirical evolutionary patterns are often paradoxical. We test whether a new factor, trade-offs with foraging, influences the evolution of striking coloration by integrating genetic and ecological data for aposematic and mimetic snakes (Elapidae and Dipsadidae). Our phylogenetic comparison of a total of 432 species demonstrated that dramatic changes in coloration were well-predicted by the foraging strategy. Multiple tests consistently indicated that warning coloration and conspicuous mimicry were more likely to evolve in species where foraging costs of conspicuous appearance were relaxed by the poor vision of their prey or concealed habitat. Reversion to crypsis was also well-predicted by ecology for elapids, but not for dipsadids. In contrast to a theoretical prediction and general trends, snakes' conspicuous coloration was correlated with secretive ecology, suggesting that a selection regime underlies evolutionary patterns. We also found evidence that mimicry of inconspicuous models (pitvipers) may have evolved in association with foraging demand for crypsis. These findings demonstrate that foraging is an important factor necessary to understand the evolution, persistence, and diversity of warning coloration and mimicry of snakes, highlighting the significance of additional selective factors in solving the warning coloration paradox.</span></p>
Figure 2 in The evolution of venom-delivery systems in snakes
Figure 2. Relationships among colubroid snakes proposed by Cadle (1988).
Figure 3 in The evolution of venom-delivery systems in snakes
Figure 3. Relationships among colubroid snakes proposed by Kraus & Brown (1998).
Figure 1 in The evolution of venom-delivery systems in snakes
Figure 1. Phylogenetic relationships among living snakes (Pough et al., 2001).
Ecological correlates of cranial evolution in the megaradiation of dipsadine snakes
<p><strong>Background</strong></p> <p>Dipsadine snakes represent one of the most spectacular vertebrate radiations that have occurred in any continental setting, with over 800 species in South and Central America. Their species richness is paralleled by stunning ecological diversity, ranging from arboreal snail-eating and aquatic eel-eating specialists to terrestrial generalists. Despite the ecological importance of this clade, little is known about the extent to which ecological specialization shapes broader patterns of phenotypic diversity within the group. Here, we test how habitat use and diet have influenced morphological diversification in skull shape across 160 dipsadine species using micro-CT and 3-D geometric morphometrics, and we use a phylogenetic comparative approach to test the contributions of habitat use and diet composition to variation in skull shape among species.</p> <p><strong>Results</strong></p> <p>We demonstrate that while both habitat use and diet are significant predictors of shape in many regions of the skull, habitat use significantly predicts shape in a greater number of skull regions when compared to diet. We also find that across ecological groupings, fossorial and aquatic behaviors result in the strongest deviations in morphospace for several skull regions. We use simulations to address the robustness of our results and describe statistical anomalies that can arise from the application of phylogenetic generalized least squares to complex shape data.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions</strong></p> <p>Both habitat and dietary ecology are significantly correlated with skull shape in dipsadines; the strongest relationships involved skull shape in snakes with aquatic and fossorial lifestyles. This association between skull morphology and multiple ecological axes is consistent with a classic model of adaptive radiation and suggests that ecological factors were an important component in driving morphological diversification in the dipsadine megaradiation.</p>
Conservation of rib skeleton regionalization in the homoplastic evolution of the snake-like body form in squamates
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
The evolution of fossorial locomotion in the transition from tetrapod to snake-like in lizards
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Ecological correlates of cranial evolution in the megaradiation of dipsadine snakes
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Foraging predicts the evolution of warning coloration and mimicry in snakes
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: The evolution of using shed snake skin in bird nests
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Diversification rates and phenotypic evolution in venomous snakes (Elapidae)
The relationship between rates of diversification and of body size change (a common proxy for phenotypic evolution) was investigated across Elapidae, the largest radiation of highly venomous snakes. Time-calibrated phylogenetic trees for 175 species of elapids (more than 50% of known taxa) were constructed using seven mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Analyses using these trees revealed no evidence for a link between speciation rates and changes in body size. Two clades (Hydrophis, Micrurus) show anomalously high rates of diversification within Elapidae, yet exhibit rates of body size evolution almost identical to the general elapid 'background' rate. Although correlations between speciation rates and rates of body size change exist in certain groups (e.g. ray-finned fishes, passerine birds), the two processes appear to be uncoupled in elapid snakes. There is also no detectable shift in diversification dynamics associated with the colonization of Australasia, which is surprising given that elapids appear to be the first clade of venomous snakes to reach the continent.
Data from: Human-mediated evolution in a threatened species? Juvenile life-history changes in Snake River salmon
Evaluations of human impacts on Earth's ecosystems often ignore evolutionary changes in response to altered selective regimes. Freshwater habitats for Snake River fall Chinook salmon (SRFCS), a threatened species in the U.S., have been dramatically changed by hydropower development and other watershed modifications. Associated biological changes include a shift in juvenile life history: historically essentially 100% of juveniles migrated to sea as subyearlings, but a substantial fraction have migrated as yearlings in recent years. In contemplating future management actions for this species should major Snake River dams ever be removed (as many have proposed), it will be important to understand whether evolution is at least partially responsible for this life-history change. We hypothesized that if this trait is genetically based, parents who migrated to sea as subyearlings should produce faster-growing offspring that would be more likely to reach a size threshold to migrate to sea in their first year. We tested this with phenotypic data for over 2600 juvenile SRFCS that were genetically matched to parents of hatchery and natural origin. Three lines of evidence supported our hypothesis: 1) the animal model estimated substantial heritability for juvenile growth rate for three consecutive cohorts; 2) linear modeling showed an association between juvenile life history of parents and offspring growth rate; and 3) faster-growing juveniles migrated at greater speeds, as expected if they were more likely to be heading to sea. Surprisingly, we also found that parents reared a full year in a hatchery produced the fastest-growing offspring of all—apparently an example of cross-generational plasticity associated with artificial propagation. We suggest that SRFCS is an example of a potentially large class of species that can be considered to be "anthro-evolutionary"—signifying those whose evolutionary trajectories have been profoundly shaped by altered selective regimes in human-dominated landscapes.
Data from: Snake and bird predation drive the repeated convergent evolution of correlated life history traits and phenotype in the Izu Island scincid lizard (Plestiodon latiscutatus)
Predation may create strong natural selection pressure on the phenotype and life history characteristics of prey species. The Izu scincid lizards (Plestiodon latiscutatus) that inhabit the four Japanese Izu Islands with only bird predators are drab brown, mature later, lay small clutches of large eggs, and hatch large neonates. In contrast, skinks on seven islands with both snake and bird predators are conspicuously colored, mature early, lay large clutches of small eggs, and hatch small neonates. We test the hypothesis that these suites of traits have evolved independently on each island via natural selection pressures from one of two predator regimes – birds-only and birds + snakes. Using two mtDNA genes and a nuclear locus, we infer a time-calibrated phylogeny of P. latiscutatus that reveals a basal split between Mikura and all islands south, and Miyake, all islands north, and the Izu Peninsula. Populations inhabiting Miyake, Niijima, Shikine, and Toshima are not monophyletic, suggesting either multiple colonizations or an artifact of incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). We therefore developed novel phylogenetic comparative analyses that assume either a multiple colonization or more restrictive single colonization ILS scenario and found 1) statistically significant support for the of different suites of phenotypic and life history characteristics with the presence of bird-only or bird + snake predator assemblages, and 2) strong phylogenetic support for at least two independent derivations of either the "bird-only" or "snakes + birds" phenotypes regardless of colonization scenario. Finally, our time-calibrated phylogeographic analysis supports the conclusion that the ancestor to modern Izu Island P. latiscutatus dispersed from the mainland to the Izu proto-islands between 3–7.6 million years ago (Ma). These lineages remained present in the area during successive formation of the islands, with one lineage re-colonizing the mainland 0.24-0.7 Ma.
Data from: Body size evolution on islands: are adult size variations in tiger snakes a non-adaptive consequence of selection on birth size?
Mean adult size has been used as the traditional measure of body size to explain trends of insular gigantism and dwarfism in a wide array of taxa. However, patterns of variation in body size at birth have received surprisingly little attention, leaving open the possibility that adult body-size differences are nonadaptive consequences of selection acting on neonate body size. Here I used an empirical and correlative approach to test this hypothesis in a mosaic of 12 island and mainland snake populations in Australia. Data collected on 597 adult and 1,084 neonate tiger snakes showed that (1) both adult and neonate mean body sizes varied strongly across populations; (2) prey diversity and size convincingly explained birth-size variations: birth size—notably, gape size—correlated with prey size; (3) neonate snout-vent length was significantly correlated with neonate gape size; and (4) neonate snout-vent length was significantly correlated with adult snout-vent length. Postnatal growth rates recorded under common-garden conditions differed across populations and were correlated with mean prey size. These data collectively suggest that (1) prey size is the main driver for the evolution of body size at birth in gape-limited predators, (2) adult size variations may reflect selective forces acting on earlier life stages, and (3) adult size variations may also reflect resource availability during ontogeny (notably, prey diversity).
FIGURES 11–16 in Macrobothriotaenia ficta (Cestoda: Proteocephalidea), a parasite of sunbeam snake (Xenopeltis unicolor): example of convergent evolution
FIGURES 11–16. Macrobothriotaenia ficta (Meggitt, 1931) from Xenopeltis unicolor. 11–13. Flattened scolex of mounted specimens (11, 12. adult specimen. 13. juvenile specimen, Vietnam, MHNG-PLAT 45476). 14, 15. Mature and pregravid proglottides, respectively, dorsal view, Thailand (BMNH 1976.4.13.14–15). 16. Gravid proglottis, ventral view, Vietnam (MHNG-PLAT 75454). Abbreviations: dc—dorsal osmoregulatory canals; vc—ventral osmoregulatory canals.
FIGURE 22 in Macrobothriotaenia ficta (Cestoda: Proteocephalidea), a parasite of sunbeam snake (Xenopeltis unicolor): example of convergent evolution
FIGURE 22. Macrobothriotaenia ficta (Meggitt, 1931) from Xenopeltis unicolor. Unmounted scolex, apical view (left) and view from lower side (right), Vietnam (MHNG-PLAT 75454).
FIGURES 17–21 in Macrobothriotaenia ficta (Cestoda: Proteocephalidea), a parasite of sunbeam snake (Xenopeltis unicolor): example of convergent evolution
FIGURES 17–21. Macrobothriotaenia ficta (Meggitt, 1931) from Xenopeltis unicolor. 17–19. Cross-sections of mature (17) and pregravid (18, 19) proglottides at level of anterior part (17, 18), and at level of ovary (19). 20. Terminal genitalia, ventral view, Thailand (BMNH 1976.4.13.14–15). 21. Eggs in distilled water, with collapsed outer hyaline envelope, Vietnam (MHNG-PLAT-75454). Abbreviations: dc—dorsal osmoregulatory canals; vc—ventral osmoregulatory canals.
FIGURES 1–10 in Macrobothriotaenia ficta (Cestoda: Proteocephalidea), a parasite of sunbeam snake (Xenopeltis unicolor): example of convergent evolution
FIGURES 1–10. Macrobothriotaenia ficta (Meggitt, 1931) from Xenopeltis unicolor. Scanning electron micrographs. 1. Scolex, apical view. 2. Scolex, lateral view. 3. Detail of a sucker, apical view. 4. Lower part of the exterior surface of a sucker. 5. Capilliform filitriches at level of the apex surface. 6. Capilliform filitriches at the upper marginal surface of a sucker. 7. Luminal surface of suckers covered with capilliform filitriches and few gladiate spinitriches. 8. Non-adherent surface of suckers covered with long capilliform filitriches and few gladiate spinitriches. 9, 10. Posterior part of suckers and proliferation zone covered with long gladiate spinitriches. Note: small black numbers correspond to the figures showing higher magnification images of these surfaces.
Figure 3 in Systematic revision of the early Miocene fossil Pseudoepicrates (Serpentes: Boidae): implications for the evolution and historical biogeography of the West Indian boid snakes (Chilabothrus)
Figure 3. Paratypes attributed to P. stanolseni (MCZ 1977). Letters A–D denote the specimens. Anatomical views of the vertebrae are sorted in each column. Abbreviations are given in the relevant section. Scale bar: 5 mm.
Figure 4 in Systematic revision of the early Miocene fossil Pseudoepicrates (Serpentes: Boidae): implications for the evolution and historical biogeography of the West Indian boid snakes (Chilabothrus)
Figure 4. Comparison of the neural spine morphology between Chilabothrus, Epicrates and the fossils from Thomas Farm. Only mid-precloacal vertebrae are figured here. A, articulated vertebrae of Chilabothrus inornatus (AMNH 70023); B, articulated vertebrae of Chilabothrus striatus strigilatus (AMNH 70263); C, articulated vertebrae of Chilabothrus angulifer (AMNH 77596); D, paratype of N. barbouri (MCZ 1978) (= Pseudoepicrates); E, paratype of P. stanolseni (MCZ 1977); F, P. stanolseni (MCZ 2417); G, Epicrates crassus (MCN PV DR 003); H, Epicrates cenchria (MCN PV DR 002); I, Chilabothrus angulifer (AMNH 77596); J, P. stanolseni (MCZ 2417); and K, Epicrates cenchria (MCN PV DR 002). In (A–H) lateral and (I–K) dorsal views. Scale bar: 5 mm.
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.