Back to Search Start Over

Water deprivation compromises maternal physiology and reproductive success in a cold and wet adapted snake Vipera berus

Authors :
Frédéric Angelier
François Brischoux
Jean-François Le Galliard
Mathieu Leroux-Coyau
Mathias Dezetter
Gaëtan Guiller
Michaël Guillon
Sandrine Meylan
Olivier Lourdais
Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement de Paris (iEES Paris )
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)
Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC)
La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)
1 Le Grand Momesson, 44130 Bouvron [France]
ANR-17-CE02-0013,AQUATHERM,Rôles de la régulation hydrique et thermique dans les réponses écologiques au changement climatique(2017)
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)
Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)
Source :
Conservation Physiology, Conservation Physiology, 2021, 9 (1), pp.1-14. ⟨10.1093/conphys/coab071⟩, Conservation Physiology, Oxford University Press, 2021, 9 (1), pp.1-14. ⟨10.1093/conphys/coab071⟩, Conservation Physiology, Oxford University Press, 2021, 9 (1), pp.coab071. ⟨10.1093/conphys/coab071⟩
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
HAL CCSD, 2021.

Abstract

Droughts are becoming more intense and frequent with climate change. These extreme weather events can lead to mass mortality and reproduction failure, and therefore cause population declines. Understanding how the reproductive physiology of organisms is affected by water shortages will help clarify whether females can adjust their reproductive strategy to dry conditions or may fail to reproduce and survive. In this study, we investigated the consequences of a short period of water deprivation (2 weeks) during early pregnancy on the physiology and behaviour of a cold- and wet-adapted ectotherm (Vipera berus). We also examined water allocation to developing embryos and embryonic survival. Water-deprived females exhibited significant dehydration, physiological stress and loss of muscle mass. These effects of water deprivation on water balance and muscle loss were correlated with the number of developing embryos. While water-deprived females maintained water transfer to embryos at the expense of their own maintenance, water deprivation also led to embryonic mortality. Overall, water deprivation amplifies the reproductive costs of water allocation to support embryonic development. The deleterious impacts of water deprivation on female current reproductive performance and on potential survival and future reproduction could lead to severe population declines in this species.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20511434
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Conservation Physiology, Conservation Physiology, 2021, 9 (1), pp.1-14. ⟨10.1093/conphys/coab071⟩, Conservation Physiology, Oxford University Press, 2021, 9 (1), pp.1-14. ⟨10.1093/conphys/coab071⟩, Conservation Physiology, Oxford University Press, 2021, 9 (1), pp.coab071. ⟨10.1093/conphys/coab071⟩
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....272fc445d3eb809df0acd4d8960f9db1
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coab071⟩