Effects of Body Mass and Temperature on Standard Metabolic Rate in the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus)
MICHAEL E. DORCAS, WILLIAM A. HOPKINS, AND JOHN H. ROE
Determining
the consequences of body size and body temperature (Tb) variation
is critical to understanding many aspects of snake ecology, because size
and tem- perature play such important roles in the biology of ectotherms.
Here, we investigate the effects of body size and temperature variation
on the energetics of the largest species of rattlesnake, the Eastern Diamondback
Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus). Specifically, we measured
oxygen consumption to estimate the standard metabolic rate (SMR) of five
C. adamanteus (mass range 800-4980 g) at 5-degree increments
from 5-35 C. A multiple regression model indicated that SMR increased
with body size and temperature. Q10s were generally high (range
1.82-4.20) compared to other squamates but were similar to the high values
calculated for other large rattlesnakes. An energy balance model for C.
adamanteus predicted that as Tb increases, so must prey
consumption to meet annual SMR energy demands. Thus, Tb variation
likely affects patterns of energy acquisition and use and, in turn, influences
processes such as growth and reproduction.
SREL Reprint #2722
Dorcas, M. E., W. A. Hopkins and J. H. Roe. 2004. Effects of body mass and temperature on standard metabolic rate in the eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus). Copeia 1:145-151.
