Reproductive biology and feeding ecology of Xenodontini tribe snakes from South America

• Grant number: 12/09026-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): February 28, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Marcio Roberto Costa Martins
• Grantee: Thais Sasso Lopes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Xenodontini tribe comprises six genera of neotropical snakes that belong to the Dipsadidae family. Information available so far on the natural history of Xenodontini snakes, including their use of the environment, feeding habits and reproductive strategies, is scattered and even scant in the literature. These information are crucial for studies in ecology, being the cornerstone of studies in community ecology, conservational and evolutionary biology concerning these organisms. The aims of this study are to (a) describe the feeding habit diversity of the Xenodontini, (b) characterize the reproductive biology of these snakes and (c) work on ecological questions related to their feeding biology, environment usage, and reproductive biology. To reach these aims, this study will employ data obtained through an extensive literature review. (AU)