Exploring the Role of Prey Availability as a Driver of Seasonal Shifts in Local Distribution of Vipers (spp)
Source: PubMed Central Open Access, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine
ABSTRACT Predator–prey interactions play a central role in shaping ecological communities, yet how these dynamics shift seasonally in tropical systems remains poorly understood. In this study, we examine how seasonal variation in precipitation and prey availability influence the distribution and abundance of arboreal pitvipers (spp.) in northern Thailand. Using repeated transect surveys across wet and dry seasons, we found thatwere restricted to streamside habitats during the dry season but expanded their local distribution to include adjacent hillsides during the wet season. Amphibians, a primary prey group for, showed a similar seasonal pattern—highly concentrated near streams during the dry season but dispersed during the wet season. However, snake abundance did not track overall amphibian abundance. Instead,spp. were more closely associated with the presence of rhacophorid tree frogs only, exhibiting significantly higher abundance in areas where these frogs occurred. These findings highlight the importance of prey identity, not just abundance, in shaping predator distribution, and demonstrate how seasonal shifts in prey availability can structure predator spatial ecology in tropical forests. We investigated how seasonal shifts in precipitation and prey availability affect the distribution of arboreal pit vipers (spp.) in northern Thailand.were confined to streamside habitats during the dry season but expanded into hillsides during the wet season, mirroring amphibian movem
Abstract
ABSTRACT Predator–prey interactions play a central role in shaping ecological communities, yet how these dynamics shift seasonally in tropical systems remains poorly understood. In this study, we examine how seasonal variation in precipitation and prey availability influence the distribution and abundance of arboreal pitvipers (spp.) in northern Thailand. Using repeated transect surveys across wet and dry seasons, we found thatwere restricted to streamside habitats during the dry season but expanded their local distribution to include adjacent hillsides during the wet season. Amphibians, a primary prey group for, showed a similar seasonal pattern—highly concentrated near streams during the dry season but dispersed during the wet season. However, snake abundance did not track overall amphibian abundance. Instead,spp. were more closely associated with the presence of rhacophorid tree frogs only, exhibiting significantly higher abundance in areas where these frogs occurred. These findings highlight the importance of prey identity, not just abundance, in shaping predator distribution, and demonstrate how seasonal shifts in prey availability can structure predator spatial ecology in tropical forests. We investigated how seasonal shifts in precipitation and prey availability affect the distribution of arboreal pit vipers (spp.) in northern Thailand.were confined to streamside habitats during the dry season but expanded into hillsides during the wet season, mirroring amphibian movements. Notably, snake abundance was best explained by the presence of Rhacophorid tree frogs rather than total amphibian abundance, emphasizing the importance of prey identity in shaping predator spatial ecology. graphical