부산대학교 도서관

The Beaver Archipelago is a series of islands in northern Lake Michigan, USA, roughly equidistant from the lower and upper peninsulas of the state of Michigan. Of the eight species of snakes found in the archipelago, prey generalist Common Gartersnakes, Thamnophis sirtalis, are by far the most common, inhabiting both the nearby mainland and all the islands on which snakes are found. The island system and nearby mainland were under glaciers until their retreat about 10,000 years ago, and the islands and the herpetofauna did not form until considerably later. Genetic studies have documented that insular snakes have genes from populations inhabiting both adjacent mainlands. The authors report on morphological, behavioral, and ecological similarities and differences both within and among islands as well as with mainland populations. Generally, adults differ more across the populations than do neonates. Experimental data document that both genetics and developmental plasticity underlie some of the differences found.