Krochmal Aaron R, Bakken George S
Department of Life Sciences, Indiana State University, 600 Chestnut Street, Terre Haute, Indiana 47809, USA.
J Exp Biol. 2003 Aug;206(Pt 15):2539-45. doi: 10.1242/jeb.00471.
Pitvipers (Viperidae: Crotalinae) possess unique sensory organs, the facial pits, capable of sensing subtle fluctuations in thermal radiation. Prey acquisition has long been regarded as the sole function of the facial pits. However, the ability to sense thermal radiation could also direct thermoregulatory behavior by remotely sensing nearby surface temperatures. Using a series of behavioral arenas of varying spatial complexity and ecological relevance, we surveyed the ability of the western diamondback rattlesnake Crotalus atrox to direct successful thermoregulatory movements with either functional or disabled facial pits. We found that western diamondback rattlesnakes could base thermoregulatory decisions on thermal radiation cues when their pits were functional, but not when blocked. Our results indicate that the facial pit is part of a generalized sense, and suggest thermoregulation as an alternative hypothesis to prey acquisition for the origin of facial pits.
蝰蛇（蝰蛇科：响尾蛇亚科）拥有独特的感觉器官——面窝，能够感知热辐射的细微波动。长期以来，捕食一直被视为面窝的唯一功能。然而，感知热辐射的能力也可以通过遥感附近的表面温度来指导体温调节行为。我们使用了一系列空间复杂性和生态相关性各异的行为场地，研究了西部菱斑响尾蛇（Crotalus atrox）利用功能正常或功能丧失的面窝成功进行体温调节运动的能力。我们发现，当西部菱斑响尾蛇的面窝功能正常时，它们可以根据热辐射线索做出体温调节决策，但当面窝被堵塞时则不能。我们的结果表明，面窝是一种广义感觉的一部分，并提出体温调节作为面窝起源的捕食之外的另一种假说。
