Ralph Gibson A, Bruce Falls J
Department of Zoology, University of Toronto, M5S 1A1, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Oecologia. 1979 Oct;43(1):99-109. doi: 10.1007/BF00346675.
The thermoregulatory significance of a striped-melanic colour polymorphism in the common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, was assessed through a combination of labortory experimentation and field study. In experiments with living snakes the melanic morph maintained a higher body temperature than the striped morph, when exposed to natural insolation. Experiments with excised skin showed that this thermal advantage is attributable to some integumental difference between the two morphs. Body temperatures of snakes in the field revealed that, during the colder part of the active season, melanics were able to stay warmer than striped snakes by an amount (1.24 C°) approximating the difference observed in the laboratory. Some evidence and argument is presented to suggest that melanism also may confer protection against overheating in warm periods.
通过实验室实验和野外研究相结合的方式，评估了东部束带蛇（Thamnophis sirtalis）身上条纹-黑化颜色多态性的体温调节意义。在对活蛇的实验中，当暴露于自然日照下时，黑化形态的蛇比条纹形态的蛇能保持更高的体温。对切除皮肤的实验表明，这种热优势归因于两种形态之间的一些体表差异。野外蛇的体温显示，在活跃季节较冷的时候，黑化蛇能够比条纹蛇保持更温暖的体温，温差约为1.24摄氏度，与在实验室观察到的差异相近。本文还提供了一些证据和论据，表明黑化现象在温暖时期也可能有助于防止过热。
