Fitness disadvantages to disrupted embryogenesis impose selection against suboptimal nest-site choice by female grass snakes, Natrix natrix (Colubridae).

Abstract excerpt

Phenotypic traits of hatchling reptiles are strongly influenced by incubation regimes (e.g. of temperature and moisture), suggesting that maternal choice of suitable nest-sites should be under intense selection. Our laboratory incubation of 209 eggs (17 clutches) from wild-caught Swedish grass snakes (Natrix natrix) showed that scale abnormalities (half-scales on one side of the body, often reflecting lateral...

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