Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Rapid Radiations and the Race to Redundancy: An Investigation of the Evolution of Australian Elapid Snake Venoms

Jackson, Timothy ; Koludarov, Ivan ; Ali, Syed ; Dobson, James ; Zdenek, Christina ; Dashevsky, Daniel ; Op den brouw, Bianca ; Masci, Paul ; Nouwens, Amanda and Josh, Peter , et al. (2017) In Toxins 8(11).
Abstract
Venom is a key evolutionary trait, as evidenced by its widespread convergent evolution across the animal kingdom. In an escalating prey-predator arms race, venoms evolve rapidly to guarantee predatory or defensive success. Variation in venom composition is ubiquitous among snakes. Here, we tested variation in venom activity on substrates relevant to blood coagulation among Pseudonaja (brown snake) species, Australian elapids responsible for the majority of medically important human envenomations in Australia. A functional approach was employed to elucidate interspecific variation in venom activity in all nine currently recognised species of Pseudonaja. Fluorometric enzymatic activity assays were performed to test variation in whole venom... (More)
Venom is a key evolutionary trait, as evidenced by its widespread convergent evolution across the animal kingdom. In an escalating prey-predator arms race, venoms evolve rapidly to guarantee predatory or defensive success. Variation in venom composition is ubiquitous among snakes. Here, we tested variation in venom activity on substrates relevant to blood coagulation among Pseudonaja (brown snake) species, Australian elapids responsible for the majority of medically important human envenomations in Australia. A functional approach was employed to elucidate interspecific variation in venom activity in all nine currently recognised species of Pseudonaja. Fluorometric enzymatic activity assays were performed to test variation in whole venom procoagulant activity among species. Analyses confirmed the previously documented ontogenetic shift from non-coagulopathic venom in juveniles to coagulopathic venom as adults, except for the case of P. modesta, which retains non-coagulopathic venom as an adult. These shifts in venom activity correlate with documented ontogenetic shifts in diet among brown snakes from specialisation on reptilian prey as juveniles (and throughout the life cycle of P. modesta), to a more generalised diet in adults that includes mammals. The results of this study bring to light findings relevant to both clinical and evolutionary toxinology. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and , et al. (More)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and (Less)
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
in
Toxins
volume
8
issue
11
article number
309
pages
24 pages
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:84993982059
ISSN
2072-6651
DOI
10.3390/toxins8110309
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
60ab99dc-7485-421a-839c-cf7c8e8fda19
date added to LUP
2023-02-07 10:52:51
date last changed
2023-02-08 04:05:21
@article{60ab99dc-7485-421a-839c-cf7c8e8fda19,
  abstract     = {{Venom is a key evolutionary trait, as evidenced by its widespread convergent evolution across the animal kingdom. In an escalating prey-predator arms race, venoms evolve rapidly to guarantee predatory or defensive success. Variation in venom composition is ubiquitous among snakes. Here, we tested variation in venom activity on substrates relevant to blood coagulation among Pseudonaja (brown snake) species, Australian elapids responsible for the majority of medically important human envenomations in Australia. A functional approach was employed to elucidate interspecific variation in venom activity in all nine currently recognised species of Pseudonaja. Fluorometric enzymatic activity assays were performed to test variation in whole venom procoagulant activity among species. Analyses confirmed the previously documented ontogenetic shift from non-coagulopathic venom in juveniles to coagulopathic venom as adults, except for the case of P. modesta, which retains non-coagulopathic venom as an adult. These shifts in venom activity correlate with documented ontogenetic shifts in diet among brown snakes from specialisation on reptilian prey as juveniles (and throughout the life cycle of P. modesta), to a more generalised diet in adults that includes mammals. The results of this study bring to light findings relevant to both clinical and evolutionary toxinology.}},
  author       = {{Jackson, Timothy and Koludarov, Ivan and Ali, Syed and Dobson, James and Zdenek, Christina and Dashevsky, Daniel and Op den brouw, Bianca and Masci, Paul and Nouwens, Amanda and Josh, Peter and Goldenberg, Jonathan and Cipriani, Vittoria and Hay, Chris and Hendrikx, Iwan and Dunstan, Nathan and Allen, Luke and Fry, Bryan}},
  issn         = {{2072-6651}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{11}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Toxins}},
  title        = {{Rapid Radiations and the Race to Redundancy: An Investigation of the Evolution of Australian Elapid Snake Venoms}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/toxins8110309}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/toxins8110309}},
  volume       = {{8}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}