New research led by researchers from Curtin University found that isolated Perth tiger snake populations are more prone to inbreeding than snake populations in less cut-off communities. These isolated snake populations were mostly found surrounded by urban development and seawater.
According to Science Daily, researchers looked at six tiger snake populations across the urban areas of the Swan Coastal Plain and an offshore island. They noticed that the Western tiger snake population in secluded areas were less genetically diverse than expected, which could result in them losing the ability to adapt to ever-changing environments.
Hundreds of Tiger Snakes Found in Perth
Study lead author Ph.D. candidate Damian Lettoof has been catching tiger snakes at four urban wetlands around Perth. Within three years, he was able to catch more than 500 tiger snakes that lived at a lake in the western suburbs of Perth.
He told ABC Radio Perth Breakfast that he has been catching these snakes to measure their body condition and count parasites to check if their health differs from other populations living elsewhere and whether urbanization has affected them.
"I give each snake a unique scale clip so I can see how they change over time," he said.
Lettoof added that most of the snakes he caught were around Herdsman Lake, located near the city, and the second biggest site is the Bibra Lake followed by Joondalup and Yanchep.
Their team had a specific time to catch the snakes. He said that they typically go out at 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM during spring when tiger snakes would come out, bask in the sunny spots of the vegetation, and curl up.
Urbanization Isolated Perth Tiger Snake Populations
In a statement in the university's press release, Lettoof said that tiger snake populations in the lakes surrounded by urban development lack genetic diversity. On the other hand, those who live in wetlands south of the Swan/Canning River system were more genetically diverse ad less prone to inbreeding.
He added that the low genetic diversity found in these highly urbanized populations could mean that they can lose their ability to adapt to survive the ever-changing environments due to urbanization, pollution, and climate change.
These snakes probably were unable to cross unsuitable habitats, leaving them isolated. Given this information and being at the top of the food chain, researchers are worried that the frogs, lizards, fish, and other small animals living there may also be suffering and at risk of population decline or even extinction.
Researchers concluded that larger wetlands encroached by urbanization should be managed as islands of urban biodiversity to protect animal communities living in them.
The study titled "Bioindicator Snake Shows Genomic Signatures of Natural and Anthropogenic Barriers to Gene Flow" was published in the journal PLOS One.
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