Meeting Abstract
Understanding the evolution of a highly variable trait among species can be difficult if an inaccurate trait value is assigned. One such trait that contains tremendous variation is venom, a toxic substance typically used by organisms for prey capture and/or defense. Variation in venom composition among snake species is attributed to strong selective pressures acting on venom genes and gene families which result in restructured gene families and changes in expression. Furthermore, venom is known to be variable within a species, often due to geographic variation among populations. Additionally, ontonogenic shifts in venom composition and short-term changes in venom expression after feeding contribute to variation in venom within an individual. Due to these sources of intraspecific variation, it might be difficult to make generalized statements about the venom composition of a single species and make comparisons across species. However, it is also possible that within-species variation is fairly low despite sampling variation in location, age, or feeding status. Here I describe the venom expression profiles of several species of rear-fanged snakes, which until recently had been largely understudied, and compare among and within species variation to determine if an accurate trait value can be assigned regardless of potential sources of variation.
