title: Rapid Radiations and the Race to Redundancy: An Investigation of the Evolution of Australian Elapid Snake Venoms.
abstract: Australia is the stronghold of the front-fanged venomous snake family Elapidae. The Australasian elapid snake radiation, which includes approximately 100 terrestrial species in Australia, as well as Melanesian species and all the world's sea snakes, is less than 12 million years old. The incredible phenotypic and ecological diversity of the clade is matched by considerable diversity in venom composition. The clade's evolutionary youth and dynamic evolution should make it of particular interest to toxinologists, however, the majority of species, which are small, typically inoffensive, and seldom encountered by non-herpetologists, have been almost completely neglected by researchers. The present study investigates the venom composition of 28 species proteomically, revealing several interesting trends in venom composition, and reports, for the first time in elapid snakes, the existence of an ontogenetic shift in the venom composition and activity of brown snakes (Pseudonajasp.). Trends in venom composition are compared to the snakes' feeding ecology and the paper concludes with an extended discussion of the selection pressures shaping the evolution of snake venom.
authors: Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. tnwjackson@gmail.com.
authors: Timothy N W
authors: TN
authors: Jackson
authors: Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. jcoludar@gmail.com.
authors: Ivan
authors: I
authors: Koludarov
authors: Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. dr.syedabidali@gmail.com.|HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan. dr.syedabidali@gmail.com.
authors: Syed A
authors: SA
authors: Ali
authors: Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. james.dobson@uqconnect.edu.au.
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Dobson
authors: Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. christinazdenek@gmail.com.
authors: Christina N
authors: CN
authors: Zdenek
authors: Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. danieldashevsky@gmail.com.
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Dashevsky
authors: Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. b.opdenbrouw@uq.net.au.
authors: Bianca
authors: B
authors: Op den Brouw
authors: Princess Alexandra Hospital, Translational Research Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. p.masci@uq.edu.au.
authors: Paul P
authors: PP
authors: Masci
authors: School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. a.nouwens@uq.edu.au.
authors: Amanda
authors: A
authors: Nouwens
authors: School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. p.josh@uq.edu.au.
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Josh
authors: Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. jonathan_goldenberg@yahoo.it.
authors: Jonathan
authors: J
authors: Goldenberg
authors: Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. cipriani.vittoria@gmail.com.
authors: Vittoria
authors: V
authors: Cipriani
authors: Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. tropidechis@hotmail.com.
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: Hay
authors: Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. iwanhx@yahoo.com.
authors: Iwan
authors: I
authors: Hendrikx
authors: Venom Supplies, Tanunda, South Australia 5352, Australia. nathan@venomsupplies.com.
authors: Nathan
authors: N
authors: Dunstan
authors: Venom Supplies, Tanunda, South Australia 5352, Australia. luke@venomsupplies.com.
authors: Luke
authors: L
authors: Allen
authors: Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. bgfry@uq.edu.au.
authors: Bryan G
authors: BG
authors: Fry
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia; D001777:Blood Coagulation / Q000187:drug effects; D004546:Elapid Venoms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000633:toxicity; D017815:Elapidae / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011235:Predatory Behavior
chemical_list: D004546:Elapid Venoms
keywords: coagulation; elapid; evolution; proteomics; redundancy; venom