Western Rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus) are vital members of ecological communities in the arid regions of southern British Columbia. These areas are ecologically unique compared to the rest of BC, but they are facing higher levels of agricultural and urban development. Therefore, it is critical for us to understand how exactly the conversion of natural habitat to a landscape dominated by vineyards, orchards and resorts will impact wildlife. So far Rattlesnakes have been able to persist in areas with anthropogenic disturbance, but previous research has shown that there may be hidden effects on the health of individuals. Rattlesnakes near Osoyoos, BC living in areas with abundant human disturbance exhibit relatively poor body condition when compared to those living in undisturbed, natural habitats. Considering the process whereby stress reduces body condition via tissue catabolism, I developed a prediction. I hypothesized that habitat disturbance in Osoyoos is leading Western rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus) to exhibit higher levels of baseline stress, causing a reduction in their body condition. Throughout the summer of 2018, I collected sixty-eight blood samples from rattlesnakes within the Osoyoos population and analyzed the baseline corticosterone (stress hormone) content using enzyme-linked immunoassay kits. I found no difference in baseline corticosterone levels between snakes living in natural habitats and those in disturbed habitats. In addition I found no overarching relationship between baseline concentrations of corticosterone and body condition among all the sampled rattlesnakes. While these results do not agree with our original hypotheses, they still provide an important insight into the stress ecology of the Western Rattlesnake in BC. This work will serve as an important baseline for future stress related research on the Osoyoos Rattlesnake population.
