Evolution of sexual dimorphism in the forelimb muscles of Andrew's toad (Bufo andrewsi) in response to putative sexual selection
| Autor: | Kyle Barrett, Qing Gui Wu, Wen Bo Liao |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2012 |
| Předmět: |
biology
Bufo andrewsi ved/biology ved/biology.organism_classification_rank.species Zoology Toad Anatomy biology.organism_classification Muscle mass Robustness (morphology) Sexual dimorphism medicine.anatomical_structure Amplexus biology.animal Sexual selection medicine Animal Science and Zoology Forelimb Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics |
| Zdroj: | Animal Biology. 62:83-93 |
| ISSN: | 1570-7563 1570-7555 |
| DOI: | 10.1163/157075611x616879 |
| Popis: | Sexual differences in morphological traits are widespread among animals. Theory predicts that dimorphism in secondary sexual characters evolves as a consequence of sexual selection. We investigated the intersexual difference in mass of forelimb muscles of the Andrew's toad, Bufo andrewsi, an elongated species inhabiting montane regions in western China. Our results showed that average body size of females was significantly larger than males. However, when the influence of body size was removed, the forelimb muscle mass of males significantly exceeded that of females, and total mass of forelimb muscles of amplectant males was significantly larger than that of non-amplectant males. These results suggest that the robustness of the forelimbs can allow amplectant males to retain a firm grip on the female in amplexus, which may aid resistance to inference by conspecific males. Our findings are consistent with the prediction that sexual selection favors large forelimb muscle mass in males. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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