Proximate causes of altitudinal differences in body size in an agamid lizard
| Autor: | Hong-Liang Lu, Wei-Guo Du, Chun-Xia Xu, Jean-Marc Hero, Yuanting Jin |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine Population Zoology Biology Body size 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Life history theory 03 medical and health sciences Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau lcsh:QH540-549.5 Survivorship curve Phrynocephalus vlangalii Sexual maturity Growth rate education Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Nature and Landscape Conservation Original Research education.field_of_study Ecology Proximate Fecundity elevational variation 030104 developmental biology growth rate lcsh:Ecology body size |
| Zdroj: | Ecology and Evolution Ecology and Evolution, Vol 8, Iss 1, Pp 645-654 (2018) |
| ISSN: | 2045-7758 |
| Popis: | Body size is directly linked to key life history traits such as growth, fecundity, and survivorship. Identifying the causes of body size variation is a critical task in ecological and evolutionary research. Body size variation along altitudinal gradients has received considerable attention; however, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we compared the growth rate and age structure of toad‐headed lizards (Phrynocephalus vlangalii) from two populations found at different elevations in the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau. We used mark‐recapture and skeletochronological analysis to identify the potential proximate causes of altitudinal variation in body size. Lizards from the high‐elevation site had higher growth rates and attained slightly larger adult body sizes than lizards from the low‐elevation site. However, newborns produced by high‐elevation females were smaller than those by low‐elevation females. Von Bertalanffy growth estimates predicted high‐elevation individuals would reach sexual maturity at an earlier age and have a lower mean age than low‐elevation individuals. Relatively lower mean age for the high‐elevation population was confirmed using the skeletochronological analysis. These results support the prediction that a larger adult body size of high‐elevation P. vlangalii results from higher growth rates, associated with higher resource availability. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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