Leaf litter morphological traits, invertebrate body mass and phylogenetic affiliation explain the feeding and feces properties of saprophagous macroarthropods

Pre- and post-weaning functional demands on body size and shape of mammals are often in conflict, especially in species where weaning involves a change of habitat. Compared with long lactations, brief lactations are expected to be associated with fast rates of development and attainment of adult traits. We describe allometry and growth for several morphological traits in two closely related fur seal species with large differences in lactation duration at a sympatric site. Longitudinal data were collected from Antarctic ( Arctocephalus gazella (Peters, 1875); 120 d lactation) and subantarctic ( Arctocephalus tropicalis (Gray, 1872); 300 d lactation) fur seals. Body mass was similar in neonates of both species, but A. gazella neonates were longer, less voluminous, and had larger foreflippers. The species were similar in rate of preweaning growth in body mass, but growth rates of linear variables were faster for A. gazella pups. Consequently, neonatal differences in body shape increased over lactation, and A. gazella pups approached adult body shape faster than did A. tropicalis pups. Our results indicate that preweaning growth is associated with significant changes in body shape, involving the acquisition of a longer, more slender body with larger foreflippers in A. gazella. These differences suggest that A. gazella pups are physically more mature at approximately 100 d of age (close to weaning age) than A. tropicalis pups of the same age.

Download Full-text

Changes in the body mass of Megaphyllum kievense (Diplopoda, Julidae) and the granulometric composition of leaf litter subject to different concentrations of copper

Journal of Forest Science ◽

10.17221/36/2015-jfs ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 61 (No. 9) ◽

pp. 369-376 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

V. Brygadyrenko ◽

V. Ivanyshyn

Keyword(s):

Leaf Litter ◽

Body Mass ◽

Granulometric Composition ◽

The Body

Download Full-text

Movements and flight morphology in the endangered Large Blue butterflies

Open Life Sciences ◽

10.2478/s11535-013-0190-5 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. 662-669 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Piotr Skórka ◽

Piotr Nowicki ◽

Joanna Kudłek ◽

Aleksandra Pępkowska ◽

Ewa Śliwińska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Morphological Traits ◽

Wing Length ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Gis Analysis ◽

Wing Size ◽

Morphometric Measurements ◽

Flight Morphology ◽

Mark Release Recapture ◽

The Difference

AbstractMovements and flight morphology of the endangered Large Blue butterflies Phengaris teleius and P. nausithous in southern Poland were studied with mark-release-recapture surveys and GIS analyses. Most individuals moved relatively small distances (<40 metres) within their habitat patches. Distances covered by both species were positively related to season progression and wing length, and negatively related to body mass. P. teleius movement distances slightly exceeded those of P. nausithous. In addition, females moved longer distances than males, although the difference was significant only in P. teleius. Morphological traits appeared to be good indicators of the inter-specific and inter-sexual differences in mobility. While P. teleius individuals were heavier than P. nausithous ones, they had considerably longer wings, which may explain longer movements in the former species. Similarly, females were heavier than males in both species, but they invested more in wing size, which is likely to compensate for the negative impact of body mass on movement distances. Our results indicate that combination of GIS analysis of movement distances recorded with mark-release-recapture methods and morphometric measurements taken in field during non-lethal handling of captured individuals proved useful for studying the mobility potential of the endangered insect species.

Download Full-text

Polygenic basis for adaptive morphological variation in a threatened Aotearoa | New Zealand bird, the hihi ( Notiomystis cincta )

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2020.0948 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 287 (1933) ◽

pp. 20200948

Author(s):

Laura Duntsch ◽

Barbara M. Tomotani ◽

Pierre de Villemereuil ◽

Patricia Brekke ◽

Kate D. Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Morphological Traits ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Tarsus Length ◽

Effective Population ◽

Chromosome Partitioning ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Small Effect Size ◽

Bill Length ◽

Notiomystis Cincta

To predict if a threatened species can adapt to changing selective pressures, it is crucial to understand the genetic basis of adaptive traits, especially in species historically affected by severe bottlenecks. We estimated the heritability of three hihi ( Notiomystis cincta ) morphological traits known to be under selection (nestling tarsus length, body mass and head–bill length) using 523 individuals and 39 699 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from a 50 K Affymetrix SNP chip. We then examined the genetic architecture of the traits via chromosome partitioning analyses and genome-wide association scans (GWAS). Heritabilities estimated using pedigree relatedness or genomic relatedness were low. For tarsus length, the proportion of genetic variance explained by each chromosome was positively correlated with its size, and more than one chromosome explained significant variation for body mass and head–bill length. Finally, GWAS analyses suggested many loci of small effect contributing to trait variation for all three traits, although one locus (an SNP within an intron of the transcription factor HEY2 ) was tentatively associated with tarsus length. Our findings suggest a polygenic nature for the morphological traits, with many small effect size loci contributing to the majority of the variation, similar to results from many other wild populations. However, the small effective population size, polygenic architecture and already low heritabilities suggest that both the total response and rate of response to selection are likely to be limited in hihi.

Download Full-text

Evidence of morphological adaptation to life underwater: Sternal keel affects swimming speed in giant water scavenger beetles (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Hydrophilini)

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2020-0247 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ryosuke Matsushima

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Gas Exchange ◽

Body Mass ◽

Swimming Speed ◽

Aquatic Insects ◽

Morphological Traits ◽

Aquatic Environments ◽

Morphological Adaptation ◽

Ecological Traits ◽

Oscillatory Movement

Fundamentally, insects evolved on land and secondarily inhabited aquatic environments multiple times. To live underwater, aquatic insects have acquired enormously variable morphological, developmental, physiological, and ecological traits, such as gas exchange systems and swimming-related characteristics. Giant water scavenger beetles of the tribe Hydrophilini (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) are characterized by the presence of sternal keel, which often extends posteriorly. Despite being a conspicuous morphological trait, its function remains unclear. Here, I verified two hypotheses: keel affects (1) submergence time following air replacement as well as (2) speed and oscillatory movement during forward swimming in Hydrophilus acuminatus Motschulsky, 1854. Submergence time was affected by body mass rather than keel removal; in other words, larger individuals replaced their gas gills more frequently. Keel removal reduced swimming speed by 12.5%. These observations support hypothesis (2) and are also consistent with previous speculations that sternal keel is a key adaptation to swim, but the results showed that the degree of oscillation was closely related to body mass but not keel removal. Further studies are warranted to elucidate precise factors through which the presence of keel increases swimming speed. Such studies would provide clues into understanding the associations amongst body size, swimming methods, and morphological traits.

Download Full-text