scholarly journals Tail loss affects fecundity but not offspring traits in the Chinese skink Eumeces chinensis

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongliang Lu ◽  
Jianfang Gao ◽  
Xiaohao Ma ◽  
Zhihua Lin ◽  
Xiang Ji
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Distal Portion ◽  
Abdominal Fat ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Middle Portion ◽  
Major Site ◽  
Tail Loss ◽  
Tail Autotomy ◽  
Model Animal ◽  
Fat Bodies

Abstract We used the Chinese skink Eumeces chinensis as a model animal to study the effects of tail loss on reproductive investment and offspring traits. A total of 147 wild-captured adult females were divided into four groups according to their tail conditions. Tail breaks occurred most frequently in the proximal portion of the tail and least frequently in the distal portion, with the middle portion in between. This finding suggests that tail breaks occurring in nature often entails substantial energetic costs in E. chinensis where the tail is a major site of energy storage. The proportion of females that laid eggs was higher in females with intact or completely regenerated tails than in those with broken tails. Following whole-tail autotomy, the clutch size was reduced by 17%, and the clutch mass was reduced by 14%. Females undergoing substantial tail autotomy reduced reproductive investment, and they did so by reducing the number but not the size of eggs produced. None of the egg and hatchling traits was affected by tail loss. Comparing our data with those reported for other oviparous and viviparous skinks allows us to draw two general conclusions: one is that fecundity (clutch or litter size) is affected by tail loss in all species so far studied, whereas offspring size is affected by tail loss in some species, but not in others; the other is that the reduction in fecundity following tail loss is more evident in species lacking abdominal fat bodies [Current Zoology 58 (2): 228–235, 2012].

Tales of lizard tails: effects of tail autotomy on subsequent survival and growth of free-ranging hatchling Uta stansburiana

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 542-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. H. Niewiarowski ◽  
J. D. Congdon ◽  
A. E. Dunham ◽  
L. J. Vitt ◽  
D. W. Tinkle
Keyword(s):  
Natural Populations ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Large Sample ◽  
Uta Stansburiana ◽  
Tail Autotomy ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Free Ranging

Potential costs and benefits of tail autotomy in lizards have been inferred almost exclusively from experimental study in semi-natural enclosures and from indirect comparative evidence from natural populations. We present complementary evidence of the costs of tail autotomy to the lizard Uta stansburiana from detailed demographic study of a natural population. On initial capture, we broke the tails of a large sample of free-ranging hatchlings (560) and left the tails of another large sample (455) intact, and then followed subsequent hatchling growth and survival over a 3-year period. Surprisingly, in 1 out of the 3 years of study, survival of female hatchlings with broken tails exceeded that of female hatchlings with intact tails. Furthermore, no effects of tail loss on survivorship were detected for male hatchlings. However, in 2 years when recaptures were very frequent (1961, 1962), growth rates of hatchlings with broken tails were significantly slower than those of their counterparts with intact tails. We discuss our results in the broader context of estimating the relative costs and benefits of tail autotomy in natural populations, and suggest that long-term demographic studies will provide the best opportunity to assess realized fitness costs and benefits with minimum bias. We also describe how experimentally induced tail autotomy can be used as a technique to complement experimental manipulation of reproductive investment in the study of life-history trade-offs.

Sexual Dimorphism in the Ease of Tail Autotomy: Uta stansburiana with and without Previous Tail Loss

Copeia ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 1998 (2) ◽  
pp. 376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanley F. Fox ◽  
Jason M. Conder ◽  
Allie E. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Tail Loss ◽  
Uta Stansburiana ◽  
Tail Autotomy

Unveiling a spatial tail breakage outbreak in a lizard population

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-242
Author(s):  
Conrado Galdino ◽  
Stefânia Ventura ◽  
Gladston Moreira
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Cluster Formation ◽  
Spatial Relation ◽  
Spatial Cluster ◽  
Intraspecific Aggression ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
Ecological Attributes ◽  
Tail Loss ◽  
Tail Autotomy

Many ecological attributes of organisms vary spatially. This strict dependency upon space generally arises by individuals occupying places with the necessary resources and conditions for survival. For lizards, losing the tail is an evolved mechanism that allows them to escape predators or to avoid aggressive intraspecific agonistic interactions. We evaluated the spatial relation of tail loss in a population of the lizard Tropidurus montanus. Our results support the occurrence of a spatial cluster of autotomized lizards. However, we cannot relate the cluster formation to the crowding of neighbouring lizards nor to individuals’ body size. Tail loss in lizards is known to be related to predatory attacks or intraspecific aggression, and we now show that tail autotomy occurs in a non-random way regarding space, and thus is also related to the space occupied by individuals in populations.

The adaptive significance of a complex caudal adaptation in the tropical gekkonid lizard Lygodactylus klugei

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 2582-2587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie J. Vitt ◽  
Royce E. Ballinger
Keyword(s):  
Natural Population ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
Adaptive Significance ◽  
Tail Loss ◽  
Tail Autotomy ◽  
Rapid Regeneration

The tail of the Brazilian gekkonid lizard, Lygodactylus klugei, exhibits a suite of characteristics associated with both tail retention and tail loss adaptations. Tails are specialized for locomotion, possess specialized cutaneous glands, and are high in lipid and energy content. Tail loss in a natural population, however, is high and presumably associated with escape from predation via tail autotomy. The importance of the presence of a complete tail both functionally and for future predator escape is reflected by rapid regeneration of a tail complete with specialized functionally important structures.

Another potential cost of tail autotomy: tail loss may result in high ectoparasite loads in Sceloporus lizards

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Víctor Argaez ◽  
Israel Solano-Zavaleta ◽  
J. Jaime Zúñiga-Vega
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Lizard Species ◽  
Potential Cost ◽  
Tail Regeneration ◽  
Tail Loss ◽  
Tail Autotomy ◽  
Vital Functions ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Ectoparasite Load

Abstract Tail autotomy is a common phenomenon in lizards that increases the chances of immediate survival during a predation event or agonistic encounter. However, despite short-term benefits, tail regeneration may also impose costs. Several studies have demonstrated that tail loss compromises other vital functions such as lipid storage, reproduction, and the immune system. Several lizard species are hosts of mites and ticks. Here we evaluated in three lizard species from the genus Sceloporus, whether individuals that have lost their tails and invested energy in tail regeneration are more susceptible to ectoparasites. Using a multimodel inference framework, we examined if tail loss and regeneration, as well as sex, body condition, and season (dry or rainy) predict ectoparasite load. Our results indicate that investing energy and resources in tail regeneration compromises defence against ectoparasites. These costs differed between sexes and among species. Overall, ectoparasite load increases during the rainy season and is on average higher in males. In S. grammicus, during the rainy season, males with regenerated tails and in poor body condition had more ectoparasites than males with intact tails in good body condition. In S. megalepidurus, we observed the same effect during the rainy season but in females rather than males. In S. torquatus, we found no effect of tail loss on ectoparasite load. We discuss the possibility that differences observed among species reflect differences in both species-specific physiological trade-offs and local environmental conditions.

scholarly journals Trading offspring size for number in a variable environment: selection on reproductive investment in female Soay sheep

2009 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 354-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Wilson ◽  
J. M. Pemberton ◽  
J. G. Pilkington ◽  
T. H. Clutton-Brock ◽  
L. E. B. Kruuk
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Variable Environment ◽  
Soay Sheep

scholarly journals Interacting effects of identity, size, and winter severity determine temporal consistency of offspring phenotype

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 1337-1345
Author(s):  
Zachary S. Feiner ◽  
Timothy D. Malinich ◽  
Tomas O. Höök
Keyword(s):  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Temporal Consistency ◽  
Intrapopulation Variation ◽  
Egg Density ◽  
Egg Diameter ◽  
Winter Severity

Offspring size can strongly influence offspring fitness; however, the importance of female identity to offspring size determination is poorly understood, despite the potential for identity effects to drive offspring size adaptation and population dynamics. We tracked reproductive investment (skein mass) and mean egg diameter, mass, and density produced by individual female yellow perch (Perca flavescens) over four spawning years to determine the influences of maternal identity, size, and winter severity to reproductive trait variation. Individual identity significantly influenced egg diameter and mass, but did not affect egg density or skein mass. All egg traits were negatively influenced by winter severity prior to spawning, and egg mass and diameter were also negatively related to maternal size. Our results suggest that individual effects can comprise a large amount of the intrapopulation variation in reproductive traits in populations, which may be unaccounted for in studies examining only environmental or phenotypic effects. Accounting for potential identity effects would likely improve our understanding of constraints on offspring size plasticity and potential responses of offspring size in populations experiencing environmental change.

scholarly journals Effect of Propolis Oral Intake on Physiological Condition of Young Worker Honey Bees, Apis Mellifera L.

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Damiani ◽  
Martín P. Porrini ◽  
Juan P. Lancia ◽  
Estefanía Álvarez ◽  
Paula M. Garrido ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Physiological Condition ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Oral Intake ◽  
Abdominal Fat ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Hypopharyngeal Glands ◽  
Fat Bodies

Abstract Honey bees collect resin from various plant species and transform it into propolis that is incorporated into the nest. The role of resins in the bee health field is poorly understood. The aim was to evaluate the effects of forced consumption of propolis on the physiological condition and short-term survival of Apis mellifera worker bees. It was tested if the number of circulating hemocytes in hemolymph, the abdominal fat bodies and the hypopharyngeal glands development were affected by the feeding with propolis extracts in laboratory conditions during the warm and the cold seasons. Propolis added to sugar candy was consumed by workers for fourteen days without affecting the bee survival. The number of circulating hemocytes in hemolymph remained constant despite the differential diet during the experiment. However, the development of fat bodies and hypopharyngeal glands was altered by propolis ingestion. The abdominal fat body development in winter bees diminished after fourteen days of propolis consumption, while it increased in summer bees. The hypopharyngeal gland development decreased for the assayed period in workers from both seasons. Our results encourage us to continue exploring this research field and learn how long-term forced ingestion of a plant-derived compound, a non-nutritive substance, can modify physiological bee parameters. A broader understanding of the multiple roles of propolis in the health of the honey bee colonies could be obtained by studying the ways in which it is processed and metabolized and the effect that generates in another physiological responses.

Infection and Multiplication of Ross River Virus in the Mosquito Vector Aedes-Vigilax (Skuse)

1992 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 35 ◽  
Author(s):  
TG Vale ◽  
ML Dowling ◽  
MJ Cloonan
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Maximum Level ◽  
Abdominal Fat ◽  
Ross River Virus ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Viral Antigens ◽  
Cerebral Ganglia ◽  
Aedes Vigilax ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Fat Bodies

Aedes vigilax mosquitoes, collected from the south coast of New South Wales, were fed on a blood-meal containing the T48 strain of Ross River virus. Viral infection and multiplication in this major vector were studied, together with dissemination of the virus in organs and tissues as determined by immunofluorescence. Individuals of this field mosquito population were highly susceptible to infection (ID50 = 10(3.4) BHK-21 TCID50 per mosquito) and virus replicated rapidly, reaching a maximum level 5-6 days after feeding. Specific viral antigens were detected in sections of abdominal midgut, abdominal fat bodies, thoracic fat bodies, cerebral ganglia and head fat bodies 2-4 days after ingestion of the virus-containing bloodmeal. Antigens were also detected 5-7 days after feeding in abdominal ganglia, thoracic ganglia, salivary glands and foregut. Antigens were demonstrated in sections of eggs from the ovary of one mosquito, which provided further evidence of transovarial transmission of Ross River virus in Ae. vigilax.

scholarly journals Cutaneous tactile sensitivity before and after tail loss and regeneration in the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius)

2021 ◽  
pp. jeb.234054
Author(s):  
Stefanie S. Bradley ◽  
Erika Howe ◽  
Leah R. Bent ◽  
Matthew K. Vickaryous
Keyword(s):  
Sudden Change ◽  
The Body ◽  
Tactile Sensitivity ◽  
Predator Detection ◽  
Natural Form ◽  
Tail Regeneration ◽  
Tail Loss ◽  
Eublepharis Macularius ◽  
Tail Autotomy ◽  
Leopard Gecko

Amongst tetrapods, mechanoreceptors on the feet establish a sense of body placement and help to facilitate posture and biomechanics. Mechanoreceptors are necessary for stabilizing the body while navigating through changing terrains or responding to a sudden change in body mass and orientation. Lizards such as the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) employ autotomy – a voluntary detachment of a portion of the tail, to escape predation. Tail autotomy represents a natural form of significant (and localized) mass loss. Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments were used to investigate the effect of tail autotomy (and subsequent tail regeneration) on tactile sensitivity of each appendage of the leopard gecko. Prior to autotomy, we identified site-specific differences in tactile sensitivity across the ventral surfaces of the hindlimbs, forelimbs, and tail. Repeated monofilament testing of both control (tail-intact) and tail loss geckos had a significant sensitization effect (i.e., decrease in tactile threshold, maintained over time) in all regions of interest except the palmar surfaces of the forelimbs in post-autotomy geckos, compared to baseline testing. Although the regenerated tail is not an exact replica of the original, tactile sensitivity is shown to be effectively restored at this site. Re-establishment of tactile sensitivity on the ventral surface of the regenerate tail points towards a (continued) role in predator detection.

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