Reproductive biology of a cave-associated population of the frog Rana palustris

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 329-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Resetarits Jr. ◽  
Robert D. Aldridge
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Detectable Effect ◽  
Size At Maturity ◽  
Fat Bodies ◽  
Autumn And Winter ◽  
Cave Use ◽  
Sexually Mature

Aspects of the reproductive biology of a trogloxene population of the pickerel frog, Rana palustris (Anura: Ranidae), were studied at a cave on the edge of the Ozark plateau in Missouri. Sexual dimorphism in body size was marked; there was almost no overlap in adult body size ranges, and the ratio of mean adult female snout–vent length (SVL) to adult male SVL was 1.26. All males with SVL of >45 mm were sexually mature. Males showed a clear cycle of spermatogenesis, with a peak in midsummer and a decline in spermatogenic activity through autumn and winter. Minimum size at maturity for females was 59 mm SVL. Females completed vitellogenesis during the summer, before their arrival at the study site. Of 28 females above the minimum size at maturity, 27 contained egg clutches. Clutch size, clutch mass, and egg size (mass) show significant positive correlation with SVL. Mean (±SD) clutch size was 1759 ± 548. Fat bodies were present in both males and females in autumn, but were totally depleted before the animals emerged from hibernation. Trogloxene R. palustris do not diverge significantly from patterns of reproductive biology typical of other temperate zone Rana. Current or past patterns of cave use have had no detectable effect on reproductive characteristics of trogloxene R. palustris.

Clutch and egg size of the tropical lizard Tropidurus torquatus (Tropiduridae) along its geographic range in coastal eastern Brazil

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (12) ◽  
pp. 1376-1388 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Kiefer ◽  
M. Van Sluys ◽  
C. F.D. Rocha
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Female Body ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Brazilian Coast ◽  
Female Body Size ◽  
Almost All

The tropidurid lizard Tropidurus torquatus (Wied, 1820) has a set of populations inhabiting coastal sand dune habitats (“restinga”) along the eastern Brazilian coast. Despite its wide geographic range, there is no information about geographic variation in reproductive features among its populations. In the present study we compared some reproductive aspects of females in 10 coastal populations of T. torquatus, aiming to evaluate to what extension they vary geographically. The minimum size at maturity was relatively similar to most populations, but mean female body size had a considerable variation. Clutch size of almost all coastal populations of T. torquatus had little variation and was composed predominantly of two eggs. Interpopulational variation in the mean egg volume was relatively wide and strongly influenced by the variation in mean female body size. The data of the present study indicated that females of almost all coastal populations of T. torquatus produce, predominantly, clutches with two eggs and invest more energy in egg size instead of clutch size, probably as a consequence of morphological and environmental factors. The increased reproductive investment in egg size was confirmed by the values obtained for the relative clutch mass, which remained relatively constant along the coastal geographic distribution of T. torquatus.

scholarly journals Reproductive biology of the Amazon Lava Lizard (Tropidurus torquatus) from the Wet Chaco of Corrientes (Argentina): congeneric comparisons of ecotypic and interspecific variations

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (7) ◽  
pp. 643-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Ortiz ◽  
J.M. Boretto ◽  
C. Piantoni ◽  
B.B. Álvarez ◽  
N.R. Ibargüengoytía
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Hatching Time ◽  
Fat Bodies ◽  
Reproductive Cycles ◽  
Lava Lizard ◽  
Clutch Mass

Herein we describe the reproductive biology of a population of the Amazon Lava Lizard (Tropidurus torquatus (Wied-Neuwied, 1820)) from Corrientes, northeastern Argentina (Wet Chaco). We describe the male and female reproductive cycles, minimum body size for adults, reproductive output, mean relative clutch mass, fat body cycles, and sexual dimorphism. Our results were compared with data on the reproductive biology of Brazilian populations of T. torquatus and congeneric species. In Corrientes, males of T. torquatus exhibited a continuous reproductive cycle, but with annual variation of testicular parameters associated with spermatogenic activity. In contrast, females were reproductive only from winter to summer (July–February), laying at least two clutches each of six eggs, on average, per reproductive season. The relative clutch mass and egg size values in Corrientes were the highest reported for the species. The annual cycle of energy storage (as fat bodies) was inversely correlated with reproductive activity in both sexes. Males differed from females in snout–vent length, head size, interlimb length, and tail length. We observed interpopulational differences in relative clutch mass, egg volume and mass, incubation period and hatching time, and the minimum body size for sexual maturity probably as a result of phenotypic plasticity or adaptation to local environmental conditions and likely both.

Observations of body size, growth, and reproduction in Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) from western Nebraska

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (9) ◽  
pp. 1690-1695 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Rowe
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Carapace Length ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Mature Adult ◽  
Emydoidea Blandingii ◽  
Size Growth ◽  
Sexually Mature ◽  
Growth And Reproduction

Body size, growth, and reproduction of Emydoidea blandingii from several localities in western Nebraska were investigated. Female carapace length averaged 209.2 mm (214.8 mm for those known to be sexually mature). Adult male carapace length averaged 200.8 mm and was not significantly different from that of females, but males had pigmented tomia. Covariance analysis using carapace length as a covariate revealed that females had a significantly longer plastron and higher shell than males. Turtles showed a 70.1% increase in length of the left abdominal scute during the 1st year. Growth declined rapidly and became more constant about the 4th year (about 4–9% per year). Clutch size averaged 14.9, clutch wet mass averaged 168.5 g, and egg wet mass averaged 11.82 g. No measure of reproductive output (i.e., clutch size, clutch wet mass, relative clutch mass) or egg size (relative egg mass, egg wet mass, egg length, or egg width) was significantly correlated with maternal carapace length. Comparisons with other populations of E. blandingii are made.

scholarly journals Reproductive biology of the green tiger prawn (Penaeus semisulcatus) in coastal waters of Bushehr, Persian Gulf

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (9) ◽  
pp. 1593-1599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nassir Niamaimandi ◽  
Arshad Aziz ◽  
Daud Siti Khalijah ◽  
Saed Che Roos ◽  
Bahram Kiabi
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Persian Gulf ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Penaeus Semisulcatus ◽  
Spawning Stock ◽  
Tiger Prawn ◽  
The Persian Gulf ◽  
Sexually Mature

Abstract Niamaimandi, N., Aziz, A., Siti Khalijah, D., Che Roos, S. and Kiabi, B. 2008. Reproductive biology of the green tiger prawn (Penaeus semisulcatus) in coastal waters of Bushehr, Persian Gulf. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1593–1599. The reproductive cycle of the green tiger prawn (Penaeus semisulcatus) was investigated in the coastal waters of Bushehr, Iran, Persian Gulf, from January 2003 to March 2004, with the aim of determining spawning seasons, durations, and locations in those waters. Bushehr waters are one of the main fishing grounds for P. semisulcatus in the Persian Gulf. Spawning peaks between December and March, but there is also some spawning in October. The minimum size at maturity was 24 mm carapace length (CL), and 50% were mature at 40 mm CL. The proportion of females that mated increased sharply above this size (40 mm), with 90% of females sexually mature at 54 mm CL. Spawning took place in a limited part of the study area, mostly offshore. Overexploiting the spawning stock could result in reduced reproductive output, limiting fishery production.

scholarly journals Accretion of a large LL parent planetesimal from a recently formed chondrule population

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (16) ◽  
pp. eaay8641
Author(s):  
Graham H. Edwards ◽  
Terrence Blackburn
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Total Duration ◽  
Parent Body ◽  
Ordinary Chondrite ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Thermal Models ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Chondritic Meteorites ◽  
Chondrule Formation

Chondritic meteorites, derived from asteroidal parent bodies and composed of millimeter-sized chondrules, record the early stages of planetary assembly. Yet, the initial planetesimal size distribution and the duration of delay, if any, between chondrule formation and chondrite parent body accretion remain disputed. We use Pb-phosphate thermochronology with planetesimal-scale thermal models to constrain the minimum size of the LL ordinary chondrite parent body and its initial allotment of heat-producing 26Al. Bulk phosphate 207Pb/206Pb dates of LL chondrites record a total duration of cooling ≥75 Ma, with an isothermal interior that cools over ≥30 Ma. Since the duration of conductive cooling scales with parent body size, these data require a ≥150-km radius parent body and a range of bulk initial 26Al/27Al consistent with the initial 26Al/27Al ratios of constituent LL chondrules. The concordance suggests that rapid accretion of a large LL parent asteroid occurred shortly after a major chondrule-forming episode.

Dinosaur Macroevolution and Macroecology

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 379-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger B.J. Benson
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Structural Diversity ◽  
Body Plan ◽  
Adaptive Landscape ◽  
Species Diversification ◽  
Size Evolution ◽  
Body Size Evolution

Dinosaurs were large-bodied land animals of the Mesozoic that gave rise to birds. They played a fundamental role in structuring Jurassic–Cretaceous ecosystems and had physiology, growth, and reproductive biology unlike those of extant animals. These features have made them targets of theoretical macroecology. Dinosaurs achieved substantial structural diversity, and their fossil record documents the evolutionary assembly of the avian body plan. Phylogeny-based research has allowed new insights into dinosaur macroevolution, including the adaptive landscape of their body size evolution, patterns of species diversification, and the origins of birds and bird-like traits. Nevertheless, much remains unknown due to incompleteness of the fossil record at both local and global scales. This presents major challenges at the frontier of paleobiological research regarding tests of macroecological hypotheses and the effects of dinosaur biology, ecology, and life history on their macroevolution.

scholarly journals Mammal body size evolution in North America and Europe over 20 Myr: similar trends generated by different processes

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1849) ◽  
pp. 20162361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Huang ◽  
Jussi T. Eronen ◽  
Christine M. Janis ◽  
Juha J. Saarinen ◽  
Daniele Silvestro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
North America ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Extinction Rate ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Size Evolution ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Body Size Evolution

Because body size interacts with many fundamental biological properties of a species, body size evolution can be an essential component of the generation and maintenance of biodiversity. Here we investigate how body size evolution can be linked to the clade-specific diversification dynamics in different geographical regions. We analyse an extensive body size dataset of Neogene large herbivores (covering approx. 50% of the 970 species in the orders Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla) in Europe and North America in a Bayesian framework. We reconstruct the temporal patterns of body size in each order on each continent independently, and find significant increases of minimum size in three of the continental assemblages (except European perissodactyls), suggesting an active selection for larger bodies. Assessment of trait-correlated birth-death models indicates that the common trend of body size increase is generated by different processes in different clades and regions. Larger-bodied artiodactyl species on both continents tend to have higher origination rates, and both clades in North America show strong links between large bodies and low extinction rate. Collectively, our results suggest a strong role of species selection and perhaps of higher-taxon sorting in driving body size evolution, and highlight the value of investigating evolutionary processes in a biogeographic context.

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