Growth in a cold environment: body size and sexual maturity in a northern population of spotted turtles, Clemmys guttata

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (5) ◽  
pp. 773-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline D Litzgus ◽  
Ronald J Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Carapace Length ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Von Bertalanffy ◽  
Adult Body Size ◽  
Clemmys Guttata ◽  
Adult Body

Using mark-recapture data collected from 1978 to 1997, we examined growth rates, adult body size, and age and size at sexual maturity of spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata) in a northern temperate climate. Relative instantaneous growth rate analyses indicated that growth rates were inversely related to body size, individual variation in growth rate was high, and females and males did not differ with respect to growth rates. Growth of our spotted turtles was described well by both the von Bertalanffy and logistic growth models, although the von Bertalanffy model provided a slightly better fit to our data. Asymptotic sizes and intrinsic growth factors did not differ between the sexes. Northern spotted turtles reach a larger mean adult body size relative to southern populations. Turtles were not sexually size dimorphic with respect to carapace length; however, plastron length was greater in females than in males. Sexual maturity was reached at a larger size (a carapace length of approximately 103 mm for females and 105 mm for males) and estimated age (12-15 years for females and 11-13 years for males) in northern spotted turtles relative to more southerly conspecifics.

The evolution of adult body size in black-bellied salamanders (Desmognathus quadramaculatus complex)

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (10) ◽  
pp. 1712-1722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos D Camp ◽  
Jeremy L Marshall ◽  
Richard M Austin, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Larval Growth ◽  
Larval Period ◽  
Moisture Level ◽  
Adult Body Size ◽  
Larval Growth Rate ◽  
Size At Metamorphosis ◽  
Adult Body ◽  
Desmognathus Quadramaculatus

We investigated the possible role of environmental variables in determining body size within a complex of salamander species (Desmognathus quadramaculatus). We analyzed data generated from life-history studies on populations from throughout the range of this species complex. We incorporated an alternative-hypothesis framework (sensu Platt) to determine the better predictor of adult body size, age at maturity, or size at metamorphosis. We found that almost 90% of the variation in adult body size was explained by size at metamorphosis, which was determined by a combination of rate of larval growth and length of the larval period. Environmental temperature and moisture level were positively correlated with larval growth rate and length of the larval period, respectively. We propose a simple model of body-size evolution that incorporates both adaptive and plastic components. We suggest that the length of the larval period may adaptively respond to moisture-level predictability. In addition, we suggest that the response of the larval growth rate to temperature may be plastic. Because the selection pressure due to drying-induced mortality is pervasive among species of amphibians, it may have played a role in shaping body-size radiation in desmognathines as well as the ecological structure of Appalachian streamside communities.

Evaluation of British Friesian, Canadian Holstein and beef breed × British Friesian steers slaughtered over a commercial range of fatness from 16-month and 24-month beef production systems 2. Carcass characteristics, and rate and efficiency of lean gain

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Kempster ◽  
G. L. Cook ◽  
J. R. Southgate
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Carcass Characteristics ◽  
Tissue Growth ◽  
The Other ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Lean Tissue ◽  
Adult Body Size ◽  
Adult Body

ABSTRACTCarcass characteristics, and the rate and efficiency of lean gain of purebred British Friesian and Canadian Holstein steers and of crossbred steers out of British Friesian dams by Charolais, Hereford, Limousin, Lincoln Red, Simmental, South Devon and Sussex sires were examined in two beef production systems. One was similar to the commercial 18-month grass/cereal system (16-month) and the other to a commercial 2-year system (24-month). The cattle were serially slaughtered at three pre-determined fatness levels, estimated by the Scanogram ultrasonic machine. The trial extended over 4 years and involved a total of 650 cattle, 398 of which had their left sides separated into tissues. Breeds were compared at equal carcass subcutaneous fat proportion determined by visual carcass assessment (SFe). Data for the two production systems were analysed separately.Sire breed differences were not detected in the regression on SFe for most characteristics (P > 0·05). Sire breeds differed in killing out and visual conformation score in both production systems (P < 0·001): Charolais and Limousin crosses had the highest values and purebred Canadian Holsteins the lowest. The overall range between sire breeds was 30 g carcass weight per kg live weight and five points on a 15-point conformation scale.Breeds with the higher conformation scores generally had higher carcass lean proportions and higher lean: bone ratios. Canadian Holsteins had a 20 g/kg lower carcass lean proportion than the British Friesians (P < 0·05).Breed crosses with larger adult body size tended to have higher lean tissue growth rates: the difference between mean values for Charolais crosses and Hereford crosses was 49 g/day (16-month) and 38 g/day (24-month). The lean tissue growth rates of the British Friesians and especially the Canadian Holsteins were low in relation to their adult body size.Limousin and Charolais crosses had the highest efficiency of lean gain (g lean per kg digestible organic matter intake). These and the other crosses were significantly more efficient than the purebred Canadian Holsteins (P < 0·05). The overall range between breeds was 20 g/kg.

Elevational variation in adult body size and growth rate but not in metabolic rate in the tree weta Hemideina crassidens

2015 ◽  
Vol 75 ◽  
pp. 30-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Bulgarella ◽  
Steven A. Trewick ◽  
A. Jonathan R. Godfrey ◽  
Brent J. Sinclair ◽  
Mary Morgan-Richards
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Adult Body Size ◽  
Adult Body ◽  
Hemideina Crassidens ◽  
Elevational Variation ◽  
Tree Weta

Grass-flower thrips of the genus Chirothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), with a key to species from Iran

Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2411 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
KAMBIZ MINAEI ◽  
LAURENCE MOUND
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Identification Key ◽  
Key To Species ◽  
Adult Body Size ◽  
Flower Thrips ◽  
New Synonym ◽  
Adult Body ◽  
Structural Differences

Species of the genus Chirothrips Haliday breed and pupate only within grass florets. Each larva is restricted to a single floret, and adult body size is thus presumably related to floret size. Despite this, some Chirothrips species are distinguished only on states that are related to body size. The validity of some commonly recorded members of the C. manicatus species-group, including C. africanus and C. pallidicornis, is therefore considered questionable. Character states that have been used to define the genus Agrostothrips Hood are shown to be variable, and this genus is placed as a new synonym of Chirothrips. An identification key, based on illustrated structural differences, is provided to the Chirothrips known from Iran: C. aculeatus, C. atricorpus, C. kurdistanus, C. manicatus, C. meridionalis and C. molestus.

scholarly journals Childhood retardation resulting in reduction of adult body size due to lesser adolescent skeletal delay

1970 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Roberto Frisancho ◽  
Stanley M. Garn ◽  
Werner Ascoli
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Adult Body Size ◽  
Adult Body

scholarly journals Scaling of growth rate and mortality with size and its consequence on size spectra of natural microphytoplankton assemblages in the East China Sea

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 5267-5280 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. H. Chang ◽  
E. C. Marquis ◽  
C. W. Chang ◽  
G. C. Gong ◽  
C. H. Hsieh
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Specific Growth ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Scaling Exponent ◽  
The East China Sea ◽  
Size Category ◽  
Grazing Mortality ◽  
Specific Growth Rates

Abstract. Allometric scaling of body size versus growth rate and mortality has been suggested to be a universal macroecological pattern, as described by the metabolic theory of ecology (MTE). However, whether such scaling generally holds in natural assemblages remains debated. Here, we test the hypothesis that the size-specific growth rate and grazing mortality scale with the body size with an exponent of −1/4 after temperature correction, as MTE predicts. To do so, we couple a dilution experiment with the FlowCAM imaging system to obtain size-specific growth rates and grazing mortality of natural microphytoplankton assemblages in the East China Sea. This novel approach allows us to achieve highly resolved size-specific measurements that would be very difficult to obtain in traditional size-fractionated measurements using filters. Our results do not support the MTE prediction. On average, the size-specific growth rates and grazing mortality scale almost isometrically with body size (with scaling exponent ∼0.1). However, this finding contains high uncertainty, as the size-scaling exponent varies substantially among assemblages. The fact that size-scaling exponent varies among assemblages prompts us to further investigate how the variation of size-specific growth rate and grazing mortality can interact to determine the microphytoplankton size structure, described by normalized biomass size spectrum (NBSS), among assemblages. We test whether the variation of microphytoplankton NBSS slopes is determined by (1) differential grazing mortality of small versus large individuals, (2) differential growth rate of small versus large individuals, or (3) combinations of these scenarios. Our results indicate that the ratio of the grazing mortality of the large size category to that of the small size category best explains the variation of NBSS slopes across environments, suggesting that higher grazing mortality of large microphytoplankton may release the small phytoplankton from grazing, which in turn leads to a steeper NBSS slope. This study contributes to understanding the relative importance of bottom-up versus top-down control in shaping microphytoplankton size structure.

Geographical and latitudinal variation in growth patterns and adult body size of Swedish moose (Alces alces)

Oecologia ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
H�kan Sand ◽  
G�ran Cederlund ◽  
Kjell Danell
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Alces Alces ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Latitudinal Variation ◽  
Adult Body Size ◽  
Adult Body
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