scholarly journals Intraspecific Variation in Maximum Ingested Food Size and Body Mass in Varecia rubra and Propithecus coquereli

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Hartstone-Rose ◽  
Jonathan M. G. Perry
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Maximum Size ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Scaling Relationship ◽  
Varecia Rubra ◽  
Food Size ◽  
The Relationship

In a recent study, we quantified the scaling of ingested food size (Vb )—the maximum size at which an animal consistently ingests food whole—and found that Vb scaled isometrically between species of captive strepsirrhines. The current study examines the relationship between Vb and body size within species with a focus on the frugivorous Varecia rubra and the folivorous Propithecus coquereli. We found no overlap in Vb between the species (all V. rubra ingested larger pieces of food relative to those eaten by P. coquereli), and least-squares regression of Vb and three different measures of body mass showed no scaling relationship within each species. We believe that this lack of relationship results from the relatively narrow intraspecific body size variation and seemingly patternless individual variation in Vb within species and take this study as further evidence that general scaling questions are best examined interspecifically rather than intraspecifically.

scholarly journals Biology, not environment, drives major patterns in maximum tetrapod body size through time

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 674-677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland B. Sookias ◽  
Roger B. J. Benson ◽  
Richard J. Butler
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Logistic Models ◽  
Growth Curves ◽  
Maximum Size ◽  
Generalized Least Squares ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Cenozoic Mammals

Abiotic and biological factors have been hypothesized as controlling maximum body size of tetrapods and other animals through geological time. We analyse the effects of three abiotic factors—oxygen, temperature and land area—on maximum size of Permian–Jurassic archosauromorphs and therapsids, and Cenozoic mammals, using time series generalized least-squares regression models. We also examine maximum size growth curves for the Permian–Jurassic data by comparing fits of Gompertz and logistic models. When serial correlation is removed, we find no robust correlations, indicating that these environmental factors did not consistently control tetrapod maximum size. Gompertz models—i.e. exponentially decreasing rate of size increase at larger sizes—fit maximum size curves far better than logistic models. This suggests that biological limits such as reduced fecundity and niche space availability become increasingly limiting as larger sizes are reached. Environmental factors analysed may still have imposed an upper limit on tetrapod body size, but any environmentally imposed limit did not vary substantially during the intervals examined despite variation in these environmental factors.

The Relationship between Body Mass Index and Body Size Dissatisfaction in Young Adolescents: Spline Function Analysis

2010 ◽  
Vol 110 (7) ◽  
pp. 1098-1102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuele Cortese ◽  
Bruno Falissard ◽  
Yolande Pigaiani ◽  
Claudia Banzato ◽  
Giovanna Bogoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Spline Function ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Young Adolescents ◽  
Body Size Dissatisfaction ◽  
The Relationship

Testing models of biological scaling with mammalian population densities

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 844-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Stephen Dobson ◽  
Bertram Zinner ◽  
Marina Silva
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Fractal Dimensions ◽  
Scaling Exponent ◽  
Population Densities ◽  
Biological Variables ◽  
Terrestrial Habitats ◽  
Broad Variety ◽  
The Relationship

Two hypotheses have been suggested to explain the form of interspecific scaling of organismal characteristics to body size, such as the well-known increase in total metabolism with body mass. A hypothesis based on simple Euclidean geometry suggests that the scaling of many biological variables to body size should have a scaling exponent of 2/3, or [Formula: see text]0.667. On the other hand, according to a hypothesis based on fractal dimensions, the relationship between biological variables and body mass should have a scaling exponent of 0.750. We conducted a power analysis of the predicted exponents of scaling under the Euclidean and fractal hypotheses, using average adult body masses and population densities collected from the published literature on mammalian species. The collected data reflect 987 mammal populations from a broad variety of terrestrial habitats. Using statistical methods we determined the sample sizes required to decide between the values of the scaling exponent of the density-to-mass relationship based on the Euclidean (–0.667) and fractal (–0.750) hypotheses. Non-linearities in the dataset and insufficient power plagued our tests of the predictions. We found that mammalian species weighing less than 100 kg had a linear scaling pattern, sufficient power to reveal a difference between the scaling coefficients –0.667 and –0.750, and an actual scaling coefficient of –0.719 (barely significantly different from –0.667 but not from –0.750). Thus, our results support the fractal hypothesis, though the support was not particularly strong, which suggests that the relationship between body mass and population density should have a scaling exponent of –0.750.

Size Matters: Body Size is Correlated with Longevity in Speckled Cockroaches (Nauphoeta cineria).

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sami Badwan ◽  
James Harper
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Body Length ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Time Of Death ◽  
Large Size ◽  
The Status ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Individual Body

Background: A relationship between body size and longevity has long been appreciated within eukaryotes, especially vertebrates. Introduction: In general, large size is associated with increased longevity among species of mammals and birds but is associated with decreased longevity within individual species such as dogs and mice. In this study, we examined the relationship between measures of individual body size and longevity in a captive population of speckled cockroaches (Nauphoeta cineria). Method: Newly molted adults of both sexes were removed from a mass colony housed in multiple terraria and housed individually with food and water provided ad libitum for the duration of their lifespan. Thrice weekly, the status (i.e. live/dead) of individual cockroaches was noted for the duration of the study. Individuals found dead were weighed and measured to obtain body mass and morphometric measures and the age at the time of death was recorded. The relationship between body size and lifespan was assessed. Result: Contrary to what is commonly seen within vertebrates, large cockroaches were longer-lived than their smaller counterparts. Specifically, body mass, body length and pronotum width were all significantly correlated with the age at death in a mixed population of males and females (n = 94). In addition, we found that the longevity of a historically larger population in terms of both body mass and body length were significantly longer-lived than the population used in this study. Conclusion: These data indicate there is a significant interaction between body size and aging in this species and that increased size results in a survival advantage. There is evidence in the literature indicating that a positive relationship between size and longevity may be common in insects.

The Relationship Between Perceived and Ideal Body Size and Body Mass Index in 3rd-Grade Low Socioeconomic Hispanic Children

2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 224-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Fisher ◽  
Mary Anne Lange ◽  
Virginia Young-Cureton ◽  
Daryl Canham
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Body Satisfaction ◽  
Healthy Weight ◽  
Ideal Self ◽  
Body Images ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
Self Image ◽  
The Relationship

Very little is known about body satisfaction among minority children. This study examined the relationship between perceived and actual body size and Body Mass Index among 43 low-socioeconomic Hispanic 3rd-graders. Researchers measured participants’ Body Mass Index; students self-reported Perceived Ideal Self Image and Perceived Actual Self Image using Collins’ (1991) pictorial instrument scale of seven child body images that illustrate body weight from very thin to obese. The majority of students chose body images from the scale that depicted a healthy weight for both their Perceived Ideal Self Image and Perceived Actual Self Image. More boys than girls chose underweight as their Perceived Ideal Self Image. Thirty percent of the students were found to be overweight and 30 percent were at risk for being overweight. A small positive correlation between Perceived Actual Self Image and Body Mass Index was found.

Glacial/Interglacial Size Variation in Fossil Spotted Hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) from Britain

1989 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard G. Klein ◽  
Katharine Scott
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Temperature Variation ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Bergmann’S Rule ◽  
Spotted Hyena ◽  
Bergmann's Rule ◽  
Spotted Hyenas ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe lower carnassial lengths of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in 12 late Pleistocene samples from Britain indicate that, on average, local hyenas of the last (Devensian) glaciation were significantly larger than their last-interglaciation (Ipswichian) counterparts. Together with the tendency for spotted hyena carnassial length to increase with latitude in present-day Africa, this suggests that spotted hyena body size is inversely related to temperature, as predicted by Bergmann's rule. The implication is that spotted hyena carnassial length can be used as an independent gauge of Pleistocene temperature variation, though the combined African and British data imply that the relationship between carnassial length and temperature is curvilinear, such that as temperature declines, equal amounts of further decline produce progressively smaller increases in average carnassial length.

scholarly journals Rapid genomic expansion and purging associated with habitat transitions in a clade of beach crustaceans (Haustoriidae: Amphipoda)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary B. Hancock ◽  
Faith O. Hardin ◽  
Archana Murthy ◽  
Andrew Hillhouse ◽  
J. Spencer Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Genome Size ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Genome Size Variation ◽  
The North ◽  
Physiological Constraint ◽  
Line Elements ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Genomic Expansion

AbstractGenome sizes vary by orders of magnitude across the Tree of Life and lack any correlation with organismal complexity. Some crustacean orders, such as amphipods, have genome sizes that correlate with body size, temperature, and water depth, indicating that natural selection may constrain genome sizes due to physiological pressures. In this study, we examine the relationship between genome size, repetitive content, and environmental variables on a clade of sand-burrowing amphipods (Haustoriidae) that are distributed across the Gulf of Mexico and the North Atlantic. We uncover a 6-fold genome size variation within a clade that is less than 7 million years old. Unlike previous studies, we find no correlation between genome size and latitude, but do uncover a significant relationship between genome size and body length. Further, we find that the proportion of repetitive content predicts genome size, and that the largest genomes appear to be driven by expansions of LINE elements. Finally, we find evidence of genomic purging and body size reduction in two lineages that have independently colonized warm brackish waters, possibly indicating a strong physiological constraint of transitioning from surf-swept beaches to protected bays.Significance StatementThe evolution of genome size has been a long-standing puzzle in biology. In this work, we find that genome sizes may be driven by different selection regimes following shifts to a new habitat. Dramatic genome size changes can occur rapidly, in only a few million years.Data Availability StatementRaw data sheets have been deposited on Dryad: SUBMITTED. Raw sequence reads are available at from NCBI under Bioproject SUBMITTED.

scholarly journals Testing Equid Body Mass Estimate Equations on Modern Zebras—With Implications to Understanding the Relationship of Body Size, Diet, and Habitats of Equus in the Pleistocene of Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juha Saarinen ◽  
Omar Cirilli ◽  
Flavia Strani ◽  
Keiko Meshida ◽  
Raymond L. Bernor
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
North America ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Mass Range ◽  
The Body ◽  
Mass Estimation ◽  
Body Size Variation ◽  
Estimation Equations ◽  
Body Mass Estimation

The monodactyl horses of the genus Equus originated in North America during the Pliocene, and from the beginning of the Pleistocene, they have been an essential part of the large ungulate communities of Europe, North America and Africa. Understanding how body size of Equus species evolved and varied in relation to changes in environments and diet thus forms an important part of understanding the dynamics of ungulate body size variation in relation to Pleistocene paleoenvironmental changes. Here we test previously published body mass estimation equations for the family Equidae by investigating how accurately different skeletal and dental measurements estimate the mean body mass (and body mass range) reported for extant Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi) and Burchell's zebra (Equus quagga). Based on these tests and information on how frequently skeletal elements occur in the fossil record, we construct a hierarchy of best practices for the selection of body mass estimation equations in Equus. As a case study, we explore body size variation in Pleistocene European Equus paleopopulations in relation to diet and vegetation structure in their paleoenvironments. We show a relationship between diet and body size in Equus: very large-sized species tend to have more browse-dominated diets than small and medium-sized species, and paleovegetation proxies indicate on average more open and grass-rich paleoenvironments for small-sized, grazing species of Equus. When more than one species of Equus co-occur sympatrically, the larger species tend to be less abundant and have more browse-dominated diets than the smaller species. We suggest that body size variation in Pleistocene Equus was driven by a combined effect of resource quality and availability, partitioning of habitats and resources between species, and the effect of environmental openness and group size on the body size of individuals.

Ecological and evolutionary significance of sizes of giant extinct kangaroos

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristofer M. Helgen ◽  
Rod T. Wells ◽  
Benjamin P. Kear ◽  
Wayne R. Gerdtz ◽  
Timothy F. Flannery
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Evolutionary Significance ◽  
Congeneric Species ◽  
Size Classes ◽  
Grey Kangaroo ◽  
Show Evidence

A method, based on femoral circumference, allowed us to develop body mass estimates for 11 extinct Pleistocene megafaunal species of macropodids (Protemnodon anak, P. brehus, P. hopei, P. roechus, Procoptodon goliah, ‘P.’ gilli, Simosthenurus maddocki, S. occidentalis, Sthenurus andersoni, S. stirlingi and S. tindalei) and three fossil populations of the extant eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus). With the possible exception of P. goliah, the extinct taxa were browsers, among which sympatric, congeneric species sort into size classes separated by body mass increments of 20–75%. None show evidence of size variation through time, and only the smallest (‘P.’ gilli) exhibits evidence suggestive of marked sexual dimorphism. The largest surviving macropodids (five species of Macropus) are grazers which, although sympatric, do not differ greatly in body mass today, but at least one species (M. giganteus) fluctuated markedly in body size over the course of the Pleistocene. Sexual dimorphism in these species is marked, and may have varied through time. There is some mass overlap between the extinct and surviving macropodid taxa. With a mean estimated body mass of 232 kg, Procoptodon goliah was the largest hopping mammal ever to exist.

Host body size and the abundance of chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera) infesting eight owl species (Aves: Strigiformes) in Manitoba, Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 151 (5) ◽  
pp. 621-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Lamb ◽  
Terry D. Galloway
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Louse Infestation ◽  
Mean Intensity ◽  
Chewing Lice ◽  
Host Body ◽  
Abundant Genus ◽  
Louse Species ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Host Body Mass

AbstractSpecimens (n = 508) of eight species of owl (Aves: Strigiformes) collected from 1994 to 2017 in Manitoba, Canada, were weighed and examined for chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera). The relationship between host body mass and infestation by 12 species of lice was examined. Host body mass explained 52% (P = 0.03) of the variation in mean intensity of louse infestation among hosts, due primarily to a high abundance of lice on the heaviest owl species. The relationship was due to the mean intensity of lice, and neither species richness nor the prevalence of lice was related to host body mass. For individual louse species, the relationship was due primarily to Kurodaia acadicae Price and Beer, Kurodaia magna Emerson, and an undetermined species of Kurodaia Uchida (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae) (R2 = 0.997), but not the nine Strigiphilus Mjöberg (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) species (R2 = 0.27). Louse intensity did not increase with body size for individual birds of any of the owl species. Mean intensity is expected to increase in proportion with the size, specifically the surface area, of the host. Why that relationship holds only for one louse genus, and not for the most abundant genus of lice on owls, and weakly compared with other families of birds, has yet to be determined.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document