Reproductive Tactics in an Island Population of Adders, Vipera berus (L.), with a fluctuating Food Resource

1983 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Göran Nilson ◽  
Claes Andren
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Prey Density ◽  
Reproductive Capacity ◽  
Relative Mass ◽  
High Food ◽  
Vipera Berus ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
Clutch Mass

AbstractThis paper describes the density fluctuations of the adder Vipera berus and its prey during seven years. The reproduction during high adder density and low food availability was compared with that seven years later in the same population during low adder density and high food availability. Female length was similar but weight status (mass/length 2.56) was significantly higher during high prey density. Female mass loss when giving birth and clutch mass were significantly higher during high availability of food, but relative clutch mass and relative mass loss were similar in the two situations. However, the variance in relative clutch mass was significantly lower with high prey density. Clutch size and mass per young were significantly higher during high prey density. During high food availability there were significant positive correlations between female length (~ age) and birth mass loss, female length and clutch mass, female length and clutch size, clutch mass and mass per young and between relative clutch mass and mass per young. During low food availability there were significant positive correlations between clutch mass and clutch size and relative clutch mass and clutch size. A significant negative correlation was found between female length and relative mass loss. This study do not conform entirely to general theories on reproductive adaptations to varying food availability (r-K strategies). During high prey density both more and heavier young were produced than during scarcity of food. A high correlation of reproductive parameters during high food availability indicates a maximal utilization of reproductive capacity in most females, while the lack of such correlations during low food availability indicates a varying access to food and fat storage possibility among females.

Some aspects of reproduction in a Lake Erie population of Blanding's turtle, Emydoidea blandingii

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (10) ◽  
pp. 2317-2319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross D. MacCulloch ◽  
Wayne F. Weller
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Relative Mass ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Emydoidea Blandingii ◽  
Blanding's Turtle ◽  
Clutch Mass ◽  
Blanding’S Turtle

A Lake Erie population of Emydoidea blandingii produced clutches of slightly greater relative mass than those of other emydids. Regression analyses showed that both clutch mass and relative clutch mass were significantly related to both female mass and female size, while clutch size was also related to female size. Mean egg mass was not related to either clutch size or female size.

scholarly journals Windblown Sand-Induced Degradation of Glass Panels in Curtain Walls

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 607
Author(s):  
Yuxi Zhao ◽  
Rongcheng Liu ◽  
Fan Yan ◽  
Dawei Zhang ◽  
Junjin Liu
Keyword(s):  
Visible Light ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Effective Area ◽  
Area Ratio ◽  
Light Transmittance ◽  
Relative Mass ◽  
Impact Time ◽  
Windblown Sand ◽  
Glass Panels ◽  
The Impact

The windblown sand-induced degradation of glass panels influences the serviceability and safety of these panels. In this study, the degradation of glass panels subject to windblown sand with different impact velocities and impact angles was studied based on a sandblasting test simulating a sandstorm. After the glass panels were degraded by windblown sand, the surface morphology of the damaged glass panels was observed using scanning electron microscopy, and three damage modes were found: a cutting mode, smash mode, and plastic deformation mode. The mass loss, visible light transmittance, and effective area ratio values of the glass samples were then measured to evaluate the effects of the windblown sand on the panels. The results indicate that, at high abrasive feed rates, the relative mass loss of the glass samples decreases initially and then remains steady with increases in impact time, whereas it increases first and then decreases with an increase in impact angle such as that for ductile materials. Both visible light transmittance and effective area ratio decrease with increases in the impact time and velocities. There exists a positive linear relationship between the visible light transmittance and effective area ratio.

Effects of a sudden increase in natural mortality of adults on a population of the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 1314-1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald J. Brooks ◽  
Gregory P. Brown ◽  
David A. Galbraith
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Effective Density ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Sudden Increase ◽  
Chelydra Serpentina ◽  
Density Dependent ◽  
Snapping Turtles ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Clutch Mass

A northern population of snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) centred around Lake Sasajewun in the Wildlife Research Area in Algonquin Park, Ontario, has been studied and individually marked since 1972. From 1972 to 1985, annual mortality and survivorship of adult females had been estimated at 1 and 96.6%, respectively, and only six dead turtles were found. Lake Sasajewun's population of C. serpentina was estimated in 1978–1979 and 1984–1985 at 38 and 47 adults, respectively. From 1976 to 1987, total number of nests found in the study area remained fairly constant and there were no significant changes in mean clutch size, mean clutch mass, or mean egg mass. On the main nest site, recruitment from 1976 to 1987 was 1.15 (1.8%) new females per year. From 1987 to 1989, we found 34 dead adult snapping turtles in the Wildlife Research Area. Observations of freshly dead animals indicated that most were killed by otters (Lutra canadensis) during the turtles' winter hibernation. A few uninjured turtles also died of septicemia in early spring shortly after emerging from hibernation. The estimated number of adults in Lake Sasajewun was 31 in 1988–1989, and the minimum number of adult residents known to be alive in the lake dropped from 47 in 1986 to 16 in 1989. In 1986 and 1987, annual adult female survivorship was estimated at 80 and 55%, respectively, and estimated numbers of nesting females declined from 82 in 1986 to 71 and 55 in 1987 and 1988, respectively. The actual number of nests found declined by 38 and 20% over the same periods. Although no significant differences occurred in mean egg mass or mean clutch size between 1987 and 1989 and earlier years, the mean clutch mass in 1988 was larger than in 1977 or 1978. This difference appeared to be due to a gradual increase in the mean age and body size of breeding females rather than to density-dependent changes. Recruitment into the adult breeding female population in 1987–1989 remained less than two individuals per year. Hatchling survival and number of juveniles were low throughout the study. Our observations support the view that populations of species with high, stochastic juvenile mortality and long adult life spans may be decimated quickly by increased mortality of adult animals, particularly if numbers of juveniles and immigrants are low. Recovery of such populations should be very slow because of a lack of effective density-dependent response in reproduction and recruitment.

Clutch Mass, Offspring Mass, and Clutch Size: Body Mass Scaling and Taxonomic and Environmental Variation

2018 ◽  
pp. 68-97
Author(s):  
Douglas S. Glazier
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Mass Scaling ◽  
Scaling Relationships ◽  
Clutch Mass

In this chapter, I show how clutch mass, offspring (egg) mass, and clutch size relate to body mass among species of branchiopod, maxillipod, and malacostracan crustaceans, as well as how these important life history traits vary among major taxa and environments independently of body size. Clutch mass relates strongly and nearly isometrically to body mass, probably because of physical volumetric constraints. By contrast, egg mass and clutch size relate more weakly and curvilinearly to body mass and vary in inverse proportion to one another, thus indicating a fundamental trade-off, which occurs within many crustacean taxa as well. In general, offspring (egg) size and number and their relationships to body mass appear to be more ecologically sensitive and evolutionarily malleable than clutch mass. The body mass scaling relationships of egg mass and clutch size show much more taxonomic and ecological variation (log-log scaling slopes varying from near 0 to almost 1 among major taxa) than do those for clutch mass, a pattern also observed in other animal taxa. The curvilinear body mass scaling relationships of egg mass and number also suggest a significant, size-related shift in how natural selection affects offspring versus maternal fitness. As body size increases, selection apparently predominantly favors increases in offspring size and fitness up to an asymptote, beyond which increases in offspring number and thus maternal fitness are preferentially favored. Crustaceans not only offer excellent opportunities for furthering our general understanding of life history evolution, but also their ecological and economic importance warrants further study of the various factors affecting their reproductive success.

scholarly journals Occurrence and correlation between the numbers of Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus and Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis on Kolut fish ponds (Serbia)

2015 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Marko Tucakov ◽  
Milan Vogrin
Keyword(s):  
Food Availability ◽  
Fish Ponds ◽  
Early Winter ◽  
High Food ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Aquatic Animals ◽  
Autumn Period ◽  
Larus Michahellis ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Fish Harvest

Presence and correlation between the numbers of Black-headed and Yellow-legged Gull was studies between 1998 and 2004 on Kolut fishponds in NW Serbia. Both species occurred there from February to December. Spring migration culminated in late February and early March. The period of the most intensive autumn concentration was from October to December. The difference between the numbers in all months as well as between the numbers in spring and in autumn was statistically significant. The period of the most intensive autumn passage of Yellow-legged Gull was from late October to early December. The difference between the numbers between the months was not statistically significant. A high concentration of both species in autumn and early winter was explained by high food availability during fish harvest when ponds were empty. Positive correlation between the numbers of two species thru the year indicated attractiveness of large flocks of Black-headed Gulls for Yellow-legged Gulls. This is especially true for the autumn period, when feeding niches and food is easily accessible. Correlation between the numbers of two species was negative in spring, when accesibility of aquatic animals is lower and large flocks of Black-headed Gulls are lacking.

Annual variations in reproductive characteristics of painted turtles (Chrysemys picta)

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 1148-1151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Schwarzkopf ◽  
Ronald J. Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Annual Variations ◽  
Painted Turtles ◽  
Sources Of Variation ◽  
Clutch Mass

In Algonquin Park, Ontario, body size and clutch characteristics were recorded for 51 female painted turtles (Chrysemyspicta) in 1983, 61 in 1984, and 24 in 1985. Clutch size, clutch mass, and egg width correlated significantly with body size (carapace length) in all 3 years. Egg length and egg mass were significantly related to body size in 1984 and 1985, but not in 1983. There were no significant correlations of egg width or egg mass to clutch size. For a group of the same individuals compared by repeated-measures ANOVA, mean clutch mass and mean egg size, but not mean clutch size, varied significantly among years. Correlation of egg size with body size, lack of correlation between egg size and clutch size, and annual variation in egg size, but not clutch size, all fail to support current versions of optimal egg size theory. Twenty-six females nested in both 1983 and 1984 and 11 females nested in both 1984 and 1985. Fourteen females nested twice in 1 year: six in 1983 and eight in 1984. Between 43 and 73% of adult females nested in a given year and 12–13% nested twice in a single season. These estimates are similar to those reported for other populations of this species. It appears that variations in both clutch size (frequency) and egg size are important sources of variation in reproductive output.

Shorebird–prey interactions in South Carolina coastal soft sediments

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise M. Weber ◽  
Susan M. Haig
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Prey Density ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
High Water ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Prey Biomass ◽  
Exclosure Experiment ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
Simultaneous Influence

We investigated the simultaneous influence of benthic prey (primarily insect larvae, oligochaetes, and polychaetes) on spring-migrating shorebirds (Charadriiformes) and shorebirds on prey in brackish managed wetlands of South Carolina. We proposed that positive correlations between shorebird and prey densities and between prey reduction and shorebird density might result in a negative feedback loop. The loop would be characterized by shorebird redistribution over time and equalization of shorebird and prey densities (and biomass) across the site. In support of the feedback loop (i) there were positive correlations between shorebird and prey densities (and biomass) early in migration; (ii) shorebird predation was responsible for declines of 49% in prey density and 50% in prey biomass in a shorebird exclosure experiment, with shorebird density positively correlated with prey decline in open plots; (iii) there was equalization of prey biomass across the site, and relative prey species abundance appeared to become more equal. Contrary to predictions, shorebirds did not redistribute after prey reduction, and patchiness of shorebird and prey densities persisted across the site. This failure was attributed to high prey density, even at the season's end, and high water depths. There were no confounding indirect trophic-level effects.

scholarly journals Reproductive traits of the gray ratsnake Ptyas korros from three geographically distinct populations

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 820-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long-Hui Lin ◽  
Fei Mao ◽  
Ce Chen ◽  
Xiang Ji
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Size Number ◽  
Female Reproductive Traits ◽  
Clutch Mass

Abstract We collected gravid gray rat snakes Ptyas korros from three geographically distinct populations in China, Chenzhou (CZ), Jiangshan (JS) and Dinghai (DH), to study geographical variation in female reproductive traits. Egg-laying dates differed among the three populations such that at the most northern latitude egg-laying was latest, and earliest at the most southern lati-tutde. Clutch size, clutch mass, egg mass, egg shape, within clutch variability in egg sizes and relative clutch mass differed among the three populations, whereas post-oviposition body mass did not. Except for egg-laying date, none of the traits examined varied in a geographically continuous trend. CZ and DH females, although separated by a distance of approximately 1100 km as the crow flies, were similar in nearly all traits examined. JS females were distinguished from CZ and DH females by their higher fecundity (clutch size), greater reproductive output (clutch mass) and more rounded eggs. Our data do not validate the prediction that larger offspring should be produced in colder localities. The absence of an egg size-number trade-off in each of the three populations presumably suggests that P. korros is among species where eggs are well optimized for size within a population.

Clutch size influences embryonic stages at oviposition in a lizard with prolonged egg retention

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 557-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Foucart ◽  
Benoit Heulin ◽  
Olivier Lourdais
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Development Time ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Resource Limitation ◽  
Egg Retention ◽  
Zootoca Vivipara ◽  
Female Relative ◽  
Clutch Mass

We examined the possible interaction between reproductive effort and embryonic stages at oviposition in oviparous form of the lizard Zootoca vivipara. Our results reveal that the percentage of total embryonic development time (%TEDT) reached at oviposition is negatively correlated to clutch size (adjusted to maternal body size). We found no influence of reproductive burden of female (relative clutch mass, RCM) on %TEDT. The significant effect of fecundity supports the hypothesis that a resource limitation such as oxygen may exist for developing embryos in oviducts. The absence of RCM effect suggests that the available space (abdominal burdening of the mother) does not limit the embryonic stages at oviposition.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document