scholarly journals Demographic Traits Variation in a Pyrenean Newt (Calotriton asper) among Lacustrine and Stream Populations

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 471
Author(s):  
Sebastià Camarasa ◽  
Neus Oromi ◽  
Delfí Sanuy ◽  
Fèlix Amat

Demographic traits were analyzed in the Pyrenean brook newt (Calotriton asper) to evaluate whether its variability responds to the adaptation to the different habitats. In this study, life history traits of Calotriton asper were studied in nine populations living in two different kinds of habitats in the Pyrenees mountains: lakes and streams. Skeletochronology was used to determine age structure and different traits such as age at maturity and longevity. Age structure was different between populations and sexes. The two lacustrine populations, with facultative pedomorphosis, attained their maturity earlier. Age at sexual maturity ranged from 4 to 9 years and in some populations was similar between sexes while in others, females matured at younger ages than males. Maximum longevity varied from 7 to 35 years among populations and was correlated with the age at sexual maturity. Body size differed among populations, was sexually dimorphic, and this disparity was not related to the kind of habitat. The maximum size was found in the lacustrine population but exhibited high variation between populations. The results obtained show a significant variability between sexes and populations, in age and body size structure of Calotriton asper that did not depend on the habitat.

Genome ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serge Morand ◽  
Robert E Ricklefs

Genome size (C value, the haploid DNA content of the nucleus) varies widely among eukaryotes, increasing through duplication or insertion of transposable elements and decreasing through deletions. Here, we investigate relationships between genome size and life-history attributes potentially related to fitness, including body mass, brain mass, gestation time, age at sexual maturity, and longevity, in 42 species of primates. Using multivariate and phylogenetically informed analyses, we show that genome size is unrelated to any of these traits. Genome size exhibits little variation within primates and its evolution does not appear to be correlated with changes in life-history traits. This further indicates that the phenotypic consequences of variation in genome size are dependent on the particular biology of the group in question.Key words: age at maturity, body size, brain mass, C value, genome size, gestation time, life history, primate.


Herpetozoa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 159-163
Author(s):  
Elif Yıldırım ◽  
Yusuf Kumlutaş ◽  
Kamil Candan ◽  
Çetin Ilgaz

The life-history traits of the parthenogenetic lizard Darevskiabendimahiensis were studied by skeletochronology in a population inhabiting highlands in Çaldıran, Van, Turkey. Endosteal resorption was observed in 18 specimens (55%). The mean age was 4.91 ± 0.19 SD years. The mean snout-vent length (SVL) was 51.11 ± 1.15 SD mm. The age at sexual maturity was estimated as 3 years. Longevity was 7 years. Snout-vent length and age were positively correlated (Spearman’s correlation; r = 0.797, P = 0.000). The aim of this study is to contribute to the future conservation activities for this endangered species.


2017 ◽  
Vol 372 (1712) ◽  
pp. 20160035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kuparinen ◽  
Jeffrey A. Hutchings

Life-history traits are generally assumed to be inherited quantitatively. Fishing that targets large, old individuals is expected to decrease age at maturity. In Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ), it has recently been discovered that sea age at maturity is under strong control by a single locus with sexually dimorphic expression of heterozygotes, which makes it less intuitive to predict how life histories respond to selective fishing. We explore evolutionary responses to fishing in Atlantic salmon, using eco-evolutionary simulations with two alternative scenarios for the genetic architecture of age at maturity: (i) control by multiple loci with additive effects and (ii) control by one locus with sexually dimorphic expression. We show that multi-locus control leads to unidirectional evolution towards earlier maturation, whereas single-locus control causes largely divergent and disruptive evolution of age at maturity without a clear phenotypic trend but a wide range of alternative evolutionary trajectories and greater trait variability within trajectories. Our results indicate that the range of evolutionary responses to selective fishing can be wider than previously thought and that a lack of phenotypic trend need not imply that evolution has not occurred. These findings underscore the role of genetic architecture of life-history traits in understanding how human-induced selection can shape target populations. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Human influences on evolution, and the ecological and societal consequences’.


2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emel Çakır ◽  
Ufuk Bülbül ◽  
Nurhayat Özdemir ◽  
Bilal Kutrup

AbstractWe examined life-history traits such as population age structure, growth and longevity of Iranian Long-Legged frogs (Rana macrocnemis) from 4 different locations at different altitudes in Turkey by skeletochronology performed on the phalanges. The maximum lifespan was 5 years in Maçka (350 m a.s.l.), 6 years in Hıdırnebi (1430 m a.s.l.), 8 years in Sarıkamış (2276 m a.s.l.) and 10 years in Ovit (2850 m a.s.l.). Age at sexual maturity of both males and females was 2-3 years in the Maçka, Hıdırnebi and Sarıkamış populations, while 3-4 years for males and 3-5 years for females in the Ovit population. In all populations, males and females did not exhibit any differences in terms of mean age and SVL except for Sarıkamı¸s where the males were significantly larger than the females. A positive correlation was observed between age and SVL for both sexes in all populations except for the males of the Maçka population.


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 245-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fèlix Amat ◽  
Neus Oromí ◽  
Delfí Sanuy ◽  
Salvador Carranza

Patterns of sexual dimorphism and age structure were investigated in two populations of the newtCalotriton arnoldi, endemic of the Montseny Massif (NE of the Iberian Peninsula). In contrast to the Pyrenean newt (Calotriton asper) sexual dimorphism in the Montseny brook newt is characterized by slightly larger females (60.3 ± 0.3 mm; maximum: 68 mm) than males (59.5 ± 0.2 mm; maximum: 64 mm) and more similar body shape between sexes. Both populations and sexes mature at the same age (3 years), show the same age structure and achieve similar longevity (8-9 years). Comparing our results with the framework of the variation of life-history traits inCalotriton, the Montseny newts exhibit fast sexual maturity and short longevity. Curiously, we have found a lack of covariation between age at sexual maturity, longevity and total body size in the populations ofCalotritonspecies. Only in males, age at sexual maturity seems to be affected by altitude, but in an unexpected way: sexual maturation is delayed in populations at low altitudes. Moreover, the age at sexual maturity does not differs between the populations where immatures are terrestrial vs. those where they remain aquatic. Our results suggest that life-history traits inCalotritonnewts could be determined by selective factors that play their role at small geographic scale.


2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (8) ◽  
pp. 692-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evi Paemelaere ◽  
F. Stephen Dobson

The fast–slow continuum hypothesis explains life-history traits as reflecting the causal influence of mortality patterns in interaction with trade-offs among traits, particularly more reproductive effort at a cost of shorter lives. Variation among species of different body sizes produce more or less rapid life cycles (respectively, from small to large species), but the fast–slow continuum remains for birds and mammals when body-size effects are statistically removed. We tested for a fast–slow continuum in mammalian carnivores. We found the above trade-offs initially supported in a sample of 85 species. Body size, however, was strongly associated with phylogeny (ρ = 0.79), and thus we used regression techniques and independent contrasts to make statistical adjustments for both. After adjustments, the life-history trade-offs were not apparent, and few associations of life-history traits were significant. Litter size was negatively associated with age at maturity, but slightly positively associated with offspring mass. Litter size and mass were negatively associated with the length of the developmental period. Gestation length showed weak but significant negative associations with age at maturity and longevity. We conclude that carnivores, despite their wide range of body sizes and variable life histories, at best poorly exhibited a fast–slow continuum.


2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (9) ◽  
pp. 889-899 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Stephen Dobson ◽  
Pierre Jouventin

A trade-off between reproduction and survival is one of the most consistent empirical aspects of life-history diversification. One explanation for this interspecific pattern is evolved differences in the balance of allocation to reproduction versus individual maintenance and survival. The same pattern is expected, however, simply as a result of differences among species in body size. We tested these alternatives using original data from 44 species of albatrosses and petrels, long-lived seabirds that breed very slowly. After application of regression techniques to remove the effects of body size and phylogeny, annual reproduction and survival exhibited a significant trade-off. Our measures of reproductive effort also exhibited significant trade-offs with age at maturity, the latter strongly associated with survival. Feeding rate of chicks, success at fledging chicks, and annual chick production were also significantly associated. In conclusion, after removing the effects of body size, we found a significant trade-off of reproduction and survival, in spite of the fact that these long-lived birds lay only one egg at a time. Our examination of the pattern among life-history traits of these slow breeders and their pelagic feeding ecology provide support for the evolutionary explanation of a trade-off of reproduction and survival.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 327-332
Author(s):  
Muge Gidis ◽  
Eyup Baskale

The life history traits of the rough-tailed agama, Stellagama stellio (Linnaeus, 1758) in a population from Kütahya, Turkey were described by the skeletochronological method. From a total of 54 individuals, the mean ages ± standard deviation (SD) of males and females were calculated as 5.03 ± 2.076 years and 4.79 ± 1.584 years, respectively, and age distributions were not significantly different between sexes. The age at maturity was 2 years for both sexes. The longevity of females was 8 years, whereas for males it was 9 years. Mean snout-vent length (SVL) ± SD was 101.7 ± 9.6 mm in females and 104.9 ± 14.4 mm in males and did not significantly differ between the two sexes. We examined the sexual dimorphism of S. stellio in relation to the difference in population age structure between the sexes using the skeletochronological method. Male individuals were slightly larger than female individuals at the same age, but this difference was not statistically significant. We also estimated the maximum ages for S. stellio, which agree with other populations in Turkey.


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 450-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ufuk Bülbül ◽  
Muammer Kurnaz ◽  
Ali İhsan Eroğlu ◽  
Halime Koç ◽  
Bilal Kutrup

We investigated age structure, body size and longevity in two breeding populations ofDarevskia clarkoruminhabiting altitudes ranging from 450 m a.s.l. (Kamilet) to 2250 m a.s.l. (Başyayla) in Turkey by skeletochronology performed on the phalanges. The mean age was found to be 6 years in the Kamilet population and 7 years in the Başyayla population. The maximum life span was 10 years in the lowland population while it was 12 years in the highland population. Age at sexual maturity of both males and females was 1-2 years in the lowland population while it was 2-3 for both sexes in the highland population. Both age and SVL of specimens from the Kamilet population were significantly different between the sexes while age and SVL did not differ significantly between the sexes in Başyayla population. As a conclusion, we observed that the mean age, longevity and age at maturity were increased by altitude while there was a decrease based on the mean SVL in the highland population ofD. clarkorum. Our data on body size, longevity and age at sexual maturity may contribute to conservation efforts for this endangered species.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 195-200
Author(s):  
Ufuk Bülbül ◽  
Halime Koç ◽  
Yasemin Odabaş ◽  
Ali İhsan Eroğlu ◽  
Muammer Kurnaz ◽  
...  

Age structure of the eastern spadefoot toad, Pelobates syriacus from the Kızılırmak Delta (Turkey) were assessed using phalangeal skeletochronology. Snout-vent length (SVL) ranged from 42.05 to 86.63 mm in males and 34.03 to 53.27 mm in females. Age of adults ranged from 2 to 8 years in males and 3 to 5 years in females. For both sexes, SVL was significantly correlated with age. Males and females of the toads reached maturity at 2 years of age.


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