Altitudinal variation in body size in Bufo minshanicus supports Bergmann’s rule

Yu, Tong Lei; Wang, Dong Li; Busam, Michael; Deng, Yao Hui

doi:10.1007/s10682-019-09984-1

Cited by 24 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…In this study, female SVL was not significantly positive correlated with latitude or altitude. This result was not consistent with previous evidence considering six populations 28 . The shorter seasonal period of activity, weaker digestion and lower energy of prey may limit larger body size for appearing at high altitudes or latitudes.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, it is attributed to positive fecundity selection, where female body size is larger for larger clutches 33 . Like most ectotherms with indeterminate growth, female B. minshanicus fit the von Bertalanffy's model 28 , which describes rapid somatic growth for earlier stages followed by slower growth thereafter. This implies that a larger fraction of energy would be devoted to reproduction as individuals become older 34,35 , thus resulting in age-specific reproductive output.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a typical explosive breeder 27 , Bufo minshanicus exhibits a short breeding season (5-18 days). Females are larger than males 28 and clutch size increases with increasing female SVL 29,30 . Low latitude populations in the eastern Qinghai province select deep swamps as hibernation site, while high latitude populations in the southern Gansu province prefer rabbit or otter holes as hibernating sites.…”

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Geographic variation in maternal investment and trade-offs between egg size and clutch size in an endemic toad of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Deng

2020

Sci Rep

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Life history theory predicts that animals often produce fewer offspring of larger size and indicate a stronger trade-off between the number and size of offspring to cope with increasing environmental stress. In order to evaluate this prediction, we tested the life history characteristics of Bufo minshanicus at eight different altitudes on the eastern Tibetan Plateau, China. Our results revealed a positive correlation between female SVL and clutch size or egg size, revealing that larger females produce more and larger eggs. However, high-altitude toads seem to favor more offspring and smaller egg sizes when removing the effect of female SVL, which is counter to theoretical predictions. In addition, there was an overall significantly negative relationship between egg size and clutch size, indicative of a trade-off between egg size and fecundity. Therefore, we suggest that higher fecundity, rather than larger egg size, is a more effective reproductive strategy for this species of anuran living at high-altitude environments.Life-history theory suggests that females should be able to optimize their allocation of resources between current breeding efforts and future survival 1 . Higher altitudes can be stressful environments because temperatures are colder, seasonality is greater, and food availability can fluctuate greatly. For example, there are negative correlations between temperature and altitude 2 , with rainfall and altitude found to be positively correlated 3 . High-altitude females are expected to select for producing larger eggs 2-6 because larger eggs can lead to larger initial sizes, faster rates of growth, faster developmental rates, or both 7-12 . Yet, a significant increase in egg size may prolong the duration of the embryonic period, which results in increasing total mortality 13 . In addition, individuals that metamorphose at larger size may be more easily discovered by predators, thus Rollinson and Hutchings (2010) 14 suggest that bigger is not always better. However, egg or hatching size may not affect mass at metamorphosis and survival because other ecological factors, such as temperature, density and competition, food level and quality, predation, or a combination of these, can alter the growth and developmental rate of each life stage of amphibians 9,15-18 .The number of offspring produced, and their size, are fundamental life history traits because they are intimately linked with fitness and therefore population viability 19 . The trade-off between offspring number and size suggests that selection will produce more small eggs or abundant larvae under scarce resources and stressful environments, which is known as r-selection 9 . The advantage associated with producing smaller eggs is due to the corresponding increase in fecundity 9 . Conversely, selection will prefer to produce larger eggs or more robust larvae under abundant essential resources and good environmental conditions, which is regarded as K-selection 5,20 . However, amphibians respond to varying environments by changing egg size or a t...

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Geographic variation in maternal investment and trade-offs between egg size and clutch size in an endemic toad of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Deng

2020

Sci Rep

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“…Specially, many intraspecific investigations demonstrated that some life history traits diversify, interact and trade off under the temperature gradients and represent in the form of body size variation along the gradients [3, 4, 14–20]. Generally, a bigger size due to longer longevity in colder environments also facilitates heat conservation for many anuran species [3, 4, 16]. Nevertheless, there are also many species show a reversed cline [17–19], while some others show no geographic trend [20–22] even some life history traits show some general clines [17, 19, 21, 22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic body size variation of a tropical anuran: effects of water deficit and precipitation seasonality on Asian common toad from southern Asia

et al. 2019

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BackgroundTwo previous studies on interspecific body size variation of anurans found that the key drivers of variation are the species’ lifestyles and the environments that they live in. To examine whether those findings apply at the intraspecific level, we conducted a study of the Asian common toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus), a terrestrial anuran distributed in tropical regions. The body size of toads from 15 locations, covering the majority of their geographic range, and local environmental data were summarized from published literature. We used a model selection process based on an information-theoretic approach to examine the relationship between toad body size and those environmental parameters.ResultsWe found a positive correlation between the body size of the Asian common toad and the water deficit gradient, but no linkage between body size and temperature-related parameters. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between the seasonality of precipitation and body size of females from different sampled populations.ConclusionsAs a terrestrial anuran, the Asian common toad should experience greater pressure from environmental fluctuations than aquatic species. It is mainly distributed in tropical regions where temperatures are generally warm and stable, but water availability fluctuates. Therefore, while thermal gradients are not strong enough to generate selection pressure on body size, the moisture gradient is strong enough to select for larger size in both males and females in dryer regions. Larger body size supports more efficient water conservation, a pattern in accordance with the prediction that lifestyles of different species and their local habitats determine the relationship between body size and environment. In addition, larger females occur in regions with greater seasonality in precipitation, which may happen because larger females can afford greater reproductive output in a limited reproductive season.

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“…In sphingid moths, however, the body size shows a latitudinal cline, supporting the resource availability hypothesis [18] that states that the availability of resources (e.g., in time or depending on competition) affects body size, which will increase in areas where resources are available for a longer time and/or the competition is lower [8]. Nonetheless, many ectotherm species follow the Bergmann's rule, such as Scathophaga stercoraria (Diptera), Psammodromus algirus (Lacertidae), many bee genera (like Andrena or Halictus), and Bufo minshanicus (Bufonidae) [16,[19][20][21]. Here, we focus on the changes in the nest size patterns of ants with altitude and latitude in Europe.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large- and Small-Scale Environmental Factors Drive Distributions of Ant Mound Size Across a Latitudinal Gradient

Juhász

Bátori

Trigos-Peral

et al. 2020

Insects

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Red wood ants are keystone species of forest ecosystems in Europe. Environmental factors and habitat characteristics affect the size of their nest mounds, an important trait being in concordance with a colony’s well-being and impact on its surroundings. In this study, we investigated the effect of large-scale (latitude and altitude) and small-scale environmental factors (e.g., characteristics of the forest) on the size of nest mounds of Formica polyctena in Central Europe. We predicted that the change in nest size is in accordance with Bergmann’s rule that states that the body size of endotherm animals increases with the higher latitude and/or altitude. We found that the size of nests increased along the latitudinal gradient in accordance with Bergmann’s rule. The irradiation was the most important factor responsible for the changes in nest size, but temperature and local factors, like the perimeter of the trees and their distance from the nest, were also involved. Considering our results, we can better understand the long-term effects and consequences of the fast-changing environmental factors on this ecologically important group. This knowledge can contribute to the planning of forest management tactics in concordance with the assurance of the long-term survival of red wood ants.

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Altitudinal variation in body size in Bufo minshanicus supports Bergmann’s rule

Cited by 24 publications

References 41 publications

Geographic variation in maternal investment and trade-offs between egg size and clutch size in an endemic toad of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Geographic variation in maternal investment and trade-offs between egg size and clutch size in an endemic toad of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Geographic body size variation of a tropical anuran: effects of water deficit and precipitation seasonality on Asian common toad from southern Asia

Large- and Small-Scale Environmental Factors Drive Distributions of Ant Mound Size Across a Latitudinal Gradient

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