1
|
Morphological Variation and Its Environmental Correlates in the Taihangshan Swelled-Vented Frog across the Qinling Mountains. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12182328. [PMID: 36139189 PMCID: PMC9495075 DOI: 10.3390/ani12182328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Amphibians have weak dispersal abilities and are sensitive to environmental changes, resulting in their disproportionately high risk of extinction, with many species’ populations rapidly declining. Therefore, it is critical for amphibian conservation to understand their adaptive potential by exploring how amphibians respond to environmental changes based on morphological variations. Our results showed that morphological traits of Feirana taihangnica significantly differed among ages. Along with the increase in annual mean temperature, snout-vent length showed an anti-hump trend, indicating no support for Bergmann’s rule. Mean ultraviolet-B of the highest and lowest months were positively and negatively correlated with head width, thigh length and tibia width, respectively. The present study can help understand the effects of environmental changes on morphological variations of this mountain frog species and its adaptive potential, providing important implications for species conservation. Abstract The Taihangshan swelled-vented frog (Feirana taihangnica), an endemic species to the Qinling Mountains, central China, has experienced a dramatic population decline over the last few decades. The aim of this work was to quantify morphological variation in F. taihangnica across the Qinling Mountains and examine environmental correlates of this variation of morphological traits. We implemented a hierarchical partitioning to estimate the independent contribution of each environmental variable on morphological variations. Temperature seasonality was the greatest contributor in variations of snout-vent length (SVL) and head width, and ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation of the lowest month was the most influential on both thigh length and tibia width. Then, we used generalized additive models to analyze the relationship between each environmental factor and morphological trait variations. Along the increasing of annual mean temperature, SVL decreased firstly and then increased, indicating no support for Bergmann’s rule. Furthermore, SVL was negatively correlated with annual precipitation, while positively with temperature seasonality. The mean UV-B of the highest and lowest months was positively and negatively correlated with head width, thigh length and tibia width, respectively. The results of this study help us to understand adaptive potential of this mountain frog species via morphological variations in the light of environmental changes.
Collapse
|
2
|
Baraquet M, Pollo FE, Otero MA, Grenat PR, Salas NE, Martino AL. Body size, age and growth in males populations of Boana pulchella (Anura, Hylidae). AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2021; 93:e20200991. [PMID: 34706002 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202120200991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Age determination in amphibians is crucial to the investigation of life-history traits. In this context, we studied, for the first time, the life-history traits of Boana pulchella from a sample (63 adult males) of three populations (Las Acequias, Río Cuarto, Alejandro Roca) in central Argentina using the skeletochronological method. All adults of B. pulchella studied showed recognizable bone structures that allowed age determination. The average snout-vent length of sexually mature males was 43.39 mm. The maximum observed longevity was 5 years (5 Las Acequias, 4 Río Cuarto, 3 Alejandro Roca) and minimum age at sexual maturity was 2 years (same in the three populations), with mean of 2.96 years. Body size and age were positively correlated (except in Alejandro Roca populations). The growth patterns, estimated by the von Bertalanffy growth equation, do not show differences between populations, and the growth rate decrease after the attainment of sexual maturity. In conclusion, the determination of the individual age of the different populations of B. pulchella allowed us for the first time to establish the characteristics of the life history of the species, important for future comparisons whit others populations and future conservation biology studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Baraquet
- Ecología, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Ruta Nacional N° 36-Km 601, (X5804BYA) Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina.,Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente (ICBIA), UNRC-CONICET, Ruta Nacional N° 36-Km 601, (X5804BYA) Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Favio E Pollo
- Ecología, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Ruta Nacional N° 36-Km 601, (X5804BYA) Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina.,Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente (ICBIA), UNRC-CONICET, Ruta Nacional N° 36-Km 601, (X5804BYA) Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Manuel A Otero
- Ecología, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Ruta Nacional N° 36-Km 601, (X5804BYA) Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina.,Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente (ICBIA), UNRC-CONICET, Ruta Nacional N° 36-Km 601, (X5804BYA) Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Pablo R Grenat
- Ecología, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Ruta Nacional N° 36-Km 601, (X5804BYA) Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina.,Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente (ICBIA), UNRC-CONICET, Ruta Nacional N° 36-Km 601, (X5804BYA) Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Nancy E Salas
- Ecología, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Ruta Nacional N° 36-Km 601, (X5804BYA) Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina.,Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente (ICBIA), UNRC-CONICET, Ruta Nacional N° 36-Km 601, (X5804BYA) Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Adolfo L Martino
- Ecología, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Ruta Nacional N° 36-Km 601, (X5804BYA) Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina.,Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente (ICBIA), UNRC-CONICET, Ruta Nacional N° 36-Km 601, (X5804BYA) Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Benítez-López A, Santini L, Gallego-Zamorano J, Milá B, Walkden P, Huijbregts MAJ, Tobias JA. The island rule explains consistent patterns of body size evolution in terrestrial vertebrates. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:768-786. [PMID: 33859376 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01426-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Island faunas can be characterized by gigantism in small animals and dwarfism in large animals, but the extent to which this so-called 'island rule' provides a general explanation for evolutionary trajectories on islands remains contentious. Here we use a phylogenetic meta-analysis to assess patterns and drivers of body size evolution across a global sample of paired island-mainland populations of terrestrial vertebrates. We show that 'island rule' effects are widespread in mammals, birds and reptiles, but less evident in amphibians, which mostly tend towards gigantism. We also found that the magnitude of insular dwarfism and gigantism is mediated by climate as well as island size and isolation, with more pronounced effects in smaller, more remote islands for mammals and reptiles. We conclude that the island rule is pervasive across vertebrates, but that the implications for body size evolution are nuanced and depend on an array of context-dependent ecological pressures and environmental conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Benítez-López
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. .,Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Luca Santini
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CNR-IRET), National Research Council, Monterotondo (Rome), Italy
| | - Juan Gallego-Zamorano
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Borja Milá
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Patrick Walkden
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Mark A J Huijbregts
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Brum AJ, Loebens L, Prado CPA, Cechin SZ. Reproductive cycle, sexual maturity and longevity of
Odontophrynus americanus
(Anura: Odontophrynidae) in South Brazil. ACTA ZOOL-STOCKHOLM 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/azo.12359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J.C. Brum
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas Universidade Federal de Santa Maria Santa Maria Brazil
- Laboratório de Herpetologia Departamento de Ecologia e Evolução Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas Universidade Federal de Santa Maria Santa Maria Brazil
| | - Luiza Loebens
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas Universidade Federal de Santa Maria Santa Maria Brazil
- Laboratório de Herpetologia Departamento de Ecologia e Evolução Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas Universidade Federal de Santa Maria Santa Maria Brazil
| | - Cynthia P. A. Prado
- Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia Animal Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias Universidade Estadual Paulista São Paulo Brazil
| | - Sonia Z. Cechin
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas Universidade Federal de Santa Maria Santa Maria Brazil
- Laboratório de Herpetologia Departamento de Ecologia e Evolução Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas Universidade Federal de Santa Maria Santa Maria Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Pujol-Buxó E, Kaliontzopoulou A, Unanue-Goikoetxea G, Ambrós B, Llorente GA. Geographical differences in competitive hierarchy in a native–invasive system. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Biological invasions can create novel competitive interactions and force ecological shifts in both native and invasive species. Anuran tadpoles are able to modify their behaviour, morphology, growth and development to cope with competitive pressure. This plasticity is a good target for natural selection and can drive rapid evolutionary changes in response to novel interactions. Here, we explore changes in plastic responses and fitness of competing invasive and native tadpoles by exposing tadpoles from different locations with contrasting evolutionary histories to the same set of varied competitive conditions. Eggs were collected from one site near the first introduction of the invasive frog (~110 years of coexistence) and from a second site that was invaded recently. We hypothesized less favourable outcomes for the invasive species in long-coexisting populations, where the native competitor might have developed adaptive responses. Most results support the hypothesis. Where the invasion was older, invasive tadpoles exposed to native competitors grew less, developed more slowly and displayed morphologies linked to competitive stress, whereas the developmental stability and canalization of native tadpoles increased. On the whole, the asymmetric competitive relationship thus appeared to approach symmetry after ~35 generations, highlighting a noteworthy example of rapid adaptation after an invasion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eudald Pujol-Buxó
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou
- CIBIO/InBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Campus Agrario de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Gerezti Unanue-Goikoetxea
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Bàrbara Ambrós
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gustavo A Llorente
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Pujol‐Buxó E, Garcia‐Cisneros A, Miaud C, Llorente GA. Genetic relationships and diversity patterns within the invasive range of the Mediterranean Painted Frog. J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E. Pujol‐Buxó
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain
- IrBio, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain
| | - A. Garcia‐Cisneros
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain
- Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC) Blanes Spain
| | - C. Miaud
- EPHE, UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS, UM, Univ. P. Valéry, SupAgro, IRD, INRA, Biogéographie et Écologie des Vertébrés PSL Research University Montpellier France
| | - G. A. Llorente
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain
- IrBio, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain
| |
Collapse
|