Pub Date : 2022-05-10DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10090
Johanna Ambu, D. Andersen, Amaël Borzée
Species diversity, abundance and distribution relate to habitat preferences at multiple geographic and ecological scales. In this study, we aimed to understand the breeding ecology of five sympatric amphibians in the Republic of Korea – four anurans (Bufo sachalinensis, Rana uenoi, Rana coreana, Rana huanrenensis) and one caudata (Hynobius sp.) – by characterising their spawning habitat and to determine whether spawning site preference was influenced by species co-occurrence. We surveyed 120 water bodies focusing on the egg clutches to define the environmental properties associated with each taxa (water quality, depth, vegetation cover, topography and landscape), and we measured the distance between egg clutches and the bank of the water bodies (microhabitat). Habitats were partitioned among anurans along a gradient based on water depth. While the habitat used for spawning did not depend on species communities, the oviposition sites of R. uenoi and R. coreana varied in respect to their co-occurrence and the presence of the putative predator Hynobius sp. This suggests a plastic response in anurans’ reproductive behaviour potentially triggered by competitive interactions, and therefore subtle differences in microhabitats are significant yet overlooked drivers of breeding site selection.
{"title":"Spawning site selection and segregation at the landscape, habitat and microhabitat scales for five syntopic Asian amphibians","authors":"Johanna Ambu, D. Andersen, Amaël Borzée","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10090","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10090","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Species diversity, abundance and distribution relate to habitat preferences at multiple geographic and ecological scales. In this study, we aimed to understand the breeding ecology of five sympatric amphibians in the Republic of Korea – four anurans (Bufo sachalinensis, Rana uenoi, Rana coreana, Rana huanrenensis) and one caudata (Hynobius sp.) – by characterising their spawning habitat and to determine whether spawning site preference was influenced by species co-occurrence. We surveyed 120 water bodies focusing on the egg clutches to define the environmental properties associated with each taxa (water quality, depth, vegetation cover, topography and landscape), and we measured the distance between egg clutches and the bank of the water bodies (microhabitat). Habitats were partitioned among anurans along a gradient based on water depth. While the habitat used for spawning did not depend on species communities, the oviposition sites of R. uenoi and R. coreana varied in respect to their co-occurrence and the presence of the putative predator Hynobius sp. This suggests a plastic response in anurans’ reproductive behaviour potentially triggered by competitive interactions, and therefore subtle differences in microhabitats are significant yet overlooked drivers of breeding site selection.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46552234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-04-19DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10088
V. P. Cyriac, Sneha Dharwardkar, A. Mital, A. Mohan
Herpetology in India took off during the British colonial rule with the documentation of herpetofauna. Several studies have outlined the early history of Indian herpetology; however, few have traced the growth of this field since India’s independence. We analyse trends in Indian herpetology focusing on taxa, subfields, and authorship over the last 70 years. Of the 1177 published articles we analysed, 64.9% studied reptiles, 26.5% studied amphibians and 8.6% were general herpetofaunal studies. Frogs, lizards, and snakes being the most diverse herpetofauna groups, each accounted for 20-21% of the published articles and significantly outnumber publications on caecilians (2.3%), salamanders (0.4%), chelonians (12.6%), and crocodiles (4.4%). We found a significantly greater number of publications on Diversity & Distribution (34.2%), Taxonomy & Systematics (21.6%) and Ecology (19.4%) compared to other subfields, and detected a decline in Development, Physiology & Cytology and Evolutionary biology studies over the last four decades (1980-2019). The gender ratio among co-authors was dominated by men with only 29.7% of publications containing women authors. The overall proportion of women authors has not changed significantly over decades, but our analyses detected a significant decrease in women first authors and the proportion of women authors when the corresponding authors were men. Women authors were substantially lower in the subfield of Taxonomy & Systematics, and women published significantly more on amphibians compared to reptiles. Overall, we highlight the growth of herpetology in India from two key viewpoints, scientific pursuits, and gender parity among herpetologists.
{"title":"70 years of herpetology in India: insights into shifts in focal research areas and gender ratios among authors","authors":"V. P. Cyriac, Sneha Dharwardkar, A. Mital, A. Mohan","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10088","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Herpetology in India took off during the British colonial rule with the documentation of herpetofauna. Several studies have outlined the early history of Indian herpetology; however, few have traced the growth of this field since India’s independence. We analyse trends in Indian herpetology focusing on taxa, subfields, and authorship over the last 70 years. Of the 1177 published articles we analysed, 64.9% studied reptiles, 26.5% studied amphibians and 8.6% were general herpetofaunal studies. Frogs, lizards, and snakes being the most diverse herpetofauna groups, each accounted for 20-21% of the published articles and significantly outnumber publications on caecilians (2.3%), salamanders (0.4%), chelonians (12.6%), and crocodiles (4.4%). We found a significantly greater number of publications on Diversity & Distribution (34.2%), Taxonomy & Systematics (21.6%) and Ecology (19.4%) compared to other subfields, and detected a decline in Development, Physiology & Cytology and Evolutionary biology studies over the last four decades (1980-2019). The gender ratio among co-authors was dominated by men with only 29.7% of publications containing women authors. The overall proportion of women authors has not changed significantly over decades, but our analyses detected a significant decrease in women first authors and the proportion of women authors when the corresponding authors were men. Women authors were substantially lower in the subfield of Taxonomy & Systematics, and women published significantly more on amphibians compared to reptiles. Overall, we highlight the growth of herpetology in India from two key viewpoints, scientific pursuits, and gender parity among herpetologists.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49084356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-04-12DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10087
C. Camp, Z. Felix, J. Wooten
The salamander family Plethodontidae is replete with instances of repeated homoplasy. We tested for morphological homoplasy in distantly related species of the plethodontid genus Desmognathus that share similar ecologies. Specifically, we compared species that are large and nearly aquatic. Using morphometric analyses, we compared the respective morphologies of four large, nearly aquatic forms, specifically the Black Mountain Salamander (Desmognathus welteri), the Dwarf Black-bellied Salamander (D. folkertsi), and two phylogenetically divergent lineages of the Black-bellied Salamander (D. quadramaculatus). Morphometric analysis uncovered distinct differences among them. However, all of the large-bodied lineages exhibited the same extent of tail-fin development in spite of D. welteri’s closer phylogenetic relationship to smaller, more-terrestrial species than to the other large, nearly aquatic forms we tested. We hypothesize that large body size is also a consequence of aquatic adaptation. These morphological consequences of a nearly aquatic ecology represent another case of homoplasy within this salamander family.
{"title":"Evidence of morphological homoplasy among large, semi-aquatic species of Desmognathus","authors":"C. Camp, Z. Felix, J. Wooten","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10087","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The salamander family Plethodontidae is replete with instances of repeated homoplasy. We tested for morphological homoplasy in distantly related species of the plethodontid genus Desmognathus that share similar ecologies. Specifically, we compared species that are large and nearly aquatic. Using morphometric analyses, we compared the respective morphologies of four large, nearly aquatic forms, specifically the Black Mountain Salamander (Desmognathus welteri), the Dwarf Black-bellied Salamander (D. folkertsi), and two phylogenetically divergent lineages of the Black-bellied Salamander (D. quadramaculatus). Morphometric analysis uncovered distinct differences among them. However, all of the large-bodied lineages exhibited the same extent of tail-fin development in spite of D. welteri’s closer phylogenetic relationship to smaller, more-terrestrial species than to the other large, nearly aquatic forms we tested. We hypothesize that large body size is also a consequence of aquatic adaptation. These morphological consequences of a nearly aquatic ecology represent another case of homoplasy within this salamander family.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"64509619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-04-08DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10085
J. Martins, Adriele Magalhães, António Cruz, M. Corrêa, M. R. Pires
We evaluated the effects of riparian forests restoration on anuran communities in the Brazilian Cerrado. We analyzed five riparian reforested fragments around a reservoir of an hydroelectric plant using microhabitat variables (humidity, canopy opening, amount of leaf litter and vegetation density), the dominant landscape (matrix type, fragment width) and reforestation age. We tested whether anuran abundance, richness and diversity were influenced by these variables using generalized linear models. Matrix type and fragment width were limiting factors for anurans to reach and establish themselves in riparian forest fragments, whereas microhabitat and reforestation age did not influence anuran succession. We conclude that reforestation in the midst of impermeable matrices creates anuran communities dominated by widely-distributed species that live in open areas, reflecting the highly modified surrounding habitat.
{"title":"Anuran fauna of reforested riparian forests: is microhabitat the decisive factor for colonization?","authors":"J. Martins, Adriele Magalhães, António Cruz, M. Corrêa, M. R. Pires","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10085","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 We evaluated the effects of riparian forests restoration on anuran communities in the Brazilian Cerrado. We analyzed five riparian reforested fragments around a reservoir of an hydroelectric plant using microhabitat variables (humidity, canopy opening, amount of leaf litter and vegetation density), the dominant landscape (matrix type, fragment width) and reforestation age. We tested whether anuran abundance, richness and diversity were influenced by these variables using generalized linear models. Matrix type and fragment width were limiting factors for anurans to reach and establish themselves in riparian forest fragments, whereas microhabitat and reforestation age did not influence anuran succession. We conclude that reforestation in the midst of impermeable matrices creates anuran communities dominated by widely-distributed species that live in open areas, reflecting the highly modified surrounding habitat.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41319333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-03-31DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10086
William G Ryerson, Ben Sweesy, Cassidy Goulet
Snakes are a diverse group of reptiles, having colonized almost every environment on the planet. Multiple snake lineages have independently evolved semiarboreal or completely arboreal species. As snakes lack limbs, the challenges of moving and feeding in an arboreal environment are numerous. Here we compare the prey-handling ability of the semiarboreal boa constrictor to the terrestrial ball python in a simulated arboreal context. Snakes were allowed to strike at rodent prey and attempt to swallow that prey while suspended. Boa constrictors were successful in feeding, using a complex suite of behaviors to maintain their position and manipulate their prey. Boa constrictors positioned rats so that swallowing occurred in the direction of gravity, and would use loops of their body to support the rat during swallowing. Ball pythons were frequently not successful in feeding, lacking the complex behaviors that boa constrictors frequently employed. Ball pythons would attempt to swallow, but in the majority of feeding attempts were ultimately unsuccessful. These unsuccessful feeding attempts were typically characterized by the ball pythons hanging upside-down, trying to swallow the prey against the direction of gravity. We suggest that behavioral modifications to feeding encouraged successful invasion of arboreal habitats, but more sampling of snake diversity is needed to explore the range and types of feeding behaviors that arboreal snakes employ.
{"title":"Hang in there: comparative arboreal prey-handling in boa constrictors and ball pythons","authors":"William G Ryerson, Ben Sweesy, Cassidy Goulet","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10086","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Snakes are a diverse group of reptiles, having colonized almost every environment on the planet. Multiple snake lineages have independently evolved semiarboreal or completely arboreal species. As snakes lack limbs, the challenges of moving and feeding in an arboreal environment are numerous. Here we compare the prey-handling ability of the semiarboreal boa constrictor to the terrestrial ball python in a simulated arboreal context. Snakes were allowed to strike at rodent prey and attempt to swallow that prey while suspended. Boa constrictors were successful in feeding, using a complex suite of behaviors to maintain their position and manipulate their prey. Boa constrictors positioned rats so that swallowing occurred in the direction of gravity, and would use loops of their body to support the rat during swallowing. Ball pythons were frequently not successful in feeding, lacking the complex behaviors that boa constrictors frequently employed. Ball pythons would attempt to swallow, but in the majority of feeding attempts were ultimately unsuccessful. These unsuccessful feeding attempts were typically characterized by the ball pythons hanging upside-down, trying to swallow the prey against the direction of gravity. We suggest that behavioral modifications to feeding encouraged successful invasion of arboreal habitats, but more sampling of snake diversity is needed to explore the range and types of feeding behaviors that arboreal snakes employ.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49336510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-02-15DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10080
Manon Dalibard, L. Buisson, A. Besnard, A. Ribéron, P. Laffaille
Accurate estimations of population size and space-use are critical issues, for assessing population trends and extinction risk. In this study, we applied spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) modelling customized for linear habitats to a three-year Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR) monitoring of three populations of stream-dwelling Pyrenean brook newt (Calotriton asper), an endemic species of the Pyrenean mountain range. Our aim was to explore (1) spatial and temporal variation in population densities, home range size and individual detection probability during breeding season between populations and years, and (2) the influence of water temperature and flow on activity of newts. Estimates of population density range from 3044 to 4641 individuals/km of stream across the three years of the study. Linear home range along the stream was estimated to be 13.31 m from the home range centre on average over the three years. All detection probability estimates were similar, both between years and between sites, with a mean probability of 0.09, except in Fougax in 2020 where detection probability was 0.03. Activity of the Pyrenean brook newt was influenced by water temperature and flow, but these factors acted at different time scales. Overall, population densities are locally high in both populations but home range of the Pyrenean brook newt during breeding season is very small indicating a strong site attachment. The importance of water temperature and flow on activity emphasizes the sensitivity of the species to these factors that are forecasted to change in coming decades.
{"title":"Population densities and home range of the vulnerable Pyrenean brook newt in its core aquatic habitat","authors":"Manon Dalibard, L. Buisson, A. Besnard, A. Ribéron, P. Laffaille","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10080","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Accurate estimations of population size and space-use are critical issues, for assessing population trends and extinction risk. In this study, we applied spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) modelling customized for linear habitats to a three-year Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR) monitoring of three populations of stream-dwelling Pyrenean brook newt (Calotriton asper), an endemic species of the Pyrenean mountain range. Our aim was to explore (1) spatial and temporal variation in population densities, home range size and individual detection probability during breeding season between populations and years, and (2) the influence of water temperature and flow on activity of newts. Estimates of population density range from 3044 to 4641 individuals/km of stream across the three years of the study. Linear home range along the stream was estimated to be 13.31 m from the home range centre on average over the three years. All detection probability estimates were similar, both between years and between sites, with a mean probability of 0.09, except in Fougax in 2020 where detection probability was 0.03. Activity of the Pyrenean brook newt was influenced by water temperature and flow, but these factors acted at different time scales. Overall, population densities are locally high in both populations but home range of the Pyrenean brook newt during breeding season is very small indicating a strong site attachment. The importance of water temperature and flow on activity emphasizes the sensitivity of the species to these factors that are forecasted to change in coming decades.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44401384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-02-14DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10084
S. Gonzalez, Venetia S Briggs-Gonzalez
There are extensive studies on frog calling behaviours, including the effects of environmental variables, however, there are no known studies to explore the specific proximate cues that stimulate the onset of calling in an individual on a given night. The aim of this study is to identify and quantify the species-specific set of environmental variables that stimulate males to produce mating calls under natural conditions. Call surveys were conducted at an active breeding pond on the edge of Parque Nacional Soberanía, Panama, during the breeding seasons of 2009 and 2010. Observations were made on 20 anuran species at the study site and we examined the onset of calling in nine species that were active and most consistently present during breeding seasons. We used logistic and linear regression models to investigate environmental conditions that affect calling for each species. The initiation of chorusing differed by species and key factors included ambient light, rainfall, and lunar cycle. Our data define the margins of a behavioural-environmental envelope that is species-specific and is not related to calling behaviour itself but is rather defined by physiological constraints related to environmental exposure.
{"title":"The effects of environmental cues on chorusing onset in a tropical frog assemblage","authors":"S. Gonzalez, Venetia S Briggs-Gonzalez","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10084","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10084","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000There are extensive studies on frog calling behaviours, including the effects of environmental variables, however, there are no known studies to explore the specific proximate cues that stimulate the onset of calling in an individual on a given night. The aim of this study is to identify and quantify the species-specific set of environmental variables that stimulate males to produce mating calls under natural conditions. Call surveys were conducted at an active breeding pond on the edge of Parque Nacional Soberanía, Panama, during the breeding seasons of 2009 and 2010. Observations were made on 20 anuran species at the study site and we examined the onset of calling in nine species that were active and most consistently present during breeding seasons. We used logistic and linear regression models to investigate environmental conditions that affect calling for each species. The initiation of chorusing differed by species and key factors included ambient light, rainfall, and lunar cycle. Our data define the margins of a behavioural-environmental envelope that is species-specific and is not related to calling behaviour itself but is rather defined by physiological constraints related to environmental exposure.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49468232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-02-14DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10083
H. Ngo, Huy Quoc Nguyen, T. Phan, D. Rödder, L. R. Gewiss, T. Nguyen, T. Ziegler
The Lichtenfelder’s Tiger Gecko, Goniurosaurus lichtenfelderi is currently known only from northern Vietnam and southern China. Because of its restricted distribution, the species is potentially threatened by extinction due to anthropogenic impacts. Recently, the species has been listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as “Vulnerable” and included in CITES Appendix II and the Vietnam Governmental Decree – Group IIB. However, conservation activities to safeguard wild populations of G. lichtenfelderi have not yet been implemented due to a lack of detailed information about the population status and its ecological requirements. In this study, the micro-habitat use of G. lichtenfelderi was assessed. As a result of our field surveys, we found this species in evergreen forest areas with a high percentage of vegetation coverage and in close proximity to medium or small stream sections with rocky shelters on granitic formations. Canopy coverage, three micro-climatic variables (air, substrate temperature and humidity), weather condition and substrate type were the most important characteristics explaining the variation in the micro-habitat use of G. lichtenfelderi. Coupled with a macro-ecological (climate niche) approach, the complex niches of G. lichtenfelderi were defined by comparing them between two geographically distant populations in island and mainland sites. We found high similarities in macro-climatic and micro-habitat niches between the island and mainland populations of G. lichtenfelderi. Based on the ecological information, we recommend conservation actions to protect the core refugia of G. lichtenfelderi and reduce negative influences of anthropogenic impacts on wild populations in the future.
{"title":"First ecological assessment of the endangered Lichtenfelder’s Tiger Gecko (Goniurosaurus lichtenfelderi) from northern Vietnam: Micro-habitat and macro-climatic niche comparisons between island and mainland populations","authors":"H. Ngo, Huy Quoc Nguyen, T. Phan, D. Rödder, L. R. Gewiss, T. Nguyen, T. Ziegler","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10083","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000The Lichtenfelder’s Tiger Gecko, Goniurosaurus lichtenfelderi is currently known only from northern Vietnam and southern China. Because of its restricted distribution, the species is potentially threatened by extinction due to anthropogenic impacts. Recently, the species has been listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as “Vulnerable” and included in CITES Appendix II and the Vietnam Governmental Decree – Group IIB. However, conservation activities to safeguard wild populations of G. lichtenfelderi have not yet been implemented due to a lack of detailed information about the population status and its ecological requirements. In this study, the micro-habitat use of G. lichtenfelderi was assessed. As a result of our field surveys, we found this species in evergreen forest areas with a high percentage of vegetation coverage and in close proximity to medium or small stream sections with rocky shelters on granitic formations. Canopy coverage, three micro-climatic variables (air, substrate temperature and humidity), weather condition and substrate type were the most important characteristics explaining the variation in the micro-habitat use of G. lichtenfelderi. Coupled with a macro-ecological (climate niche) approach, the complex niches of G. lichtenfelderi were defined by comparing them between two geographically distant populations in island and mainland sites. We found high similarities in macro-climatic and micro-habitat niches between the island and mainland populations of G. lichtenfelderi. Based on the ecological information, we recommend conservation actions to protect the core refugia of G. lichtenfelderi and reduce negative influences of anthropogenic impacts on wild populations in the future.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48404567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-02-10DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10082
Marko Bugarčić, A. Ivanović, Milena Cvijanović, Tijana Z. Vučić
The Macedonian crested newt T. macedonicus forms a complex hybrid zone with the Balkan crested newt T. ivanbureschi in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula. In this study, we compared life history parameters (sex ratio, survival rate and age of sexual maturation) and growth parameters (body length and mass) of T. macedonicus and T. macedonicus × T. ivanbureschi hybrids over the first three postmetamorphic years. Survival rates were high and similar for both genotypes. Sexual dimorphism in body size (length and mass) was evident at the beginning of the third postmetamorphic year, after the first breeding year, for both T. macedonicus and hybrids. We did not find clear and consistent difference in any of the analysed traits suggesting that hybridization with T. ivabureschi does not affect postmetamorphic growth and survival of T. macedonicus.
{"title":"Consequences of hybridization on life history and growth in postmetamorphic Triturus macedonicus","authors":"Marko Bugarčić, A. Ivanović, Milena Cvijanović, Tijana Z. Vučić","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10082","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000The Macedonian crested newt T. macedonicus forms a complex hybrid zone with the Balkan crested newt T. ivanbureschi in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula. In this study, we compared life history parameters (sex ratio, survival rate and age of sexual maturation) and growth parameters (body length and mass) of T. macedonicus and T. macedonicus × T. ivanbureschi hybrids over the first three postmetamorphic years. Survival rates were high and similar for both genotypes. Sexual dimorphism in body size (length and mass) was evident at the beginning of the third postmetamorphic year, after the first breeding year, for both T. macedonicus and hybrids. We did not find clear and consistent difference in any of the analysed traits suggesting that hybridization with T. ivabureschi does not affect postmetamorphic growth and survival of T. macedonicus.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46988497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-12-30DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10077
G. Höbel, Robb C. Kolodziej, Dustin Nelson, Christopher White
Information on how organisms allocate resources to reproduction is critical for understanding population dynamics. We collected clutch size (fecundity) and egg size data of female Eastern Gray Treefrogs, Hyla versicolor, and examined whether observed patterns of resource allocation are best explained by expectations arising from life history theory or by expected survival and growth benefits of breeding earlier. Female Hyla versicolor showed high between-individual variation in clutch and egg size. We did not observe maternal allocation trade-offs (size vs number; growth vs reproduction) predicted from life history theory, which we attribute to the large between-female variation in resource availability, and the low survival and post-maturity growth rate observed in the study population. Rather, clutches are larger at the beginning of the breeding season, and this variation in reproductive investment aligns with seasonal variation in ecological factors affecting offspring growth and survival.
{"title":"Effect of body size, age and timing of breeding on clutch and egg size of female Eastern Gray Treefrogs, Hyla versicolor","authors":"G. Höbel, Robb C. Kolodziej, Dustin Nelson, Christopher White","doi":"10.1163/15685381-bja10077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-bja10077","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Information on how organisms allocate resources to reproduction is critical for understanding population dynamics. We collected clutch size (fecundity) and egg size data of female Eastern Gray Treefrogs, Hyla versicolor, and examined whether observed patterns of resource allocation are best explained by expectations arising from life history theory or by expected survival and growth benefits of breeding earlier. Female Hyla versicolor showed high between-individual variation in clutch and egg size. We did not observe maternal allocation trade-offs (size vs number; growth vs reproduction) predicted from life history theory, which we attribute to the large between-female variation in resource availability, and the low survival and post-maturity growth rate observed in the study population. Rather, clutches are larger at the beginning of the breeding season, and this variation in reproductive investment aligns with seasonal variation in ecological factors affecting offspring growth and survival.","PeriodicalId":50799,"journal":{"name":"Amphibia-Reptilia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2021-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43326891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：