Evolution and plasticity of anuran larval development in response to desiccation. A comparative analysis

Ecology and Evolution

Alex Richter-Boix¹  Miguel Tejedo² 

[1] Department of Population Biology and Conservation Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.;Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain.

关键词: Anuran tadpoles;    developmental plasticity;    evolutionary trade‐off;    life‐history theory;    phylogenetic analyses;   

DOI  :  10.1002/ece3.2

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

Anurans breed in a variety of aquatic habitats with contrasting levels of desiccation risk, which may result in selection for faster development during larval stages. Previous studies suggest that species in ephemeral ponds reduce their developmental times to minimize desiccation risks, although it is not clear how variation in desiccation risk affects developmental strategies in different species. Employing a comparative phylogenetic approach including data from published and unpublished studies encompassing 62 observations across 30 species, we tested if species breeding in ephemeral ponds (High risk) develop faster than those from permanent ponds (Low risk) and/or show increased developmental plasticity in response to drying conditions. Our analyses support shorter developmental times in High risk, primarily by decreasing body mass at metamorphosis. Plasticity in developmental times was small and did not differ between groups. However, accelerated development in High risk species generally resulted in reduced sizes at metamorphosis, while some Low risk species were able compensate this effect by increasing mean growth rates. Taken together, our results suggest that plastic responses in species breeding in ephemeral ponds are constrained by a general trade-off between development and growth rates.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC   
© 2011 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.