Body size variation of four latitudinally-separated populations of a toad species:age and growth rate as the proximate determinants

作     者：Tonglei YU Xin LU 

作者机构：Department of ZoologyCollege of Life SciencesWuhan UniversityWuhanChina 

出 版 物：《Integrative Zoology》 (整合动物学（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2013年第8卷第3期

页      面：315-323页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 080901[工学-物理电子学] 0809[工学-电子科学与技术（可授工学、理学学位）] 0905[农学-畜牧学] 08[工学] 0906[农学-兽医学] 080401[工学-精密仪器及机械] 0804[工学-仪器科学与技术] 0803[工学-光学工程] 

基　　金：The National Sciences Foundation of China provided financial support(Grant 30425036) 

主　　题：age body size Bufo gargarizans geographical variation growth rate 

摘      要：Age and growth rate are critical parameters determining the body size of adult anurans,which grow ***,evaluating their relative importance and selective pressures acting on them may help to explain variation in body size of anurans across geographical *** on the data on body size and skeletochronological age of 4 Asiatic toad(Bufo gargarizans)populations that are widely separated in latitude,the present study showed that toads at the northern extremity of the range were the oldest,on average,and grew relatively fast,toads at the southern end of the range were relatively old but grew fastest,whereas mid-latitude toads were intermediate in both *** results indicated that relative contributions of age and growth rate to body size differed among *** a life history perspective,greater age attained by toads at higher latitudes should result from delayed maturation,and faster growth from an adaptive response to strong seasonal time constraints;in contrast,selective pressures on the 2 parameters at lower latitudes might be associated,respectively,with low adult death rates and longer favorable growing seasons.