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420 results for “Body size data”
Data from: Genes predict long distance migration and large body size in a migratory fish, Pacific lamprey
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Data from: Size matters for lice on birds: coevolutionary allometry of host and parasite body size
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Data from: Largest-known fossil penguin provides insight into the early evolution of sphenisciform body size and flipper anatomy
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Data from: Reversal of response to artificial selection on body size in a wild passerine
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Data from: Crocodylomorph cranial shape evolution and its relationship with body size and ecology
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Data from: Cryptic lineage diversity, body size divergence and sympatry in a species complex of Australian lizards (Gehyra)
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Data from: Resolving the roles of body size and species identity in driving functional diversity
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Data from: Body size and extinction risk in terrestrial mammals above the species level
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Data: Generalized evidence for Bergmann's rule body size variation in a cosmopolitan owl genus
<p><strong>Aim:</strong> The eco-geographic Bergmann's rule predicts that animals have smaller body size in warmer regions than in cold environments because of thermoregulatory reasons. Although this rule has been widely investigated, intraspecific analyses on cosmopolitan taxa are rare. We examined whether geographic variation in wing length, a proxy of body size, shows a Bergmannian pattern and can be explained by three mechanisms known to affect animal body size (heat conservation, resource availability and starvation resistance) in seven species of nocturnal raptors of the genus <i>Tyto</i>.</p> <p><strong>Location:</strong> World.</p> <p><strong>Taxon:</strong> Genus <i>Tyto</i>.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> We measured wing length of 9033 museum specimens covering the entire distributional range of each species and linked it with geographic (absolute latitude, elevation) and climatic predictors associated with heat conservation, resource availability and starvation resistance hypotheses of spatial variation in body size.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> All the species show a trend of increasing wing length with increasing latitude and/or elevation, and in five of them either or both geographic predictors are statistically significant. In all the species showing a Bergmannian pattern, wing length significantly decreases with temperature, thus supporting the heat conservation hypothesis. Conversely, we found less generalized support for the other hypotheses, although in some species significant trends between wing length and proxies of climatic seasonality and/or primary productivity emerged.</p> <p><strong>Main conclusions:</strong> Consistent clines in body shrinking in warm environments are observed in species living in different continents at different latitudinal and temperature ranges, as well as exploiting different habitats. These findings thus support the hypothesis that body size is, at least partly, selected for heat maintenance depending on the thermal environment, even in nocturnal species which are not directly exposed to solar radiation. However, different selective pressures may also have concomitantly acted to promote body size evolution in this bird group.</p>
Data from: Temperature-driven colour lightness and body size variation scale to local assemblages of European Odonata but are modified by propensity for dispersal
<p>1. Previous macrophysiological studies suggested that temperature-driven colour lightness and body size variations strongly influence biogeographical patterns in ectotherms. However, these trait-environment relationships scale to local assemblages and the extent to which they can be modified by dispersal remains largely unexplored. We test whether the predictions of the thermal melanism hypothesis and the Bergmann's rule hold for local assemblages. We also assess whether these trait-environment relationships are more important for species adapted to less stable (lentic) habitats, due to their greater dispersal propensity compared to those adapted to stable (lotic) habitats.</p> <p>2. We quantified the colour lightness and body volume of 99 European dragon- and damselflies (Odonata) and combined these trait information with survey data for 518 local assemblages across Europe. Based on this continent-wide yet spatially explicit dataset, we tested for effects temperature and precipitation on the colour lightness and body volume of local assemblages and assessed differences in their relative importance and strength between lentic and lotic assemblages, while accounting for spatial and phylogenetic autocorrelation.</p> <p>3. The colour lightness of assemblages of odonates increased and body size decreased with increasing temperature. Trait-environment relationships in the average and phylogenetic predicted component were equally important for assemblages of both habitat types but were stronger in lentic assemblages when accounting for phylogenetic autocorrelation.</p> <p>4. Our results show that the mechanism underlying colour lightness and body size variations scale to local assemblages, indicating their general importance. These mechanisms were of equal evolutionary significance for lentic and lotic species, but higher dispersal ability seems to enable lentic species to cope better with historical climatic changes. The documented differences between lentic and lotic assemblages also highlight the importance of integrating interactions of thermal adaptations with proxies of the dispersal ability of species into trait-based models, for improving our understanding of climate-driven biological responses.</p>
Data from: Time-limited environments affect the evolution of egg - body size allometry
Initial offspring size is a fundamental component of absolute growth rate, where large offspring will reach a given adult body size faster than smaller offspring. Yet, our knowledge regarding the co-evolution between offspring and adult size is limited. In time-constrained environments, organisms need to reproduce at a high rate and reach a reproductive size quickly. In order to rapidly attain a large adult body size, we hypothesize that, in seasonal habitats, large species are bound to having a large initial size, and consequently, the evolution of egg size will be tightly matched to that of body size, compared to less time-limited systems. We tested this hypothesis in killifishes, and found a significantly steeper allometric relationship between egg size and body size in annual, compared to non-annual species. We also found higher rates of evolution of egg and body size in annual compared to non-annual species. Our results suggest that time-constrained environments impose strong selection on rapidly reaching a species-specific body size, and reproduce at a high rate, which in turn imposes constraints on the evolution of egg sizes. In combination, these distinct selection pressures result in different relationships between egg and body size among species in time-constrained versus permanent habitats.
Data from: Testing mechanisms of Bergmann's rule: phenotypic but no genetic change in body size in three passerine bird populations
Bergmann's rule predicts a decrease in body size with increasing temperature and has much empirical support. Surprisingly, we know very little about whether 'Bergmann size clines' are due to a genetic response or is a consequence of phenotypic plasticity. Here we use data on body size (mass and tarsus length) from three long-term (1979-2008) study populations of great tits (Parus major), in which there has been a temperature increase, to examine mechanisms behind Bergmann's rule. We show that adult body mass decreased over the study period in all populations and that tarsus length increased in one population. Both body mass and tarsus length were heritable and under weak positive directional selection, predicting an increase, rather than decrease, in body mass. There was no support for micro-evolutionary change and thus the observed declines in body mass were a result of phenotypic plasticity. Interestingly, this plasticity was not in direct response to temperature changes but seemed to be due to changes in prey dynamics. Our results caution against interpreting recent phenotypic body size declines as an adaptive evolutionary response to temperature changes and highlight the importance of considering alternative environmental factors when testing size clines.
Data from: Impacts of genetic correlation on the independent evolution of body mass and skeletal size in mammals
Mammals show a predictable scaling relationship between limb bone size and body mass. This relationship has a genetic basis which likely evolved via natural selection but it is unclear how much the genetic correlation between these traits in turn impacts their capacity to evolve independently. We selectively bred laboratory mice for increases in tibia length independent of body mass to test the hypothesis that a genetic correlation with body mass constrains evolutionary change in tibia length. Over 14 generations we produced mean tibia length increases of 11-12% while mean body mass was unchanged in selectively bred mice and random-bred controls. Using evolutionary scenarios with different selection and quantitative genetic parameters we also found that this genetic correlation impedes the rate of evolutionary change in both traits slowing increases in tibia length while preventing decreases in body mass despite the latter's negative effect on fitness. Overall results from this ongoing selection experiment suggest that parallel evolution of relatively longer hind limbs among rodents for example in the context of strong competition for resources and niche partitioning in heterogeneous environments may have occurred very rapidly on geological timescales in spite of the genetic correlation between tibia length and body mass.
Data from: Environmental and scale-dependent evolutionary trends in the body size of crustaceans
The ecological and physiological significance of body size is well recognized. However, key macroevolutionary questions regarding the dependency of body size trends on the taxonomic scale of analysis and the role of environment in controlling long-term evolution of body size are largely unknown. Here, we evaluate these issues for decapod crustaceans, a group that diversified in the Mesozoic. A compilation of body size data for 792 brachyuran crab and lobster species reveals that their maximum, mean and median body size increased, but no increase in minimum size was observed. This increase is not expressed within lineages, but is rather a product of the appearance and/or diversification of new clades of larger, primarily burrowing to shelter-seeking decapods. This argues against directional selective pressures within lineages. Rather, the trend is a macroevolutionary consequence of species sorting: preferential origination of new decapod clades with intrinsically larger body sizes. Furthermore, body size evolution appears to have been habitat-controlled. In the Cretaceous, reef-associated crabs became markedly smaller than those in other habitats, a pattern that persists today. The long-term increase in body size of crabs and lobsters, coupled with their increased diversity and abundance, suggests that their ecological impact may have increased over evolutionary time.
Data from: A phylogenetic analysis of egg size, clutch size, spawning mode, adult body size, and latitude in reef fishes
Theoretical treatments of egg size in fishes suggest that constraints on reproductive output should create trade-offs between the size and number of eggs produced per spawn. For marine reef fishes, the observation of distinct reproductive care strategies (demersal guarding, egg scattering, and pelagic spawning) has additionally prompted speculation that these strategies reflect alternative fitness optima with selection on egg size differing by reproductive mode and perhaps latitude. Here, we aggregate data from 278 reef fish species and test whether clutch size, reproductive care, adult body size, and latitudinal bands (i.e., tropical, subtropical, and temperate) predict egg size, using a statistically unified framework that accounts for phylogenetic correlations among traits. We find no inverse relationship between species egg size and clutch size, but rather that egg size differs by reproductive mode (mean volume for demersal eggs = 1.22 mm3, scattered eggs = 0.18 mm3, pelagic eggs = 0.52 mm3) and that clutch size is strongly correlated with adult body size. Larger eggs were found in temperate species compared with tropical species in both demersal guarders and pelagic spawners, but this difference was not strong when accounting for phylogenetic correlations, suggesting that differences in species composition underlies regional differences in egg size. In summary, demersal guarders are generally small fishes with small clutch sizes that produce large eggs. Pelagic spawners and egg scatterers are variable in adult and clutch size. Although pelagic spawned eggs are variable in size, those of scatterers are consistently small.
Data from: Tadpole body size and behavior alter the social acquisition of a defensive bacterial symbiont
Individual differences in host phenotypes can generate heterogeneity in the acquisition and transmission of microbes. Although this has become a prominent factor of disease epidemiology, host phenotypic variation might similarly underlie the transmission of microbial symbionts that defend against pathogen infection. Using green frog (Lithobates clamitans) tadpoles, we test whether body size and behavior influence the social acquisition of a skin bacterium, Janthinobacterium lividum, which in some hosts can confer protection against infection by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, the causative agent of the amphibian skin disease chytridiomycosis. We measured body size and boldness (time spent in an open field) of green frog tadpoles and haphazardly constructed groups of six individuals. In some groups we exposed one individual in each group to J. lividum and, in other groups, we inoculated a patch of aquarium pebbles to J. lividum. After 24hr, we swabbed each individual to estimate the presence of J. lividum on their skin. On average, tadpoles acquired nearly four times more bacteria when housed with an exposed individual compared to those housed with a patch of inoculated substrate. When tadpoles were housed with an exposed group-mate, larger and "bolder" individuals acquired more bacteria. These data suggest that phenotypically-biased acquisition of defensive symbionts might generate biased patterns of mortality from the pathogens against which they protect.
Data from: Size, sounds and sex: interactions between body size and harmonic convergence signals determine mating success in Aedes aegypti
Background: Several new mosquito control strategies will involve the release of laboratory reared males which will be required to compete with wild males for mates. Currently, the determinants of male mating success remain unclear. The presence of convergence between male and female harmonic flight tone frequencies during a mating attempt have been found to increase male mating success in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Size has also been implicated as a factor in male mating success. Here, we investigated the relationships among body size, harmonic convergence signalling, and mating success. We predicted that harmonic convergence would be an important determinant of mating success and that large individuals would be more likely to converge. Methods: We used diet to manipulate male and female body size and then measured acoustic interactions during mating attempts between pairs of different body sizes. Additionally, we used playback experiments to measure the direct effect of size on signalling performance. Results: In live pair interactions, harmonic convergence was found to be a significant predictor of copula formation. However, we also found interactions between harmonic convergence behaviour and body size. The probability that a given male successfully formed a copula was a consequence of his size, the size of the female encountered, and whether or not they converged. While convergence appears to be predictive of mating success regardless of size, the positive effect of convergence was modulated by size combinations. In playbacks, adult body size did not affect the probability of harmonic convergence responses. Conclusions: Both body size and harmonic convergence signalling were found to be determinants of male mating success. Our results suggest that in addition to measuring convergence ability of mass release lines that the size distribution of released males may need to be adjusted to complement the size distribution of females. We also found that diet amount alone cannot be used to increase male mating success or convergence probability. A clearer understanding of convergence behaviours, their relationship to mating success, and factors influencing convergence ability would provide the groundwork for improving the mating performance of laboratory reared lines.
Data from: How well can body size represent effects of the environment on demographic rates? Disentangling correlated explanatory variables
Demographic rates are shaped by the interaction of past and current environments that individuals in a population experience. Past environments shape individual states via selection and plasticity, and fitness-related traits (e.g. individual size) are commonly used in demographic analyses to represent the effect of past environments on demographic rates. We quantified how well the size of individuals captures the effects of a population's past and current environments on demographic rates in a well-studied experimental system of soil mites. We decomposed these interrelated sources of variation with a novel method of multiple regression that is useful for understanding nonlinear relationships between responses and multicollinear explanatory variables. We graphically present the results using area-proportional Venn diagrams. Our novel method was developed by combining existing methods and expanding upon them. We showed that the strength of size as a proxy for the past environment varied widely among vital rates. For instance, in this organism with an income breeding life history, the environment had more effect on reproduction than individual size, but with substantial overlap indicating that size encompassed some of the effects of the past environment on fecundity. This demonstrates that the strength of size as a proxy for the past environment can vary widely among life-history processes within a species, and this variation should be taken into consideration in trait-based demographic or individual-based approaches that focus on phenotypic traits as state variables. Furthermore, the strength of a proxy will depend on what state variable(s) and what demographic rate is being examined; that is, different measures of body size (e.g. length, volume, mass, fat stores) will be better or worse proxies for various life-history processes.
Data from: Body size affects the evolution of hidden colour signals in moths
Many cryptic prey have also evolved hidden contrasting colour signals which are displayed to would-be predators. Given that these hidden contrasting signals may confer additional survival benefits to the prey by startling/intimidating predators, it is unclear why they have evolved in some species, but not in others. Here, we have conducted a comparative phylogenetic analysis of the evolution of colour traits in the family Erebidae (Lepidoptera), and found that the hidden contrasting colour signals are more likely to be found in larger species. To understand why this relationship occurs, we present a general mathematical model, demonstrating that selection for a secondary defence such as deimatic display will be stronger in large species when (i) the primary defence (crypsis) is likely to fail as its body size increases and/or (ii) the secondary defence is more effective in large prey. To test the model assumptions, we conducted behavioural experiments using a robotic moth which revealed that survivorship advantages were higher against wild birds when the moth has contrasting hindwings and large size. Collectively, our results suggest that the evolutionary association between large size and hidden contrasting signals has been driven by a combination of the need for a back-up defence and its efficacy.
Data from: The impact of phylogenetic dating method on interpreting trait evolution: a case study of Cretaceous–Palaeogene eutherian body-size evolution
The fossil record of the earliest Cenozoic contains the first large-bodied placental mammals. Several evolutionary models have been invoked to explain the transition from small to large body sizes, but methods for determining evolutionary mode of trait change depend on input from tree topology and divergence dates. Different dating methods may therefore affect inference of evolutionary model. Here, we fit models of body mass evolution onto dated phylogenies of Cretaceous and Palaeogene mammals, comparing the effect of dating method on interpretation of evolutionary model. Among traditional palaeontological dating approaches, an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck model with high alpha parameters is recovered as best-fitting when minimum-age dating is used, while branch-sharing methods are highly sensitive to topology. Release or release–radiate models are preferred when Bayesian fossilized birth–death method is used, but when using stochastic cal3 dating of trees, a model of increased evolutionary rate without a release in constraint at the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary has highest support. These results demonstrate unambiguously that choice of dating method is critical for interpretation of continuous trait evolution, and that care must therefore be taken to consider these effects in macroevolutionary studies.
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