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420 results for “Body size data”

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Data from: Environmental correlates of molluscan predator-prey body size in the northern Gulf of Mexico

The Mississippi River watershed drains 40% of the continental United States, and the tremendous primary productivity in the adjacent north-central Gulf of Mexico has created one of the most extensive dead zones on Earth. In contrast, smaller watersheds deliver less nutrients to the northeastern Gulf, and consequently productivity is limited and hypoxia is uncommon. How has variation in primary productivity, oxygen availability, and sea surface temperature, affected coastal food webs? Here, we investigate environmental controls on the size of molluscan predators and prey in the northern Gulf of Mexico using Holocene death assemblages. Linear mixed models indicate that bivalve size and the frequency of drilling predation are affected by dissolved oxygen concentrations; drilling frequency declines with declining oxygen, whereas bivalve size increases. In contrast, sea surface temperature is positively associated with the size of molluscan predators and prey. Net primary productivity contributes relatively little to predator or prey size, and predator-to-prey size ratios do not vary consistently with environmental conditions across the northern Gulf. Larger bivalves in areas of oxygen limitation may be due to decreased predation pressure and consequently greater prey longevity. The larger size of bivalves and predatory gastropods in warmer waters may reflect enhanced growth under these conditions, provided dissolved oxygen concentrations exceed a minimum threshold. Holocene death assemblages can be used to test long-standing hypotheses regarding environmental controls on predator-prey body size distributions through geologic time and provide baselines for assessing the ongoing effects of anthropogenic eutrophication and warming on coastal food webs.

opencc-zeroJun 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Body size-dependent effects on the distribution patterns of phoretic mite species assemblages on Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790)

Phoretic mites attach to different body parts of the red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790), to disperse. However, the question of how the patterns of attachment sites are formed remains intriguing. Here, we examined RPW-associated phoretic mites in four districts in Northern Portugal (macrohabitat), and investigated the patterns of mite distribution on six body parts of RPW (microhabitat). At the macrohabitat level, we detected seven phoretic mite taxa using the RPW host in each of the four studied districts, all documented for the first time in association with this invasive exotic species in Portugal. However, their relative abundance (species evenness) varied between districts, as did species diversity. All examined weevils carried mites, and the prevalence of the different taxa did not differ between districts or sex of weevils. Measured by mean abundance and degree of aggregation, Centrouropoda sp. proved to be the dominant taxon, while Acarus sp. and Curculanoetus rhynchophorus were considered common subordinate taxa and Uroovobella sp., Mesostigmata, Nenteria extremica and Dendrolaelaps sp. sparse taxa. At the microhabitat level, all taxa were present on all body parts of the RPW; the highest abundance was in a region encompassing the inner surface of the elytra and the membranous hind wings (subelytral space). Analysis of niche overlap revealed that the distribution patterns of phoretic mite taxa on the RPW were not randomly structured. In the subelytral space, interspecific coexistence of mites increased as a function of body size difference with the dominant Centrouropoda sp. We found that in the subelytral space the large dominant species Centrouropoda sp. displaced the larger species Uroobovella sp. and the similarly sized species Nenteria extremica, but coexisted with smaller taxa.

opencc-zeroJul 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: The costs of living on the coast: reduction in body size and size-specific reproductive output in coastal populations of a widespread amphibian

<ol> <li>Body size is a critical component of organismal biology. Body size is known to be influenced by a plethora of environmental conditions, among which exposure to large-scale variations of salinity has been comparatively overlooked. Yet, exposure to salinity is known to affect energetic allocation toward growth and reproduction.</li> <li>In this study, we investigated the morphological differences between inland and coastal individuals of spined toads (Bufo spinosus) in Western France. </li> <li>We measured adult morphology both outside and during the reproductive season on 190 individuals, and assessed reproduction in pairs originating from inland (N=20) and coastal (N=30) environments.</li> <li>Overall, we found that adult coastal toads were smaller and lighter than inland individuals. Reproductive correlates of these differences included lower fecundity and smaller egg size (but higher egg density) in coastal females. Interestingly, these differences were not allometric correlates of body size, as coastal females invested proportionally less in all components of reproduction (fecundity, egg size and egg protection).</li> <li>These results suggest altered resource allocation to growth and reproduction in coastal amphibians, which may be related to the marked spatial gradient of salinity (measured in reproductive ponds) and the associated costs of osmoregulation (higher osmolality in coastal individuals), for which local adaptation and higher tolerance to salinity remains to be tested.</li> </ol>

opencc-zeroJul 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Chilean fish body size is influenced by multiple drivers

There is evidence that organisms have become smaller during the past periods of global warming. Global change has substantial effects on biodiversity, with body size reduction being the third most common response to global warming. Body size allometry in ectotherms needs to be explored further; the objectives of this study were to better understand the mechanisms regulating body size in fish by testing: i) Bergmann's rule with temperature and elevation, ii) additional environmental drivers, iii) the role of isolation, iv) ecoevolutionary hypotheses comparing native and exotic species, and v) the role of migration propensity in comparing migratory and resident species. We analyzed an extensive dataset of Chilean fish composed of 75,198 records which included 25 species from 12 different families between latitudes -28.80 to -51.42 using linear mixed models to discern the best environmental variables contributing to body size changes, as well as incorporating factors related to dispersal capabilities, biogeographic isolation, and levels of exotic/native interactions. Bergmann's rule is supported by changes in elevation, and our study shows that freshwater fish body size also increases with increasing environmental heterogeneity and productivity. In general, inland native fish tend to be smaller than coastal ones, supporting the island rule with evidence of gigantism or dwarfism in selected species. Ecological variables affecting fish body size do not differ between native and exotic fish unless other factors are considered, such as dispersal capacity (migrating vs. resident fish) or mechanisms related to their isolation. Although temperature is not a direct driver of body size in Chilean fish, heterogeneity, productivity, geography, migratory ability, and species origin may affect body size. A better understanding of the mechanisms driving body size in ectotherms will aid in determining management priorities in the face of global climate disruption.

opencc-zeroSep 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Vomeronasal organ volume increases with body size and is dissociated with loss of a visual signal in Sceloporus lizards

Many organisms communicate using signals in different sensory modalities (multicomponent or multimodal). When one signal or component is lost over evolutionary time, it may be indicative of changes in other characteristics of the signaling system, including the sensory organs used to perceive and process signals. Sceloporus lizards predominantly use chemical and visual signals to communicate, yet some species have lost the ancestral ventral color patch used in male-male agonistic interactions and exhibit increased chemosensory behavior. Here, we asked whether evolutionary loss of this sexual signal is associated with larger vomeronasal organ (VNO) volumes (an organ that detects chemical scents) compared to species that have retained the color patch. We measured VNO coronal section areas of 7–8 adult males from each of 11 Sceloporus species (4 that lost and 7 that retained the color patch), estimated sensory and total epithelium volume, and compared volumes using phylogenetic ANCOVA, controlling for body size. Contrary to expectations, we found that species retaining the ventral patch had similar relative VNO volumes as did species that have lost the ancestral patch, and that body size explains VNO epithelium volume. Visual signal loss may be sufficiently compensated for by increased chemosensory behavior, and the allometric pattern may indicate sensory system trade-offs for large-bodied species.

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

dryad36/100