Body Size and Age in Amphibians and Reptiles

Halliday, Tim; Verrell, Paul A.

doi:10.2307/1564148

Cited by 377 publications

(234 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Schmidtler and Schmidtler (1967) and Olgun and Baran (1993) also determined larger body measurements for males than females in different populations. Similarly, males having a larger average SVL than females was also recorded in, e.g., Lissotriton vulgaris (Halliday and Verrell, 1988) and M. caucasica (Üzüm, 2009). Males being larger than females can be attributed to factors such as male interactions in the breeding season (Shine, 1979;Halliday and Verrell, 1988;Malmgren and Thollesson, 1999) and sexual selection, i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…It is widely assumed that amphibians and reptiles show indeterminate growth and therefore their body size and age are positively correlated (Duellman and Trueb, 1986;Halliday and Verrell, 1988). Variation in body size, age at maturation, and longevity across environmental gradients are some of the most intensively studied ecogeographic trends (Sinsch et al, 2007;Adams and Church, 2008;Hasumi, 2010;Altunışık and Özdemir, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Body size and age in three populations of the northern banded newt Ommatotriton ophryticus (Berthold, 1846) from Turkey

Özcan¹,

Üzüm²

2015

Turk J Zool

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We measured body size (snout-vent length, SVL) for three populations of Ommatotriton ophryticus newts in Turkey and estimated age using the skeletochronological method. Age was determined by counting the lines of arrested growth in cross-sections taken from phalanges. SVL was similar among populations and ranged between 58.41 and 85.78 mm in males and 50.33 and 71.56 mm in females. Males were significantly larger than females in all populations. Age at maturity was 4-6 years in males and 5-6 years in females. The average age of males and females did not differ significantly. Maximum age ranged from 9 to 12 years in males and from 9 to 11 years in females. Positive correlation was found between SVL and age for both sexes in all populations. A significant difference was observed among populations in terms of both age and body size (6-, 7-, and 8-year-old age classes). The demographic traits of the studied populations are the result of the interaction of multiple factors, including altitude, geographical location, and ecological factors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body size and age in three populations of the northern banded newt Ommatotriton ophryticus (Berthold, 1846) from Turkey

Özcan¹,

Üzüm²

2015

Turk J Zool

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“…Like most anurans (Miaud et al 1999;Khonsue et al 2001b;Esteban et al 2004;Cheong et al 2007), the black-spotted pond frog grows rapidly until sexual maturity, and until the early 1980s, it was widely accepted that the size of anurans positively correlated with age. However, the use of accurate age estimation (skeletochronology) has revealed that age and SVL are weakly related in many anuran species (Halliday & Verrell 1988). Individual growth rate and body size may be influenced by many factors such as food availability, individual efficiency of prey capture, parasite infections, and abiotic factors (temperature, light conditions, or chemicals) (Duellman & Trueb 1994;Goater 1994;Rehage et al 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Individual growth rate and body size may be influenced by many factors such as food availability, individual efficiency of prey capture, parasite infections, and abiotic factors (temperature, light conditions, or chemicals) (Duellman & Trueb 1994;Goater 1994;Rehage et al 2002). Furthermore, such factors can lead to large variations in the body size of the same age class; therefore, body size alone may not be a reliable indicator of individual age (Halliday & Verrell 1988).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age estimation by skeletochronology and advertisement call variation in the black-spotted pond frog (Rana nigromaculata)

Cheong

Yoo

Park

et al. 2013

Animal Cells and Systems

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Advertisement calls may contain information about the callers and the calling spot, which can be used during mate selection. The relationships between variations in advertisement call characters and age, snout-vent length (SVL), and water temperature were analyzed for the black-spotted pond frog (Rana nigromaculata). After recording the advertisement calls, we measured the SVL of the callers and the water temperature of the calling spot, then we collected a toe clipping from each of the 25 individuals recorded. The age of each frog was determined using the skeletochronological method. The frogs were two to eight years old and the asymptotic size was 6.3 cm when fitted to the von Bertalanffy growth equation. Age was not linearly correlated with SVL. In the analysis of 743 recorded advertisement calls from 25 individuals, the water temperature caused a decrease in males' call duration with more pulse groups, each having higher pulse rates, irrespective of age and SVL. Older males produced calls with more pulse groups and shorter pulse-group duration, which led to increasing call durations irrespective of the water temperature. Larger males produced lower dominant frequency, irrespective of the water temperature. Advertisement calls of the black-spotted pond frog provide information about the quality of males and the manner in which females use this information during mate selection. In this study, we provide information on how frequency reflects male size while temporal characters reflect age.

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“…Age was determined using standard skeletochronological technique, based on counting the lines of arrested growth (LAG), in histological sections of humérus (Francillon, 1979;Caetano & Castanet, 1987;Halliday & Verrell, 1988). Age at onset of sexual maturity was estimated from the «rapprochement» pattern of LAG, due to slowing of growth related to sexual maturation (Kleinenberg & Smirina, 1969; for a discussion on the critical application of this method, see Francillon-Vieillot et al, 1990).…”

Section: Age Determinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The crested newt (Triturus carnifex) in the Submediterranean: Reproductive biology, body size, and age

Cvetković¹,

Kalezić²,

Djorović³

et al. 1996

Italian Journal of Zoology

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The annual reproductive cycle of both sexes of Triturus carnifex from the Submediterranean was analysed, as well as complex relationships between fecundity, body size, and age. Highly significant seasonal variations in snout-vent length-adjusted gonads, fat bodies, and liver weight were found in both sexes. Variations in cycle due to geographic location and climate were recorded. Newts exhibited extended residence in water and lengthening of breeding period. Body size was significantly correlated with age in males, contrary to females. All organ weights were significantly correlated to body size, except for fat body weight in females. In both sexes, fecundity parameters showed a highly significant effect of season, while the effect of age was insignificant (testes weight and total number of oocytes) or barely significant (ovaries weight).

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Body Size and Age in Amphibians and Reptiles

Cited by 377 publications

References 66 publications

Body size and age in three populations of the northern banded newt Ommatotriton ophryticus (Berthold, 1846) from Turkey

Body size and age in three populations of the northern banded newt Ommatotriton ophryticus (Berthold, 1846) from Turkey

Age estimation by skeletochronology and advertisement call variation in the black-spotted pond frog (Rana nigromaculata)

The crested newt (Triturus carnifex) in the Submediterranean: Reproductive biology, body size, and age

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