Do British birds conform to Bergmann's and Allen's rules? An analysis of body size variation with latitude for four species

McCollin, Duncan; Hodgson, James R.; Crockett, Robin G M

doi:10.1080/00063657.2015.1061476

Cited by 18 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 34 publications

(36 reference statements)

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“…, McCollin et al . ), this trend was not reflected in our results. In contrast to wing length, variance in body mass was only significantly explained by latitude in adult males, presumably because of physiological changes, which include an increase in female body mass during the breeding season.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

Signals of local adaptation across an environmental gradient among highly connected populations of the Dead Sea Sparrow Passer moabiticus in Israel

Cohen

Haran

Dor

2018

Ibis

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Populations found at the edge of a species range often have decreased genetic diversity, which together with high gene flow may reduce the ability of a species to adapt to local environmental conditions. The Dead Sea Sparrow Passer moabiticus occupies a disjointed range, where the Israeli populations are considered peripheral and fragmented. The species is also thought to have undergone a recent range expansion. We aimed to describe the genetic and morphological variation of the Israeli populations and to determine the extent of gene flow among them. We expected that because of the small latitudinal gradient across Israel and the recent range expansion of the species that Dead Sea Sparrow populations would show no significant morphological adaptation to local environmental conditions, and that considerable gene flow would be taking place among populations.Our findings indicate the existence of gene flow, suggesting high connectivity among populations, but recovered no support for a recent range expansion, possibly due to insufficient time since expansion for mutations to have accumulated. However, despite recurrent gene flow among populations, latitudinal variation in wing length (male and female) and body mass (male) was indicative of local adaptation across Israel, in accordance with Bergmann's rule.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

Signals of local adaptation across an environmental gradient among highly connected populations of the Dead Sea Sparrow Passer moabiticus in Israel

Cohen

Haran

Dor

2018

Ibis

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“…Traits in males and females may show different geographic patterns due to sexual selection and sexual dimorphism (Mccollin et al 2015), and the effect of sex on morphological measurements was analyzed with linear mixed-effect models (LME) using the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) method (fixed effect: sex, random effects: collection site) (Pinheiro et al 2015). If the bird displayed sexual dimorphism in morphological measurements, data were analyzed separately for each sex.…”

Section: Statistical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bergmann’s rule and Allen’s rule in two passerine birds in China

et al. 2019

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Background Animals that live at higher latitudes/elevations would have a larger body size (Bergmann’s rule) and a smaller appendage size (Allen’s rule) for thermoregulatory reasons. According to the heat conservation hypothesis, large body size and small appendage size help animals retain heat in the cold, while small body size and large appendage size help them dissipate heat in the warm. For animals living in seasonal climates, the need for conserving heat in the winter may tradeoff with the need for dissipating heat in the summer. In this study, we tested Bergmann’s rule and Allen’s rule in two widely-distributed passerine birds, the Oriental Magpie (Pica serica) and the Oriental Tit (Parus minor), across geographic and climatic gradients in China. Methods We measured body size (body mass and wing length) and appendage size (bill length and tarsus length) of 165 Oriental Magpie and 410 Oriental Tit individuals collected from Chinese mainland. We used linear mixed-effect models to assess variation patterns of body size and appendage size along geographic and climatic gradients. Results Oriental Magpies have a larger appendage size and Oriental Tits have a smaller body size in warmer environments. Appendage size in Oriental Magpies and body size in Oriental Tits of both sexes were more closely related to the climates in winter than in summer. Minimum temperature of coldest month is the most important factor related to bill length and tarsus length of male Oriental Magpies, and wing length of male and female Oriental Tits. Bill length and tarsus length in female Oriental Magpies were related to the annual mean temperature and mean temperature of coldest quarter, respectively. Conclusions In this study, Oriental Magpies and Oriental Tits followed Allen’s rule and Bergmann’ rule respectively. Temperatures in the winter, rather than temperatures in the summer, drove morphological measurements in Oriental Magpies and Oriental Tits in Chinese mainland, demonstrating that the morphological measurements reflect selection for heat conservation rather than for heat dissipation.

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“…The subspecies are quite similar in their appearance, Unauthenticated Download Date | 5/13/18 1:48 AM making the identification of a single individual almost impossible (Cramp 1988, Svensson 1992, Collar 2005, Demongin 2016). However, wing length of males and females increases northwards (Cramp 1988, McCollin et al 2015.…”

Section: For Details)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploratory analyses ofmigration timing andmorphometrics of the Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)

Csörgő

Fehérvári

Karcza³

et al. 2017

Ornis Hungarica

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Ornithological studies often rely on long-term bird ringing data sets as sources of information. However, basic descriptive statistics of raw data are rarely provided. In order to fill this gap, here we present the third item of a series of exploratory analyses of migration timing and body size measurements of the most frequent Passerine species at a ringing station located in Central Hungary (1984-2016). First, we give a concise description of foreign ring recoveries of the Song Thrush in relation to Hungary. We then shift focus to data of 4137 ringed individuals and 1051 recaptures derived from the ringing station, where birds have been trapped, handled and ringed with standardized methodology since 1984. Timing is described through annual and daily capture and recapture frequencies and their descriptive statistics. We show annual mean arrival dates within the study period and present the cumulative distributions of first captures with stopover durations. We present the distributions of wing, third primary, tail length and body mass, and the annual means of these variables. Furthermore, we show the distributions of individual fat and muscle scores, and the distributions of body mass within each fat score category. We distinguish the spring and autumn migratory periods, breeding and wintering seasons, and age groups (i.e. juveniles and adults). Our aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the analysed variables. However, we do not aim to interpret the obtained results, merely to draw attention to interesting patterns that may be worth exploring in detail. Data used here are available upon request for further analyses.

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Do British birds conform to Bergmann's and Allen's rules? An analysis of body size variation with latitude for four species

Cited by 18 publications

References 34 publications

Signals of local adaptation across an environmental gradient among highly connected populations of the Dead Sea Sparrow Passer moabiticus in Israel

Signals of local adaptation across an environmental gradient among highly connected populations of the Dead Sea Sparrow Passer moabiticus in Israel

Bergmann’s rule and Allen’s rule in two passerine birds in China

Exploratory analyses ofmigration timing andmorphometrics of the Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)

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