Carbon Turnover in Tissues of a Passerine Bird: Allometry, Isotopic Clocks, and Phenotypic Flexibility in Organ Size

2009 ◽  
Vol 82 (6) ◽  
pp. 787-797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Bauchinger ◽  
Scott McWilliams
Keyword(s):  
Passerine Bird ◽  
Organ Size ◽  
Phenotypic Flexibility ◽  
Carbon Turnover

Altitudinal implications in organ size in the Andrew’s toad (Bufo andrewsi)

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Zhao ◽  
Chun Lan Mai ◽  
Guo Hou Liu ◽  
Wen Bo Liao
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Gradient ◽  
Oxygen Supply ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Relative Size ◽  
Organ Size ◽  
Phenotypic Flexibility ◽  
Energy Demands ◽  
Morphological And Physiological Traits ◽  
Bufo Andrewsi ◽  
Toad Bufo

Abstract Phenotypic flexibility of morphological and physiological traits within species is a common phenomenon across animal taxa. Hesse’s rule predicts that the size of an organ should exhibit an increase with increasing altitude along environmental gradients due to changes in oxygen supply and energy demands. Here, we test the prediction of Hesse’s rule by investigating geographical variation in the relative size of organs (i.e., heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys) across ten populations of Bufo andrewsi along an environmental gradient. We found that the relative size of these four specific organs did not increase with altitude or latitude across all populations. We also did not find that the relative size of the organs increased with increasing altitude among six populations located at a similar latitude and longitude, which is inconsistent with Hesse’s rule. Our findings suggest that oxygen supply and energy demands do not necessarily affect variation in organ size among populations.

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