scholarly journals Warmer temperature and provision of natural substrate enable earlier metamorphosis in the critically endangered Baw Baw frog

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deon J Gilbert ◽  
Michael J L Magrath ◽  
Phillip G Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Amphibian Conservation ◽  
Phenotypic Change ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Size At Metamorphosis

Abstract Temperature and food availability are known to independently trigger phenotypic change in ectotherms, but the interactive effects between these factors have rarely been considered. This study investigates the independent and interactive effects of water temperature and food availability on larval growth and development of the critically endangered Baw Baw frog, Philoria frosti. Larvae were reared at low (12°C) or high (17°C) water temperature in the absence or presence of substrate that controlled food availability, and body size and time to metamorphosis were quantified. Growth and development of larvae was influenced by the individual effects of temperature and food availability; time to metamorphosis was shorter in warm water treatment groups and in the presence of substrate and increased food. Unexpectedly, however, water temperature and food availability did not have an interactive effect on either time to metamorphose or body size at metamorphosis. Under all treatment groups, metamorphic onset occurred once a developmental size threshold was reached, indicating that growth rate and body size are key factors controlling the metamorphic process in Baw Baw frogs (consistent with the Wilbur–Collins model for ectotherm development). From an applied perspective, our findings have implications for amphibian conservation because they indicate that simple manipulations of temperature and food availability can be used to increase the rate of frog production in conservation breeding programs.

scholarly journals Water temperature drives variability in salmonfly abundance, emergence timing, and body size

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 1013-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi E. Anderson ◽  
Lindsey K. Albertson ◽  
David M. Walters
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Water Temperature

scholarly journals Effects of intertidal position on metabolism and behavior in the acorn barnacle, Balanus glandula

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kali M Horn ◽  
Michelle E Fournet ◽  
Kaitlin A Liautaud ◽  
Lynsey N Morton ◽  
Allie M Cyr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Intertidal Zone ◽  
Anaerobic Metabolism ◽  
Beat Frequency ◽  
Balanus Glandula ◽  
Metabolic Capacity ◽  
Air Exposure ◽  
Ldh Activity ◽  
Consumption Rates

Abstract The intertidal zone is characterized by persistent, tidally-driven fluctuations in both abiotic (e.g., temperature, [O2], salinity) and biotic (e.g., food availability, predation) factors, which make this a physiologically challenging habitat for resident organisms. The relative magnitude and degree of variability of environmental stress differs between intertidal zones, with the most extreme physiological stress often being experienced by organisms in the high intertidal. Given that so many of the constantly shifting parameters in this habitat are primary drivers of metabolic rate (e.g., temperature, [O2], food availability), we hypothesized that sessile conspecifics residing in different tidal zones would exhibit distinct ‘metabolic phenotypes,’ a term we use to collectively describe the organisms’ baseline metabolic performance and capacity. To investigate this hypothesis, we collected acorn barnacles (Balanus glandula) from low, mid, and high intertidal positions in San Luis Obispo Bay, CA and measured a suite of biochemical (whole-animal citrate synthase (CS) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, aerial [D-lactate]), physiological (O2 consumption rates), morphological (body size) and behavioral (e.g., cirri beat frequency, % time operculum open) indices of metabolism. We found tidal zone-dependent differences in B. glandula metabolism that primarily related to anaerobic capacity, cirral activity patterns and body size. Barnacles from the low intertidal tended to have a greater capacity for anaerobic metabolism (i.e., increased LDH activity, increased baseline [D-lactate]), have reduced cirral beating activity—and presumably reduced feeding—when submerged, and be smaller in size compared to conspecifics in the high intertidal. We did not, however, see any D-lactate accumulation in barnacles from any tidal height throughout the 96 h of air exposure. This trend indicates that the enhanced capacity of low intertidal barnacles for anaerobic metabolism may have evolved to support metabolism during more prolonged episodes of emersion or during events other than emersion (e.g., coastal hypoxia, predation). There were also no significant differences in CS activity or baseline oxygen consumption rates (in air or seawater at 14˚C) across tidal heights, which implies that aerobic metabolic capacity may not be as sensitive to tidal position as anaerobic processes. Understanding how individuals occupying different shore heights differ in their metabolic capacity becomes increasingly interesting in the context of global climate change, given that the intertidal zone is predicted to experience even greater extremes in abiotic stress.

Annual variations in body-size spectra of planktonic ciliate communities and their relationships to environmental conditions: a case study in Jiaozhou Bay, northern China

2012 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henglong Xu ◽  
Yong Jiang ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Mingzhuang Zhu ◽  
Khaled A. S. Al-Rasheid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Jiaozhou Bay ◽  
Northern China ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Yellow Sea ◽  
Size Spectra ◽  
Annual Variations ◽  
Planktonic Ciliate

The annual variations in body-size spectra of planktonic ciliate communities and their relationships to environmental conditions were studied based on a 12-month dataset (June 2007 to May 2008) from Jiaozhou Bay on the Yellow Sea coast of northern China. Based on the dataset, the body sizes of the ciliates, expressed as equivalent spherical diameters, included five ranks: S1 (5–35 μm); S2 (35–55 μm); S3 (55–75 μm); S4 (75–100 μm); and S5 (100–350 μm). These body-size ranks showed a clear temporal succession of dominance in the order of S2 (January–April) → S1 (May–July) → S4 (August–September) → S3 (October–December). Multivariate analyses showed that the temporal variations in their body-size patterns were significantly correlated with changes in environmental conditions, especially water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) and nutrients. In terms of abundance, rank S2 was significantly correlated with water temperature, DO and nutrients, whereas ranks S4 and S5 were correlated with the salinity and nutrients respectively (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the body-size patterns of planktonic ciliate communities showed a clear temporal pattern during an annual cycle and significantly associated with environmental conditions in marine ecosystems.

The Influence of Current Speed, Body Size and Water Temperature On the Filtration Rate of Five Species of Bivalves

1972 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Walne
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Filtration Rate ◽  
Current Speed ◽  
Suitable Method ◽  
Water Filtration ◽  
Water Current ◽  
Water Requirements ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Shellfish Culture

The rate of water filtration by bivalves has long excited interest, but it has in practice proved difficult to measure in conditions where the animal is relatively free from constraint. Its estimation is important from a number of aspects: feeding studies; as an indicator of the animal's reaction to its environment; and for predicting the flow of water required for the culture of economically important species. The work reported in this paper started as part of the general programme on shellfish culture in progress at this laboratory. During the development of a suitable method for studying the water requirements it became clear that one factor, water current, had a more important influence than has been generally recognized.

scholarly journals Threatened birds of Guatemala: a random subset of the avifauna?

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 348-353
Author(s):  
ANDREA NÁJERA ◽  
JAVIER A. SIMONETTI
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Aquatic Species ◽  
Random Subset ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Taxonomic Affiliation

SummaryIdentifying attributes that affect the vulnerability of a species to extinction is important as it allows conservation efforts to be focused on more susceptible species. We assessed whether threatened birds of Guatemala are a random subset of the avifauna, considering their taxonomic affiliation, body size, diet and geographical distribution. We found that threatened bird species in Guatemala were neither taxonomically nor geographically randomly distributed. Large-bodied species and Psittaciformes, Galliformes, Falconiformes and Ciconiformes were among the most threatened groups, and the Pacific slopes of the country hosted more threatened birds than would be expected. Published scientific information regarding Critically Endangered bird species in Guatemala is scant and biased against nocturnal and aquatic species. Research and conservation efforts ought to be oriented toward these species and regions to safeguard the Guatemalan avifauna. This study allows an overall consideration on whether we are conserving the species and areas that are important for threatened birds.

Body Size as Implied Threat: Effects on Personal Space and Person Perception

1976 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 223-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kent G. Bailey ◽  
James V. Caffrey ◽  
John J. Hartnett
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Person Perception ◽  
Personal Space ◽  
Small Object ◽  
Large Object ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Psychological Advantage

Following ethological theory, it was hypothesized that personal space and person perception would reflect implied threat in the form of “territorial sets” and body-size variables. 90 male undergraduates were randomly assigned to six treatment groups in a 2 (size of object person) × 3 (levels of threat) × 2 (approach or be approached) design. Personal space was not significantly influenced by the treatments, but strong findings emerged from the person perception data. An operational measure of “psychological advantage” based on ratings of the object minus self-ratings on aggression, strength, and muscularity showed both body-size and threat effects. Generally, the large object person increased his advantage over the subject as threat increased, while the opposite was true with respect to the small object person.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the interactive effects of air exposure duration and water temperature on the condition and survival of angled and released fish

2007 ◽  
Vol 86 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 169-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Gingerich ◽  
Steven J. Cooke ◽  
Kyle C. Hanson ◽  
Michael R. Donaldson ◽  
Caleb T. Hasler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Temperature ◽  
Exposure Duration ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Air Exposure
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