Annual variation in reproductive traits in the lizard Acanthodactylus erythrurus

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 395-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurora M. Castilla ◽  
L. Javier Barbadillo ◽  
Dirk Bauwens
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Maximal Volume ◽  
Mating Period ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
Fat Bodies

During a 2-year period we studied the reproductive and fat body cycles and reproductive characteristics (clutch size, egg size) of the oviparous lizard Acanthodactylus erythrurus in central Spain. Testes exhibited their maximal volume during April–June and decreased in size throughout the summer. Fat bodies of males were smallest during the spring mating period. Vitellogenesis started in May or June, with oviposition occurring during June–July. Female fat bodies declined in size during the period of yolk deposition. A delay in the timing of reproductive events in 1 year was associated with adverse weather conditions during early spring. During the "good" year, reproduction was initiated early enough to allow some females to produce a second clutch. Both clutch size and egg size increased with female body length, but did not vary between years. Environmental factors that induced temporal variation in the timing of reproduction and clutch frequency did not affect clutch characteristics.

Female reproductive characteristics of the Balkan wall lizard (Podarcis taurica) in the northwestern periphery of its range

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarina Ljubisavljević ◽  
Georg Džukić ◽  
Miloš Kalezić
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Species Range ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Female Body Size ◽  
Female Reproductive Traits ◽  
Gravid Females

AbstractWe present data on the female reproductive traits of the Balkan wall lizard in the Deliblato Sand, a large continental sandland in the Pannonian area in the northwestern periphery of the species range. The clutch and egg characteristics of the population were investigated on the basis of clutches laid in laboratory conditions by gravid females captured in one locality. Balkan wall lizards produced at least two clutches in a breeding season. Individual females laid clutches of commonly two (range 1–4) eggs. The female body size had no effect on clutch and egg size. There was no trade-off between egg size and clutch size.

scholarly journals Reproductive traits of the gray ratsnake Ptyas korros from three geographically distinct populations

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 820-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long-Hui Lin ◽  
Fei Mao ◽  
Ce Chen ◽  
Xiang Ji
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Size Number ◽  
Female Reproductive Traits ◽  
Clutch Mass

Abstract We collected gravid gray rat snakes Ptyas korros from three geographically distinct populations in China, Chenzhou (CZ), Jiangshan (JS) and Dinghai (DH), to study geographical variation in female reproductive traits. Egg-laying dates differed among the three populations such that at the most northern latitude egg-laying was latest, and earliest at the most southern lati-tutde. Clutch size, clutch mass, egg mass, egg shape, within clutch variability in egg sizes and relative clutch mass differed among the three populations, whereas post-oviposition body mass did not. Except for egg-laying date, none of the traits examined varied in a geographically continuous trend. CZ and DH females, although separated by a distance of approximately 1100 km as the crow flies, were similar in nearly all traits examined. JS females were distinguished from CZ and DH females by their higher fecundity (clutch size), greater reproductive output (clutch mass) and more rounded eggs. Our data do not validate the prediction that larger offspring should be produced in colder localities. The absence of an egg size-number trade-off in each of the three populations presumably suggests that P. korros is among species where eggs are well optimized for size within a population.

scholarly journals Variations in the reproductive strategies of three populations of Phrynocephalus helioscopus in China

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5705
Author(s):  
Tao Liang ◽  
Lu Zhou ◽  
Wenfeng He ◽  
Lirong Xiao ◽  
Lei Shi
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Female Body ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Female Body Size ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Morphological Constraint

Background Egg size and clutch size are key life history traits. During the breeding period, it is possible for females to increase their reproductive output either by increasing the number of eggs if the optimal egg size (OES) is maintained, or by increasing the allocation of energy to each egg. However, the strategies adopted are often influenced by animals’ morphology and environment. Methods Here, we examined variation in female morphological and reproductive traits, tested for trade-offs between egg size and clutch size, and evaluated the relationship between egg size and female morphology in three populations of Phrynocephalus helioscopus. Results Female body size, egg size, and clutch size were larger in the Yi Ning (YN) and Fu Yun (FY) populations than in the Bei Tun (BT) population (the FY and YN populations laid more, and rounder eggs). Egg size was independent of female body size in two populations (BT and FY), even though both populations had an egg-size/clutch size trade-off. In the YN population, egg size and clutch size were independent, but egg size was correlated with female body size, consistent with the hypothesis of morphological constraint. Conclusions Our study found geographical variation in body size and reproductive strategies of P. helioscopus. Egg size was correlated with morphology in the larger-bodied females of the YN population, but not in the smaller-bodied females of the BT population, illustrating that constraints on female body size and egg size are not consistent between populations.

Seasonal and annual variations in egg mass and clutch size for Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta): experienced females lay heavier eggs

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (7) ◽  
pp. 644-649
Author(s):  
Hideo Hatase ◽  
Kazuyoshi Omuta
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Follicular Development ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Yakushima Island

Organisms modify reproductive traits adaptively or non-adaptively in response to temporal environmental variation. Long-lived iteroparous sea turtles are ideal animals to examine such temporal shifts in resource allocation. We analyzed seasonal shifts in egg mass and clutch size for Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758)) nesting at a temperate rookery (Yakushima Island, Japan) over a 2-year period, as well as annual variation in egg mass and clutch size over a 5-year period. Egg mass and clutch size, adjusted for female body size, did not vary seasonally at both the population and individual levels. Adjusted egg mass showed significant annual variation, despite a lack of annual variation in adjusted clutch size. Thus, Loggerhead Sea Turtles are unlikely to exhibit adaptive seasonal variation in reproductive traits, whereas they vary egg size non-adaptively in response to annual environmental conditions. Although experienced Loggerhead Sea Turtles laid heavier eggs, the annual variation in egg mass was not attributable either to breeding experience of the sampled females or to ambient temperature during follicular development, implying that other factors are involved, such as resource availability. Our data show that egg size is a more plastic reproductive trait than clutch size for Loggerhead Sea Turtles inhabiting the North Pacific.

Fat body and liver cycles in the large girdled lizard

1994 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.H. van Wyk
Keyword(s):  
Fat Body ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Condition Index ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Liver Mass ◽  
Mating Activity ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
Fat Bodies ◽  
Reproductive Females ◽  
Fat Body Mass

AbstractCordylus giganteus is a large viviparous lizard endemic to the Highveld grasslands of South Africa. Seasonal morphometric changes in fat body mass, liver mass and a carcass condition index in male, female and juvenile C. giganteus are described for a 15 month period. In the adult male and juvenile classes, abdominal fat bodies increase during late summer and autumn followed by a dramatic depletion during winter hibernation. Although that fat body cycles of adult reproducing females are similar to those of males, the magnitude of lipid storage in these females was considerably greater. Adult females showing early vitellogenic activity and significantly larger fat bodies than non-reproductive females. Seasonal liver mass changes paralleled the fat body cycles in all classes. Fat body stores appear to be used by all classes for winter and early spring nutrition. Energy needs during winter vitellogenesis in females and mating activity during spring in males may also benefit from fat body and liver energy stores. The hypothesis that biennial reproduction in females is determined by the magnitude of energy reserves at the onset of vitellogenesis in autumn is upheld.

The effects of maternal size on clutch traits in a tropical invariant-clutch lizard, Carlia rubrigularis (Scincidae)

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett Alexander Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Egg Volume ◽  
Maternal Size ◽  
Tropical Australia

AbstractSpecies with an invariant or "fixed" clutch offer a unique opportunity to examine how variation in maternal size relates to key reproductive traits, such as egg size. Theoretical models of offspring size suggest selection should operate to optimize egg size and reproductive output. However, because invariant-clutch species are unable to allocate surplus resources to additional eggs (or offspring) they may exhibit different relationships than those anticipated under theoretical expectations. To test this, I examined relationships between maternal size-egg size in Carlia rubrigularis, an invariant-clutch producing scincid lizard from tropical Australia. C. rubrigularis exhibited relative clutch masses that were lower than variant clutch size species, but which were similar to other invariant clutch size species. However, maternal size (snout-vent length and post-oviposition mass) was correlated with several clutch traits (egg mass, egg width and egg volume), but females in better condition did not produce relatively heavier eggs. These results suggest mechanistic hypotheses may best explain the observed maternal size-egg size relationships in C. rubrigularis.

Desert lizard reproduction: seasonal and annual variation in Urosaurus ornatus (Iguanidae)

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 1779-1787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard C. Van Loben Sels ◽  
Laurie J. Vitt
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Seminiferous Tubules ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Urosaurus Ornatus ◽  
Young Females ◽  
Fat Bodies ◽  
Central Arizona ◽  
Distinct Increase

The reproductive cycle and cycles in fat body and liver masses were examined in Urosaurus ornatus from central Arizona. Adult males underwent spermiogenesis from mid-April until late August. The cycle in testes mass was paralleled by cyclical activity in structure of the seminiferous tubules and epididymides. Mass of fat bodies and livers also fluctuated seasonally, showing a distinct increase with declining reproductivity. Yolk deposition in females occurred from May until late August with ovulation occurring from early June until early September. Breeding females comprised two groups: young females in their first breeding season and older females that were in at least their second breeding season. The younger (smaller) group had a mean clutch size of 6.0 and produced only one clutch, whereas the older (larger) group had a mean clutch size of 7.7 and at least a portion of these females produced more than one clutch. For the most part, older females began breeding earlier in the reproductive season than younger females. Females cycled fat body and liver masses with a distinct increase in organ size associated with declining reproductivity. Reproductive intensity varied during a given season but not annually, even though rainfall varied annually.

Contrasting reproductive strategies in a narrow latitude range: the case of D’Orbigny’s slider

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-434
Author(s):  
Priscila Silva Lucas ◽  
Alex Bager
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Maternal Body ◽  
Trade Offs

Reproductive traits and the level of parental investment in offspring varies between individuals and species. These are central issues in life history theory and evolutionary biology. Maternal body size plays an important role in reproduction, and we usually observe variable investment in offspring by females. Thus, optimal egg size may not be reached in some populations or species. In this study, we tested if reproductive traits differed between populations of D’Orbigny’s slider in a specific geographical area in Brazil. We evaluated the relationship between reproductive traits to maternal body size and clutch size to egg size to determine possible trade-offs across populations. At the population level, maternal body size and reproductive traits of D’Orbigny’s slider were different even in geographically nearby areas. Maternal body size had a positive effect on clutch size, but not on egg size, except in the Arroio Grande population. Nevertheless, we did not observe a negative correlation between clutch and egg size in any population. Although maternal body size had effects in the different populations explaining most of the variation of clutch size, variation in egg size may be the result of decreased survival chances in unpredictable environments and possibly morphological constraints. The trade-off between egg size and number was not observed and this could be expected if resource availability and reproductive allocation by females vary greatly among individuals.

Reproductive tactics of Ameiva ameiva (Lacertilia: Teiidae) in a seasonally fluctuating tropical habitat

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (12) ◽  
pp. 3113-3120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie J. Vitt
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Northeast Brazil ◽  
Reproductive Tactics ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Fat Bodies ◽  
Fat Body Mass

The reproductive ecology of Ameiva ameiva was studied for 12 months in a caatinga habitat of northeast Brazil. Even though rainfall was seasonal, the female reproductive cycle was not associated with this seasonality. Females reproduced year-round, with peak reproductive periods during August–October and January–February. Clutch size ranged from one to nine and was correlated to female size but egg size was constant. Males showed evidence of reproductive activity throughout the year. Fat body mass of males and females varied greatly among individuals. There was no association between fat storage and wet–dry seasonality. In females, fat body mass tended to decrease during peak reproductive periods. Most striking was the observation that 97.8% of all adult Ameiva possessed enlarged fat bodies, suggesting that resource periods low enough to affect reproduction did not exist during 1977–1978. The reproductive tactics of Ameiva were similar to those of other tropical macroteiids, regardless of their distribution, but very different than reproductive tactics of sympatric iguanid lizards. Compared with iguanid lizards, resources may be less limiting for macroteiids because their widely foraging behavior for prey acquisition may allow them to find rich patches of resources which would be unavailable to habitat specific sit-and-wait foragers, like most iguanid lizards.

scholarly journals Nesting Effort of Northern Pintails in Alberta

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 619-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karla L. Guyn ◽  
Robert G. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Variable Environments ◽  
Southern Alberta ◽  
First Clutch ◽  
Northern Pintails ◽  
One Year

Abstract We studied nesting effort and success of Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) in southern Alberta. Annual nesting success estimates ranged from 6–18%. Clutch size averaged 7.2, and declined in a simple curvilinear fashion with nest initiation date. We found no relationship between egg size and clutch size or evidence from one year to the next of a trade-off between current and future investment in eggs. Within-year renesting rate ranged from 55%, based on a sample of 20 decoy-trapped females that lost their first nests to predators, to 85% based on a sample of 13 nest-trapped females forced to renest when we removed their clutches. Greater investment in initial clutches led to longer delays in laying replacement clutches. Because delays in renesting are costly (late-nesting females produce fewer offspring), females must contend with a trade-off between maximizing reproductive output in initial clutches versus the risk of delayed renesting if the first clutch should fail. We suggest that pintail reproductive traits have evolved primarily in response to short nesting seasons and variable environments.

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