Body Size, Prey Size and Herbivory in the Galápagos Lava Lizard, Tropidurus

Oikos ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dolph Schluter
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Lava Lizard

scholarly journals Diet composition and feeding habits of the eyespot skate, Atlantoraja cyclophora (Elasmobranchii: Arhynchobatidae), off Uruguay and northern Argentina

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Santiago A. Barbini ◽  
Luis O. Lucifora
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Diet Composition ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Cold Season ◽  
The North ◽  
Multiple Hypothesis ◽  
Modelling Approach

ABSTRACT The eyespot skate, Atlantoraja cyclophora, is an endemic species from the southwestern Atlantic, occurring from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to northern Patagonia, Argentina. The feeding habits of this species, from off Uruguay and north Argentina, were evaluated using a multiple hypothesis modelling approach. In general, the diet was composed mainly of decapod crustaceans, followed by teleost fishes. Molluscs, mysidaceans, amphipods, isopods, lancelets and elasmobranchs were consumed in lower proportion. The consumption of shrimps drecreased with increasing body size of A. cyclophora. On the other hand, the consumption of teleosts increased with body size. Mature individuals preyed more heavily on crabs than immature individuals. Teleosts were consumed more in the south region (34º - 38ºS) and crabs in the north region (38º - 41ºS). Shrimps were eaten more in the warm season than in the cold season. Prey size increased with increasing body size of A. cyclophora , but large individuals also consumed small teleosts and crabs. Atlantoraja cyclophora has demersal-benthic feeding habits, shifts its diet with increasing body size and in response to seasonal and regional changes in prey availability and distribution.

Body size, diet and reproductive ecology of Coluber hippocrepis in the Rif (Northern Morocco)

2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Pleguezuelos ◽  
Soumia Fahd
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Reproductive Ecology ◽  
Size Difference ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
Dietary Shift ◽  
Intersexual Difference ◽  
Whip Snake

AbstractAlthough it is generally assumed that the Horseshoe Whip Snake (Coluber hippocrepis) originated in northern Africa, its biology and ecology has been studied mainly in southern Europe. In this paper we report on morphology, feeding, and reproductive ecology of Coluber hippocrepis in the Rif region (northern Morocco). Males attained larger sizes than did females, but there was no body-size difference between populations separated by the Strait of Gibraltar. The species feeds exclusively on vertebrates: mammals (45%), reptiles (28%), birds (17%), and amphibians (10%). There was an ontogenetic dietary shift in terms of frequency of prey consumed and in terms of prey size; moreover, an intersexual difference in prey frequency was found. Sexual maturity was attained at 540 mm snout-vent length (SVL) in males, and 720 mm SVL in females. Males showed a vernal spermatogenic cycle. Oviposition occurred at the beginning of summer, and offspring were observed in the field during September.

The Body-Size-Prey-Size Hypothesis: A Defense

Ecology ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 260-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. Schoener ◽  
Jonathan Roughgarden ◽  
Tom Fenchel
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
The Body

scholarly journals Reproductive biology of the Amazon Lava Lizard (Tropidurus torquatus) from the Wet Chaco of Corrientes (Argentina): congeneric comparisons of ecotypic and interspecific variations

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (7) ◽  
pp. 643-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Ortiz ◽  
J.M. Boretto ◽  
C. Piantoni ◽  
B.B. Álvarez ◽  
N.R. Ibargüengoytía
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Hatching Time ◽  
Fat Bodies ◽  
Reproductive Cycles ◽  
Lava Lizard ◽  
Clutch Mass

Herein we describe the reproductive biology of a population of the Amazon Lava Lizard (Tropidurus torquatus (Wied-Neuwied, 1820)) from Corrientes, northeastern Argentina (Wet Chaco). We describe the male and female reproductive cycles, minimum body size for adults, reproductive output, mean relative clutch mass, fat body cycles, and sexual dimorphism. Our results were compared with data on the reproductive biology of Brazilian populations of T. torquatus and congeneric species. In Corrientes, males of T. torquatus exhibited a continuous reproductive cycle, but with annual variation of testicular parameters associated with spermatogenic activity. In contrast, females were reproductive only from winter to summer (July–February), laying at least two clutches each of six eggs, on average, per reproductive season. The relative clutch mass and egg size values in Corrientes were the highest reported for the species. The annual cycle of energy storage (as fat bodies) was inversely correlated with reproductive activity in both sexes. Males differed from females in snout–vent length, head size, interlimb length, and tail length. We observed interpopulational differences in relative clutch mass, egg volume and mass, incubation period and hatching time, and the minimum body size for sexual maturity probably as a result of phenotypic plasticity or adaptation to local environmental conditions and likely both.

scholarly journals Running the gauntlet: the predation environment of small fish in the northern Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 412-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel E. Duplisea
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Size Spectra ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
The North ◽  
Prefer Prey ◽  
Seal Population ◽  
The North Sea

Abstract Predation size spectra were constructed for the northern Gulf of St Lawrence, covering prey size ranges that include pre-recruit cod. Predation by fish and harp seals was modelled with a log-normally distributed predator–prey size ratio along with a relationship between predator body size and the energy required. Fish concentrate predation on prey of weight 0.5–2 g, whereas harp seals prefer prey of 60–125 g. It is speculated that predation caused by harp seals on pre-recruits could be a major factor limiting cod recruitment in the system. The northern Gulf of St Lawrence is a cold boreal system with a large predatory seal population, and cod recruit older than elsewhere. Therefore, cod recruitment may be more strongly affected by predation in the northern Gulf of St Lawrence than in warmer systems such as the North Sea, where recruitment is strongly influenced by temperature.

scholarly journals Joint evolution of predator body size and prey-size preference

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 771-799 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tineke A. Troost ◽  
Bob W. Kooi ◽  
Ulf Dieckmann
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Size Preference ◽  
Joint Evolution
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