scholarly journals Consequences of life history switch point plasticity for juvenile morphology and locomotion in theTúngara frog

PeerJ ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. e1268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie F. Charbonnier ◽  
James R. Vonesh

Many animals with complex life cycles can cope with environmental uncertainty by altering the timing of life history switch points through plasticity. Pond hydroperiod has important consequences for the fitness of aquatic organisms and many taxa alter the timing of life history switch points in response to habitat desiccation. For example, larval amphibians can metamorphose early to escape drying ponds. Such plasticity may induce variation in size and morphology of juveniles which can result in carry-over effects on jumping performance. To investigate the carry-over effects of metamorphic plasticity to pond drying, we studied the Túngara frog,Physalaemus pustulosus, a tropical anuran that breeds in highly ephemeral habitats. We conducted an outdoor field mesocosm experiment in which we manipulated water depth and desiccation and measured time and size at metamorphosis, tibiofibula length and jumping performance. We also conducted a complimentary laboratory experiment in which we manipulated resources, water depth and desiccation. In the field experiment, metamorphs from dry-down treatments emerged earlier, but at a similar size to metamorphs from constant depth treatments. In the laboratory experiment, metamorphs from the low depth and dry-down treatments emerged earlier and smaller. In both experiments, frogs from dry-down treatments had relatively shorter legs, which negatively impacted their absolute jumping performance. In contrast, reductions in resources delayed and reduced size at metamorphosis, but had no negative effect on jumping performance. To place these results in a broader context, we review past studies on carry-over effects of the larval environment on jumping performance. Reductions in mass and limb length generally resulted in lower jumping performance across juvenile anurans tested to date. Understanding the consequences of plasticity on size, morphology and performance can elucidate the linkages between life stages.

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Thomas Walsh

AbstractPlasticity in the timing of life history events and their impact on individual fitness, particularly the timing of and size at metamorphosis in animals with complex life cycles such as anuran amphibians, has long been of interest to ecologists. For different studies on life history plasticity to be comparable, there must be clearly defined and commonly agreed transition points, but it is unclear how consistently this is being performed in studies using anuran amphibians. In a review of 157 published studies, I found considerable variation in defining the end point of the larval phase. While a slight majority used the emergence of the forelimbs as the conclusion of the larval phase, some used a period within the developmental phase of metamorphic climax and others used the resorption of the tail. Studies included in this review, that assessed the same life history variable at two different developmental stages, reported some differences in results depending on which developmental stage was used. Recent evidence also shows that metamorphic climax is itself a period which can vary with environmental conditions, but, even in studies that included part or all of metamorphic climax in the larval phase, the treatment of individuals during metamorphic climax was not reported. Therefore, I argue that life history studies on anuran amphibians should distinguish the following phases: larval, metamorphic climax, juvenile, adult; that the end of the larval phase is best defined in ecological studies by forelimb emergence and that conditions under which individuals undergo metamorphic climax should be fully described.


Crustaceana ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 87 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 1095-1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Decrouy ◽  
Torsten W. Vennemann

Because environmental conditions within a given basin are different for each season and at different water depth, knowledge of the life history and depth distribution of target species is important for environmental and palaeoenvironmental interpretations based on ostracod species assemblages and/or the geochemical compositions of their valves. In order to determine the distribution of species with depth as well as the life history of species from Lake Geneva, a one-year sampling campaign of living ostracods was conducted at five sites (2, 5, 13, 33 and 70 m water depth) on a monthly basis in the Petit-Lac (western basin of Lake Geneva, Switzerland). Based on the results, the different species can be classified into three groups. Littoral taxa are found at 2 and 5 m water depth and include, in decreasing numbers of individuals,Cypridopsis vidua(O. F. Müller, 1776),Pseudocandona compressa(Koch, 1838),Limnocythere inopinata(Baird, 1843),Herpetocypris reptans(Baird, 1835),Potamocypris smaragdina(Vávra, 1891),Potamocypris similis(G. W. Müller, 1912),Plesiocypridopsis newtoni(Brady & Robertson, 1870),Prionocypris zenkeri(Chyzer & Toth, 1858) andIlyocyprissp. Brady & Norman, 1889. Sublittoral species are found in a majority at 13 m water depth and to a lesser extend at 33 m water depth and include, in decreasing numbers of individuals,Fabaeformiscandona caudata(Kaufmann, 1900),Limnocytherina sanctipatricii,Candona candida(O. F. Müller, 1776) andIsocypris beauchampi(Paris, 1920). Profundal species are found equally at 13, 33 and 70 m water depth and includes, in decreasing numbers of individuals,Cytherissa lacustris(Sars, 1863),Candona neglectaSars, 1887 andCypria lacustrisLilljeborg, 1890. The occurrence ofLimnocytherina sanctipatricii(Brady & Robertson, 1869) is restricted from late winter to late spring when temperatures are low, whileC. vidua,L. inopinata,P. smaragdina,P. similis,P. newtoniandIlyocyprissp. occur predominantly from spring to early autumn when temperatures are high. Individuals ofC. neglecta,C. candida,F. caudata,P. compressa,C. lacustris,H. reptansandCp. lacustrisoccur throughout the year with juveniles and adults occurring during the same period (C. neglectaat 70 m,C. lacustrisat 13, 33 and 70 m, andH. reptansat 2, 5 and 13 m water depth) or with juveniles occurring during a different period of the year than adults (C. neglectaat 13 and 33 m andC. candida,F. caudataandP. compressaat their respective depth of occurrence). Among the environmental parameters investigated, an estimate of the relationship between ostracod autoecology and environmental parameters suggests that in the Petit-Lac: (i) water temperature and substrate characteristics are important factors controlling the distribution of species with depth, (ii) water temperature is also important for determining the timing of species development and, hence, its specific life history, and (iii) water oxygen and sedimentary organic matter content is less important compared to the other environmental parameter monitored.


2021 ◽  
Vol 930 (1) ◽  
pp. 012030
Author(s):  
J Zulfan ◽  
B M Ginting

Abstract The spillway rating curve of the Riam Kiwa Dam was investigated via theoretical formula, laboratory experiment, and 3D numerical modeling. It is an ogee type with two uncontrolled and five gated spillways with a total length of 77.5 m. The experiment was performed with a scale of 1:50, while the numerical modeling was conducted using FLOW-3D software. Several discharge values (16.67–2,652.7 m3/s) were tested and observed for two different scenarios of gate openings. For the low discharge in Scenario 1, the theoretical formula and FLOW-3D computed the rating curve less accurately with the error values greater than 10%. A similar phenomenon was observed in Scenario 2, where both theoretical formula and FLOW-3D predicted the rating curve accurately with error values less than 10% for the higher discharge. The discharges tend to be overestimated for the water depth values greater than 2 m giving the average discharge deviation of 6% for the PMF condition. FLOW-3D was found to calculate water depth for all scenarios accurately. It shows a promising approach between numerical simulation and physical modeling, to minimize laboratory model construction costs.


Biotropica ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 218-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca D. Tarvin ◽  
Catalina Silva Bermúdez ◽  
Venetia S. Briggs ◽  
Karen M. Warkentin

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry D. Jacobs ◽  
John C. Wingfield

Abstract Most organisms live in seasonal environments that fluctuate on a predictable schedule and sometimes unpredictably. Individuals must, therefore, adjust so as to maximize their survival and reproductive success over a wide range of environmental conditions. In birds, as in other vertebrates, endocrine secretions regulate morphological, physiological, and behavioral changes in anticipation of future events. The individual thus prepares for predictable fluctuations in its environment by changing life-cycle stages. We have applied finite-state machine theory to define and compare different life-history cycles. The ability of birds to respond to predictable and unpredictable regimes of environmental variation may be constrained by the adaptability of their endocrine control systems. We have applied several theoretical approaches to natural history data of birds to compare the complexity of life cycles, the degree of plasticity of timing of stages within the cycle, and to determine whether endocrine control mechanisms influence the way birds respond to their environments. The interactions of environmental cues on the timing of life-history stages are not uniform in all populations. Taking the reproductive life-history stage as an example, arctic birds that have short breeding seasons in severe environments appear to use one reliable environmental cue to time reproduction and they ignore other factors. Birds having longer breeding seasons exhibit greater plasticity of onset and termination and appear to integrate several environmental cues. Theoretical approaches may allow us to predict how individuals respond to their environment at the proximate level and, conversely, predict how constraints imposed by endocrine control systems may limit the complexity of life cycles.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Seniczak ◽  
Stanisław Seniczak ◽  
Mariola Słowikowska ◽  
Zbigniew Paluszak

The effect of different diet on Oppia denticulata was studied during a 4-month laboratory experiment, based on daily observations. This species is known as microphytophagous (i.e. feeding on bacteria and/or fungal hyphae and/or algae), like other species of Oppiidae, but our observations show its wider diet. We tested 11 types of food, including homogenous diet [green algae, lichens, fungi (dry yeasts, Trichoderma viride, Penicillium chrysogenum), nematodes], and combined diet [green algae and nematodes, lichens and nematodes, dry yeasts and nematodes, T. viride and nematodes, P. chrysogenum and nematodes]. The basic population parameters (fertility, mortality, sex ratio), time of development, population growth in four months and body length were compared between all groups. Observations on biology of O. denticulata were also made. The most favourable diet for O. denticulata was a combination of T. viride and nematodes, which allowed the highest population growth (about 50 times higher than the least favourable food, a combination of P. chrysogenum and nematodes), due to highest fertility and shortest development. Good population parameters and largest size were obtained on yeasts (served alone or with nematodes). This species did not do well on P. chrysogenum, probably because it produces penicillin.


2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1778) ◽  
pp. 20180547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacinta D. Kong ◽  
Ary A. Hoffmann ◽  
Michael R. Kearney

Insect life cycles are adapted to a seasonal climate by expressing alternative voltinism phenotypes—the number of generations in a year. Variation in voltinism phenotypes along latitudinal gradients may be generated by developmental traits at critical life stages, such as eggs. Both voltinism and egg development are thermally determined traits, yet independently derived models of voltinism and thermal adaptation refer to the evolution of dormancy and thermal sensitivity of development rate, respectively, as independent influences on life history. To reconcile these models and test their respective predictions, we characterized patterns of voltinism and thermal response of egg development rate along a latitudinal temperature gradient using the matchstick grasshopper genus Warramaba . We found remarkably strong variation in voltinism patterns, as well as corresponding egg dormancy patterns and thermal responses of egg development. Our results show that the switch in voltinism along the latitudinal gradient was explained by the combined predictions of the evolution of voltinism and of thermal adaptation. We suggest that latitudinal patterns in thermal responses and corresponding life histories need to consider the evolution of thermal response curves within the context of seasonal temperature cycles rather than based solely on optimality and trade-offs in performance. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Physiological diversity, biodiversity patterns and global climate change: testing key hypotheses involving temperature and oxygen’.


2011 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 358-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don Deibel ◽  
Ben Lowen

Abstract Deibel, D., and Lowen, B. 2012. A review of the life cycles and life-history adaptations of pelagic tunicates to environmental conditions. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 358–369. Phylogeny, life cycles, and life-history adaptations of pelagic tunicates to temperature and food concentration are reviewed. Using literature data on lifetime egg production and generation time of appendicularians, salps, and doliolids, rmax, the maximum rate of lifetime reproductive fitness, is calculated as a common metric of adaptation to environmental conditions. The rmax values are high for all three groups, ranging from ∼0.1 to 1.9 d−1, so population doubling times range from ∼8 h to 1 week. These high values of rmax are attributable primarily to short generation times, ranging from 2 to 50 d. Clearly, pelagic tunicates are adapted to event-scale (i.e. days to weeks) rather than seasonal-scale changes in environmental conditions. Although they are not closely related phylogenetically, all three groups have a unique life-history adaptation promoting high lifetime fitness. Appendicularians have late oocyte selection, salps are viviparous, and doliolids possess a polymorphic asexual phase. There has been little research on hermaphroditic appendicularians, on large oceanic salps, and on doliolids generally. Research is needed on factors regulating generation time, on the heritability of life-history traits, and on age- and size-specific rates of mortality.


Ecology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 657-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedikt R. Schmidt ◽  
Walter Hödl ◽  
Michael Schaub

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