Xueyun FENG,Wei CHEN,Junhua HU and Jianping JIANG.Variation and Sexual Dimorphism of Body Size in the Plateau Brown Frog along an Altitudinal Gradient[J].Asian Herpetological Research(AHR),2015,6(4):291-297.[doi:10.16373/j.cnki.ahr.150027]
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Variation and Sexual Dimorphism of Body Size in the Plateau Brown Frog along an Altitudinal Gradient
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Asian Herpetological Research[ISSN:2095-0357/CN:51-1735/Q]

Issue:
2015 VoI.6 No.4
Page:
291-297
Research Field:
Original Article
Publishing date:
2015-12-25

Info

Title:
Variation and Sexual Dimorphism of Body Size in the Plateau Brown Frog along an Altitudinal Gradient
Author(s):
Xueyun FENG1; 2;  Wei CHEN3;  Junhua HU1* and Jianping JIANG1*
1 Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquanlu, Beijing 100049, China
3 Ecological Security and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Mianyang Normal University, Mianyang 621000, China
Keywords:
Altitudinal gradient;  Bergmann’s rule;  body size variation;  Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau;  Rana kukunoris;  Rensch’s rule;  sexual size dimorphism
PACS:
-
DOI:
10.16373/j.cnki.ahr.150027
Abstract:
Variation in body size and sexual size dimorphism (SSD) can have important consequences for animal ecology, behavior, population dynamics and the evolution of life-history traits. Organisms are expected to be larger in colder climate (i.e., Bergmann’s rule) and SSD varies with body size (i.e., Rensch’s rule). However, the underlying mechanisms are still elusive. The plateau brown frog (Rana kukunoris), a medium-sized anuran species with female-biased SSD, is endemic to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). From 1797 m (Maoxiang’ping) to 3453 m (Heihe’qiao) in the eastern margin of the QTP, we surveyed 10 populations of R. kukunoris and collected phalanges and snout vent length (SVL) data for 258 adult individuals (199 males versus 59 females). Based on these data, we explored how body size and SSD varying along the altitudinal gradient and examined the corresponding effects of temperature. We found body size to be larger at higher altitude for males but not for females, with likely effects from the temperature on the variation in male body size. Sex differences in growth rates may be the main cause of the variation in SSD. Our results suggested that only males follow the Bergmann’s rule and variation in SSD of R. kukunoris do not support the Rensch’s rule and its inverse. Therefore, the variations of body size can be different between sexes and the applicability of both Bergmann’s rule and Rensch’s rule should depend on species and environment where they live.

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