Laugen, Ane
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
Question: Does the L-shape of the reaction norm for age and size at ontogenetic transitions arise irrespective of temperature? The developmental threshold model suggests that this shape arises due to a threshold in body size to undertake the transition.Data studied: Ages and sizes at metamorphosis measured in a common garden experiment in Rana temporaria originating from six populations along a latitudinal gradient. Individuals were exposed to three temperature treatments and two levels of food.Search method: Population-specific age and size at metamorphosis were plotted against each other, and the shape of the reaction norm across populations was further illustrated by an exponential decay function. The observed patterns were further explored via linear mixed-effect models.Conclusion: The L-shape of the reaction norm depends on temperature, suggesting that at low temperature a developmental threshold in age rather than in size regulates the process of metamorphosis.
Keywords
development; growth; metamorphosis; Rana temporaria; temperature; threshold size
Published in
Evolutionary Ecology Research
2010, volume: 12, number: 7, pages: 821-829
Publisher: EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY LTD
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Genetics and Genomics
Evolutionary Biology
Ecology
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/60808