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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Life-History Evolution on Tropidurinae Lizards: Influence of Lineage, Body Size and Climate

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Author(s):
Brandt, Renata [1] ; Navas, Carlos A. [1]
Total Authors: 2
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Fisiol, Inst Biociencias, Sao Paulo - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 1
Document type: Journal article
Source: PLoS One; v. 6, n. 5 MAY 13 2011.
Web of Science Citations: 25
Abstract

The study of life history variation is central to the evolutionary theory. In many ectothermic lineages, including lizards, life history traits are plastic and relate to several sources of variation including body size, which is both a factor and a life history trait likely to modulate reproductive parameters. Larger species within a lineage, for example tend to be more fecund and have larger clutch size, but clutch size may also be influenced by climate, independently of body size. Thus, the study of climatic effects on lizard fecundity is mandatory on the current scenario of global climatic change. We asked how body and clutch size have responded to climate through time in a group of tropical lizards, the Tropidurinae, and how these two variables relate to each other. We used both traditional and phylogenetic comparative methods. Body and clutch size are variable within Tropidurinae, and both traits are influenced by phylogenetic position. Across the lineage, species which evolved larger size produce more eggs and neither trait is influenced by temperature components. A climatic component of precipitation, however, relates to larger female body size, and therefore seems to exert an indirect relationship on clutch size. This effect of precipitation on body size is likely a correlate of primary production. A decrease in fecundity is expected for Tropidurinae species on continental landmasses, which are predicted to undergo a decrease in summer rainfall. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 03/01577-8 - Causes and correlations of physiological variation: role of environmental and behavioral gradients at different levels of organization
Grantee:Carlos Arturo Navas Iannini
Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants