Consequences of Compensatory Growth in an Amphibian
Compensatory growth, or catch-up growth, occurs when an organism grows faster than the optimal rate after a period of growth restriction. The evolved optimal growth rate maximizes an animal’s fitness potential while preserving tissue quality. Rapid compensatory growth allows the organism to achieve an adult size closer to that of an unrestricted conspecific. However, this […]
Metamorphosis and animal personality: a neglected opportunity
Developmental perspectives represent an underutilized area of animal personality research, in spite of their obvious importance in biology. Animals that undergo metamorphosis are particularly neglected and represent a unique in situ experimental opportunity to study how personality differences are associated with physiological, morphological, or ecological traits over development.
Differential effects of dietary protein on early life-history and morphological traits in natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita) tadpoles reared in captivity
The production of high quality amphibian larvae through optimal diets is a critical component of amphibian conservation breeding programs. Larval period, survival, body weight and total length are frequently used as metrics of adequate nutrition. However, the effects of nutrition on tadpole and metamorph morphology are rarely tested in detail. In the present study, we […]