Germán Orizaola and Anssi Laurila. Evolutionary Applications. Accepted manuscript online: 7 DEC 2015. We examined variation in developmental plasticity to changing temperature in the pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae) across its distribution by studying populations from central areas (Poland), edge populations (Latvia) and northern marginal populations (Sweden). Leer más.
Ulrich Sinsch, Alena M. Schäfer. Journal of Thermal Biology. Volume 55, January 2016, Pages 20–29. Winter mortality of toad juveniles (Epidalea calamita, Bufotes viridis) was assessed during four successive years in the natural habitat and during experimental hibernations in temperature-controlled chambers. Leer más.
In ectotherms, environmental factors shape the distribution of species mediated by ecophysiological constraints such as thermal requirements and water stress. Species with different distributions along an environmental gradient are expected to show contrasting responses in thermal-gradient and water-stress lab experiments. We examined basic thermal and hydric physiological traits throughout the day in two related lizard species with different, but partially overlapping, distributions in the Iberian Peninsula: Podarcis liolepis (abundant but mostly restricted to northeastern Iberia) and P. muralis (restricted in Iberia but widespread across Europe). We expected P. liolepis to opt for higher preferred body temperatures and have lower water loss rates as compared to P. muralis. Surprisingly, results revealed no differences in preferred body temperatures between species or sexes. Conversely, interspecific differences in the temporal profiles of water
loss were found. Results suggest that water availability rather than thermal environment shapes the biogeographical patterns of both species.
The first dinosaur relatives may have emerged up to 10 million years later than previously thought, then evolved rapidly into the animals that would take over the world, a new study suggests. Leer más.
