Due to their assumed costs, simultaneous antipredator strategies are expected to face trade-offs, which, however, could be milder in individuals subjected to a more intense predator pressure. In this work, I studied the relationship between locomotion and parotoid glands in the natterjack toad, Epidalea calamita. Specifically, I predicted that individuals with reduced sprint speed would rely more on their chemical defences, having larger and more aposematically coloured parotoid glands.  Leer más.

Emys orbicularis is a semi-aquatic turtle with great longevity being able to reach 50 years. In this study, we estimated the growth rates (in carapace length and body mass) in a population of E. orbicularis from the northeastern Iberian Peninsula over a period of 23 years.  Leer más.

The slow-worm lizards (Anguis) comprise five species occurring throughout most of the Western Palearctic. Although these species are relatively uniform morphologically – with the exception of A. cephallonica, which exhibits a quite unique morphology – they are genetically deeply divergent. Leer más.

Multiple paternity is widespread in nature and despite costs, it has many associated benefits like increased genetic diversity and fertilization success. It has been described in many viviparous systems, suggesting the existence of some fitness advantages counteracting the inherent costs of viviparity, such as fecundity reduction and high parental investment.  Leer más.

Accurate estimations of population size and space-use are critical issues, for assessing population trends and extinction risk. In this study, we applied spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) modelling customized for linear habitats to a three-year Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR) monitoring of three populations of stream-dwelling Pyrenean brook newt (Calotriton asper), an endemic species of the Pyrenean mountain range. Leer más.