Sexual Dimorphism Index (SDI) and the Scaled Mass Index (SMI). Males were slightly larger (mean straight carapace length 27.4 cm) and heavier (mean weight 2,932 g) than females (26.0 cm, 2,627 g), with an SDI value of -0.051 indicating that males are larger than females by 5.1%. Leer más.
In the first set of models, the presence of embankments was associated with reduced mortality rates and mortality declined as the season progressed, suggesting a reduction in toad displacement after breeding. In the second set of models, higher nearby relative abundance equated to increased mortality rate and the number of ponds (which may have been unoccupied) had no significant effect. Leer más.
Our study found that female Triturus pygmaeus newts are larger, but males have deeper tails and longer limbs. The more saturated white bands and the more active and faster behavior of males may represent an investment in female attraction, perhaps to the detriment of predator evasion. Males became sexually mature earlier than females, but their lifespans were similar. Leer más.
In this study we tested the effects of insularity on amphibian colouration using the fire salamander as a model system. Although increased melanism was not a consistent pattern across all islands, salamanders from one island exhibited higher proportions of black pigmentation than mainland populations, while insular populations overall showed reduced variation in colouration. Leer más.
Our results imply that although ecosystem engineers might have significant impacts on regulating the population dynamics of reptiles through altering habitats, this cannot be generalized across ecosystems and taxa. Leer más.
