The maintenance of polymorphisms is often explained by sexual selection. However, natural selection may also constrain morphs to particular locations, causing geographical variation in morph diversity. In many well‐known polymorphic organisms in which the relevance of sexual selection on the maintenance of polymorphisms is widely supported, the role of environmental factors has been poorly studied. Here, we adopted a population‐level approach to assess the extent to which geographical variation in climate explains morph composition in a colour polymorphic lizard. We predict that rare morphs are more environmentally constrained than common morphs. Leer más.

Zaida Ortega Francisco  y Javier Martín‐Vallejo. The thermal ecology of ectotherms has been studied for almost two centuries, but additional attention is currently being paid to the issue in order to understand how organisms deal with the environment in a climate change context. However, a consensus is still far away, due to the large number of factors involved and their complex interactions. In this context, three analyses in lacertid lizards were carried out: (1) a meta‐analysis, to test for differences between body and air temperatures from 71 populations, (2) a meta‐analysis concerning correlations between body and air temperatures from 60 populations, and (3) a multimodel inference using thermoregulation effectiveness indices from 45 populations. Leer más.

Successful reproduction is an important determinant of the fitness of an individual and of the dynamics of populations. Offspring of the European common frog (Rana temporaria) exhibit a high degree of variability in metamorphic traits. However, environmental factors alone cannot explain this phenotypic variability, and the influence of genetic factors remains to be determined. Here, we tested whether the maternal genotype influences developmental time, body size, and body condition of offspring in a forest pond in Germany.  Leer más.

A total of 234 boats were sampled during the spring Spanish Canoe Championship which took place in Pontillón de Castro, a reservoir with a history of ranavirosis, in May 2017. Boats were tested for the presence of ranavirus and Batrachochytrium spp. DNA, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction techniques (qPCR). A total of 22 swabs (22/234, 9.40%) yielded qPCR-positive results for Ranavirus DNA while Bd or Bsal were not detected in any of the samples. Leer más.

The main aim of the study was to analyse the influence of fleshy fruits (plums) on the post-metamorphic growth and feeding behaviour of the green toad Bufotes viridis. We tested the following two hypotheses: (1) juveniles of the green toad are characterised by faster growth in conditions involving fallen plums Prunus cerasifera due to the associated presence of more varied food such as invertebrates; (2) green toads exhibit more active feeding behaviour in the presence of fleshy fruits. Leer más.