Bases para la gestión forestal en relación con la herpertofauna

Efectos Del Desarrollo Urbano En La Supervivencia Y Adaptabilidad De Las Larvas En Hyla Meridionalis

Structure of an Anuran Community in a Mediterranean Area [: Estructura de Una Comunidad de Anuros en Una Región Mediterránea

Evolution and plasticity of anuran larval development in response to desiccation. A comparative analysis

Can amphibians take the heat? Vulnerability to climate warming in subtropical and temperate larval amphibian communities

Habitat features affecting the small-scale distribution and longitudinal migration patterns of Calotriton asper in a Pre-Pyrenean population

Tadpole diet selection varies with the ecological context in predictable ways

Genetic analysis of differentiation among breeding ponds reveals a candidate gene for local adaptation in Rana arvalis

Hierarchical Competition In Pond-Breeding Anuran Larvae In a Mediterranean Area

Breeding Phenology of An Amphibian Community In a Mediterranean Area

Local selection modifies phenotypic divergence among Rana temporaria populations in the presence of gene flow.

Richter-Boix, A., Teplitsky, C., Rogell, B. & Laurila, A. (2010) Molecular Ecology, 19: 716-731.

In ectotherms, variation in life history traits among populations is common and suggests local adaptation. However, geographic variation itself is not a proof for local adaptation, as genetic drift and gene flow may also shape patterns of quantitative variation. We studied local and regional variation in means and phenotypic plasticity of larval life history traits in the common frog Rana temporaria using six populations from central Sweden, breeding in either open-canopy or partially closed-canopy ponds. To separate local adaptation from genetic drift, we compared differentiation in quantitative genetic traits (QST) obtained from a common garden experiment with differentiation in presumably neutral microsatellite markers (FST). We found that R. temporaria populations differ in means and plasticities of life history traits in different temperatures at local, and in FST at regional scale. Comparisons of differentiation in quantitative traits and in molecular markers suggested that natural selection was responsible for the divergence in growth and development rates as well as in temperature-induced plasticity, indicating local adaptation. However, at low temperature, the role of genetic drift could not be separated from selection. Phenotypes were correlated with forest canopy closure, but not with geographical or genetic distance. These results indicate that local adaptation can evolve in the presence of ongoing gene flow among the populations, and that natural selection is strong in this system.

Contrasting effects of environmental factors during larval stage on morphological plasticity in post-metamorphic frogs.

Tejedo, M., Marangoni, F., Pertoldi, C., Richter-Boix, A., Laurila, A., Orizaola, G., Nicieza, AG., Álvarez, D. & Gomez-Mestre, I. (2010) . Climate Research, 43: 31-39.

In organisms with complex life cycles, environmentally induced plasticity across sequen- tial stages can have important consequences on morphology and life history traits such as develop- mental and growth rates. However, previous research in amphibians and other ectothermic verte- brates suggests that some morphological traits are generally insensitive to environmental inductions. We conducted a literature survey to examine the allometric responses in relative hind leg length and head shape of post-metamorphic anuran amphibians to induced environmental (temperature, re- source level, predation and desiccation risk) variation operating during the larval phase in 44 studies using 19 species. To estimate and compare plastic responses across studies, we employed both an in- dex of plasticity and effect sizes from a meta-analysis. We found contrasting trait responses to different environmental cues. Higher temperatures increased development more than growth rate and induced smaller heads but not overall shifts in hind leg length. In contrast, an increment in resource availabil- ity increased growth more than development, with a parallel increase in hind leg length but no change in head shape. Increases in predation risk decreased both development and growth rates and slightly reduced relative hind leg length, but there was no change in head shape. Pond desiccation induced quick development and low growth rates, with no changes in morphology. Across environments, both hind leg and head shape plasticity were positively correlated with growth rate plasticity. However, plasticity of developmental rate was only correlated with head shape plasticity. Overall, these results suggest that environmental trends predicted by global warming projections, such as increasing pond temperature and accelerating pond desiccation, will significantly influence hind leg and head morphology in metamorphic frogs, which may affect performance and, ultimately, fitness.

Structure and dynamics of an amphibian metacommunity in two regions.

Richter-Boix, A., Llorente, G.A. & Montori, A. (2007) Journal of Animal Ecology, 76: 607-618

A comparative analysis of the adaptive developmental plasticity hypothesis in six Mediterranean anuran species along a pond permanency gradient.

Richter-Boix, A., Llorente, G.A. & Montori, A. (2006)  Evolutionary Ecology Research, 8: 1139-1154

Effects of phenotypic plasticity on post-metamorphic traits during pre-metamorphic stages in the anuran Pelodytes punctatus.

Richter-Boix, A., Llorente, G.A. & Montori, A. (2006) Evolutionary Ecology Research, 8: 309-320

A comparative study of predator-induced phenotype in tadpoles across a pond permanency gradient.

Richter-Boix, A., Llorente, G.A. & Montori, A. (2007) Hydrobiologia, 583: 43-56

Responses to competition effects of two anuran tadpoles according to life-history traits.

Richter-Boix, A., Llorente, G.A. & Montori, A. (2004) Oikos, 106: 39-50.

Local selection modifies phenotypic divergence among Rana temporaria populations in the presence of gene flow.

Richter-Boix, A., Teplitsky, C., Rogell, B. & Laurila, A. (2010) Molecular Ecology, 19: 716-731.

In ectotherms, variation in life history traits among populations is common and suggests local adaptation. However, geographic variation itself is not a proof for local adaptation, as genetic drift and gene flow may also shape patterns of quantitative variation. We studied local and regional variation in means and phenotypic plasticity of larval life history traits in the common frog Rana temporaria using six populations from central Sweden, breeding in either open-canopy or partially closed-canopy ponds. To separate local adaptation from genetic drift, we compared differentiation in quantitative genetic traits (QST) obtained from a common garden experiment with differentiation in presumably neutral microsatellite markers (FST). We found that R. temporaria populations differ in means and plasticities of life history traits in different temperatures at local, and in FST at regional scale. Comparisons of differentiation in quantitative traits and in molecular markers suggested that natural selection was responsible for the divergence in growth and development rates as well as in temperature-induced plasticity, indicating local adaptation. However, at low temperature, the role of genetic drift could not be separated from selection. Phenotypes were correlated with forest canopy closure, but not with geographical or genetic distance. These results indicate that local adaptation can evolve in the presence of ongoing gene flow among the populations, and that natural selection is strong in this system.