Evolutionary Ecology of Amphibians by Gregorio Moreno-Rueda;Mar Comas; & Mar Comas

Author:Gregorio Moreno-Rueda;Mar Comas; & Mar Comas [Moreno-Rueda, Gregorio & Comas, Mar]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781000909241
Publisher: CRC Press (Unlimited)
Published: 2023-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

Conclusions

Ecogeographic rules should play a prominent role in predicting the magnitude and direction of biological responses to climate change (Tian and Benton 2020) such as suggested size reductions (Gardner et al. 2011, Sheridan and Bickford 2011). However, in order to optimize their use as predictive tools, it is particularly important to collect the available information on phenotype-environment relationships for each particular taxonomic group. In the case of amphibians, evidence shows the emergence of large-scale interspecific patterns of body size and the existence of an underlying climatic signal. The disparity of responses among the three orders (Anura, Caudata and Gymnophiona) in terms of geographic variation and degree of environmental influence, with latitudinal patterns only detectable at the regional level, points to the non-universality of Bergmann’s rule in amphibians. Overall, at least part of the complexity in documented spatial patterns seems to be associated to the interplay between thermoregulation and hydroregulation mediated by surface area to volume ratios. Both the heat balance and the water conservation hypotheses are identified as the most plausible explanations for the observed patterns. The use of length-based body size metrics (SVL or TL) that do not take into account the importance of A/V ratios for the homeostasis and regulation of transcutaneous fluxes of water, osmolytes and respiratory gases in these organisms could weaken the detection of environmental signals. Therefore, two new avenues of research are suggested, based on the development of 3D morphological models and biophysical models to deepen the mechanistic basis of the observed patterns.

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