Author : Adrian Daniel Macedo
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 84 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (113 download)
Book Synopsis Life History of the Coastal Tailed Frog (Ascaphus Truei) Across an Elevational Gradient by : Adrian Daniel Macedo
Download or read book Life History of the Coastal Tailed Frog (Ascaphus Truei) Across an Elevational Gradient written by Adrian Daniel Macedo and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I found that the larval period of A. truei in the Klamath Mountains of northern California ranges from two years in low and mid-elevations, to at least three years in high elevations. I also found decreased body size and increased growth rates of tadpoles with increasing elevation. Post-metamorphic frogs grew at similar rates as previously described coastal California populations. There was high site fidelity and significantly greater movement during the months of June and August in post-metamorphic animals. Frogs in the high elevations are capable of great longevity, with a maximum observed age estimated at eight years post-metamorphosis. The high elevation populations described here have the longest larval period documented in California. This study also provides the first field estimates of larval growth rates and the first longevity estimates of post metamorphic frogs in California. Future laboratory experiments will be necessary to separate phenotypic plasticity of life history traits from true genetic differences between A. truei populations in the Klamath Mountains of northern California, as potential explanations for the variation seen.