Growing and shrinking in the smallest tortoise, Homopus signatus signatus: the importance of rain.

Abstract:

:Climate change models predict that the range of the world's smallest tortoise, Homopus signatus signatus, will aridify and contract in the next decades. To evaluate the effects of annual variation in rainfall on the growth of H. s. signatus, we recorded annual growth rates of wild individuals from spring 2000 to spring 2004. Juveniles grew faster than did adults, and females grew faster than did males. Growth correlated strongly with the amount of rain that fell during the time just before and within the growth periods. Growth rates were lowest in 2002-2003, when almost no rain fell between September 2002 and August 2003. In this period, more than 54% of the tortoises had negative growth rates for their straight carapace length (SCL), shell height (SH), and shell volume (SV); maximum shrinking for SCL, SH, and SV was 4, 11, and 12%, respectively. The shell of H. s. signatus has some flexibility dorso-ventrally, so a reduction in internal matter due to starvation or dehydration may have caused SH to shrink. Because the length and width of the shell seem more rigid, reversible bone resorption may have contributed to shrinkage, particularly of the shell width and plastron length. Based on growth rates for all years, female H. s. signatus need 11-12 years to mature, approximately twice as long as would be expected allometrically for such a small species. However, if aridification lowers average growth rates to the level of 2002-2003, females would require 30 years to mature. Additionally, aridification would lower average and maximum female size, resulting in smaller eggs and hatchlings. These projected life history responses to aridification heighten the threat posed by the predicted range contraction of this red-listed species.

journal_name

Oecologia

journal_title

Oecologia

authors

Loehr VJ,Hofmeyr MD,Henen BT

doi

10.1007/s00442-007-0738-7

subject

Has Abstract

pub_date

2007-08-01 00:00:00

pages

479-88

issue

2

eissn

0029-8549

issn

1432-1939

journal_volume

153

pub_type

杂志文章
  • Effects of light quantity and quality during development on the morphology and stomatal physiology of Commelina communis.

    abstract::The effects on plant growth and stomatal physiology of alterations in light quantity and quality during development were investigated in the C3 monocot, Commelina communis. Reduction in light intensity resulted in decreased branching and stem elongation, with effects more severe under "neutral shade" (R:FR≥1.0) than u...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/BF00317363

    authors: Assmann SM

    更新日期:1992-11-01 00:00:00

  • Phylogeny, fruit traits, and ecological correlates of fruiting phenology in a Neotropical dry forest.

    abstract::In tropical dry forests, a high interspecific variation in the strategies of fruiting phenology has been documented. Therefore, phenological responses may be mediated by influence of environmental variables, functional plant attributes or phylogenetic inertia. During 2 years, we recorded the fruiting phenology of 151 ...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-018-4295-z

    authors: Cortés-Flores J,Cornejo-Tenorio G,Urrea-Galeano LA,Andresen E,González-Rodríguez A,Ibarra-Manríquez G

    更新日期:2019-01-01 00:00:00

  • The effect of fasting and refeeding on temperature preference, activity and growth of roach, Rutilus rutilus.

    abstract::Most fish species are regularly subjected to periods of starvation during which a reduction of energy turnover might be favourable for the animal. This reduction of energy flux may be achieved by changes in thermal behaviour and/or swimming activity. We investigated such behavioural changes during starvation and subse...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-001-0830-3

    authors: van Dijk P,Staaks G,Hardewig I

    更新日期:2002-02-01 00:00:00

  • Growth, reproductive performance and resource allocation of the herbaceous obligate seeder Gompholobium marginatum R. Br. (Fabaceae).

    abstract::Perennial species have evolved several strategies to survive fire, with resprouters and seeders forming two major categories. Gompholobium marginatum is a herbaceous seeder legume occurring in the Western Australian jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest which since 1961 has been subjected to burns every sixth year. Suc...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/BF00317172

    authors: Hansen A,Pate JS,Hansen AP

    更新日期:1992-05-01 00:00:00

  • A test of energetic trade-offs between growth and immune function in watersnakes.

    abstract::Energy budgets explain how organisms allocate energetic intake to accomplish essential processes. A likely life history trade-off occurs between growth and immune response in juvenile organisms, where growth is important to avoid predation or obtain larger prey and immune response is essential to survival in the prese...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-015-3365-8

    authors: Korfel CA,Chamberlain JD,Gifford ME

    更新日期:2015-10-01 00:00:00

  • The allometry of the weight of fruit on trees and shrubs in Barbados.

    abstract::Branch sampling of branch diameter and fruit crop on 22 species of Barbadian trees and shrubs provided sufficient data to build regressions between plant size and fruit crop weight. Orchard plants bear much more fruit than wild, feral or garden plants of similar size, but this difference disappears in multiple regress...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/BF00380061

    authors: Peters RH,Cloutier S,Dubé D,Evans A,Hastings P,Kaiser H,Kohn D,Sarwer-Foner B

    更新日期:1988-01-01 00:00:00

  • Spatial heterogeneity in the relative impacts of foliar quality and predation pressure on red oak, Quercus rubra, arthropod communities.

    abstract::Predation pressure and resource availability often interact in structuring herbivore communities, with their relative influence varying in space and time. The operation of multiple ecological pressures and guild-specific herbivore responses may combine to override simple predictions of how the roles of plant quality a...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-010-1750-x

    authors: Zehnder CB,Stodola KW,Cooper RJ,Hunter MD

    更新日期:2010-12-01 00:00:00

  • Seed supply limits seedling recruitment of Eucalyptus miniata: interactions between seed predation by ants and fire in the Australian seasonal tropics.

    abstract::Seed predation can cause substantial seed losses and influence plant population dynamics, but the impact depends on the extent to which populations are limited by seed availability or favorable microsites for recruitment. Harvester ants are the dominant post-dispersal seed predators in Australia's tropical savannas, a...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-018-4061-2

    authors: Setterfield SA,Andersen AN

    更新日期:2018-04-01 00:00:00

  • Comparisons of AM fungal spore communities with the same hosts but different soil chemistries over local and geographic scales.

    abstract::Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are ubiquitous and ecologically important microbes in grasslands. Both the host plant species and soil properties have been suggested as potentially important factors structuring AM fungal communities based on studies within local field sites. However, characterizations of the communi...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-011-2067-0

    authors: Ji B,Bentivenga SP,Casper BB

    更新日期:2012-01-01 00:00:00

  • Warmest extreme year in U.S. history alters thermal requirements for tree phenology.

    abstract::The frequency of extreme warm years is increasing across the majority of the planet. Shifts in plant phenology in response to extreme years can influence plant survival, productivity, and synchrony with pollinators/herbivores. Despite extensive work on plant phenological responses to climate change, little is known ab...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-017-3838-z

    authors: Carter JM,Orive ME,Gerhart LM,Stern JH,Marchin RM,Nagel J,Ward JK

    更新日期:2017-04-01 00:00:00

  • Density-dependent shoot-borer herbivory increases the age of first reproduction and mortality of neotropical tree saplings.

    abstract::Shoot herbivory by the sapling specialist shoot-borer Cromarcha stroudagnesia (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae, Chrysauginae) is shown to have large direct and indirect effects on the rates of height increment and mortality of saplings of its host tree, Tabebuia ochracea (Bignoniaceae), in the secondary successional tropical d...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-003-1233-4

    authors: Sullivan JJ

    更新日期:2003-06-01 00:00:00

  • Prosopis glandulosa and the nitrogen balance of rangelands: extent and occurrence of nodulation.

    abstract::We report the recovery of root nodules from P. glandulosa var. glandulosa in the eastern portion of its range, where the species reaches its greatest vegetational development. Single cores 4.7 cm in diameter and up to 250 cm deep yielded from 0 to over 250 nodules. Nodules were found at all depths below 10 cm, with th...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/BF00318269

    authors: Johnson HB,Mayeux HS Jr

    更新日期:1990-09-01 00:00:00

  • Geographic and population variation in pollinating seed-consuming interactions between senita cacti (Lophocereus schottii) and senita moths (Upiga virescens).

    abstract::Interspecific interactions can vary within and among populations and geographic locations. This variation can subsequently influence the evolution and coevolution of species interactions. We investigated population and geographic variation in traits important to pollinating seed-consuming interactions between the seni...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s004420050945

    authors: Holland JN,Fleming TH

    更新日期:1999-11-01 00:00:00

  • Quantifying the response of free-ranging mammalian herbivores to the interplay between plant defense and nutrient concentrations.

    abstract::While trying to achieve their nutritional requirements, foraging herbivores face the costs of plant defenses, such as toxins. Teasing apart the costs and benefits of various chemical constituents in plants is difficult because their chemical defenses and nutrient concentrations often co-vary. We used an approach deriv...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-014-2980-0

    authors: Bedoya-Pérez MA,Issa DD,Banks PB,McArthur C

    更新日期:2014-08-01 00:00:00

  • A trematode parasite alters growth, feeding behavior, and demographic success of invasive rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus).

    abstract::Nonindigenous species can cause major changes to community interactions and ecosystem processes. The strong impacts of these species are often attributed to their high demographic success. While the importance of enemy release in facilitating invasions has often been emphasized, few studies have addressed the role of ...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-014-2939-1

    authors: Sargent LW,Baldridge AK,Vega-Ross M,Towle KM,Lodge DM

    更新日期:2014-07-01 00:00:00

  • Effects of ozone on species composition in an upland grassland.

    abstract::Northern hemispheric background concentrations of ozone are increasing, but few studies have assessed the ecological significance of these changes for grasslands of high conservation value under field conditions. We carried out a 3-year field experiment in which ozone was released at a controlled rate over three exper...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-011-2154-2

    authors: Wedlich KV,Rintoul N,Peacock S,Cape JN,Coyle M,Toet S,Barnes J,Ashmore M

    更新日期:2012-04-01 00:00:00

  • Environmental effects on CO2 efflux from riparian tundra in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range, Alaska, USA.

    abstract::Carbon dioxide efflux and soil microenvironmental factors were measured diurnally in Carex aquatilus-and Eriophorum angustifolium-dominated riparian tundra communities to determine the relative importance of soil environmental factors controlling ecosystem carbon dioxide exchange with the atmosphere. Measurements were...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/BF00317851

    authors: Oberbauer SF,Gillespie CT,Cheng W,Gebauer R,Serra AS,Tenhunen JD

    更新日期:1992-12-01 00:00:00

  • Estimation of stand-level leaf area for boreal bryophytes.

    abstract::Bryophytes dominate the carbon and nitrogen cycling of many poorly drained terrestrial ecosystems and are important in the vegetation-atmosphere exchange of carbon and water, yet few studies have estimated their leaf area at the stand scale. This study quantified the bryophyte-specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf area in...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-006-0619-5

    authors: Bond-Lamberty B,Gower ST

    更新日期:2007-04-01 00:00:00

  • Comparison of photosynthetic damage from arthropod herbivory and pathogen infection in understory hardwood saplings.

    abstract::Arthropods and pathogens damage leaves in natural ecosystems and may reduce photosynthesis at some distance away from directly injured tissue. We quantified the indirect effects of naturally occurring biotic damage on leaf-level photosystem II operating efficiency (Phi(PSII)) of 11 understory hardwood tree species usi...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-006-0444-x

    authors: Aldea M,Hamilton JG,Resti JP,Zangerl AR,Berenbaum MR,Frank TD,Delucia EH

    更新日期:2006-08-01 00:00:00

  • Experimental confirmation of multiple community states in a marine ecosystem.

    abstract::Small changes in environmental conditions can unexpectedly tip an ecosystem from one community type to another, and these often irreversible shifts have been observed in semi-arid grasslands, freshwater lakes and ponds, coral reefs, and kelp forests. A commonly accepted explanation is that these ecosystems contain mul...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-009-1350-9

    authors: Petraitis PS,Methratta ET,Rhile EC,Vidargas NA,Dudgeon SR

    更新日期:2009-08-01 00:00:00

  • Sexually differentiated flight responses of the Mexican bean beetle to larval and adult nutrition.

    abstract::Flight of male and female Mexican bean beetle adults was examined in laboratory tests. The experimental design made it possible to examine flight behavior not only with respect to different types of hosts (young vs senescent common bean foliage) but also with respect to effects due to their utilization during particul...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/BF00378613

    authors: Saks ME,Rankin MA,Stinner RE

    更新日期:1988-03-01 00:00:00

  • Fruit composition and patterns of fruit dispersal of two Cornus spp.

    abstract::Fruiting phenology and pattern of fruit removal of two shrubby dogwoods were examined in relation to fruit composition. It was predicted that fruit of the species bearing high fat fruit would disappear more rapidly and fall to the ground sooner than fruit of the species bearing low fat fruit. Field observation at two ...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/BF00384952

    authors: Borowicz VA,Stephenson AG

    更新日期:1985-10-01 00:00:00

  • The temperature-related photosynthetic capacity of plants under desert conditions : III. Ecological significance of the seasonal changes of the photosynthetic response to temperature.

    abstract::As described earlier, the native arido-active perennial Hammada scoparia and the cultivated Prunus armeniaca exhibit characteristic seasonal shifts of their temperature optimum of net photosynthesis (OP) under desert conditions in the Negev. In the present paper the OP values were compared with the actual tissue tempe...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/BF00346243

    authors: Lange OL,Schulze ED,Evenari M,Kappen L,Buschbom U

    更新日期:1978-01-01 00:00:00

  • [The flea infestation of small alpine mammals and its dependence on the time of the year and altitude].

    abstract::The infestation of small alpine mammals with fleas during the year and at different altitudes was investigated. The data are based on an investigation carried out between 1966 and 1969 in Tirol (Austria) in different altitudinal zones of the alps, 1136 fleas having been collected from 625 insectivores and rodents. By ...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/BF00367541

    authors: Mahnert V

    更新日期:1972-12-01 00:00:00

  • Convergent growth regulation in arthropods: biological fact or statistical artifact?

    abstract::Convergent growth regulation, where individuals adjust their growth trajectories to reach a targeted final body size, has been reported for many arthropod taxa. Divergent growth, where larger individuals grow proportionately more than smaller individuals, is seldom observed. Most studies based their conclusions on gro...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s004420100639

    authors: Lytle DA

    更新日期:2001-06-01 00:00:00

  • A tree-ring perspective on the terrestrial carbon cycle.

    abstract::Tree-ring records can provide valuable information to advance our understanding of contemporary terrestrial carbon cycling and to reconstruct key metrics in the decades preceding monitoring data. The growing use of tree rings in carbon-cycle research is being facilitated by increasing recognition of reciprocal benefit...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章,评审

    doi:10.1007/s00442-014-3031-6

    authors: Babst F,Alexander MR,Szejner P,Bouriaud O,Klesse S,Roden J,Ciais P,Poulter B,Frank D,Moore DJ,Trouet V

    更新日期:2014-10-01 00:00:00

  • Two-phase seed dispersal: linking the effects of frugivorous birds and seed-caching rodents.

    abstract::Frugivorous birds disperse the seeds of many fruit-bearing plants, but the fate of seeds after defecation or regurgitation is often unknown. Some rodents gather and scatter hoard seeds, and some of these may be overlooked, germinate, and establish plants. We show that these two disparate modes of seed dispersal are li...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-005-0125-1

    authors: Vander Wall SB,Kuhn KM,Gworek JR

    更新日期:2005-09-01 00:00:00

  • Mixed inoculations of a microsporidian parasite with horizontal and vertical infections.

    abstract::Mixed infections, where more than one parasite genotype is present in a single host, have been suggested to be an important factor in host-parasite interactions. As the host represents a limited resource, co-infecting parasite genotypes are expected to be under resource competition. Competition will not only modify th...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-004-1771-4

    authors: Vizoso DB,Ebert D

    更新日期:2005-03-01 00:00:00

  • Water stress in the epiphytic orchid, Dimerandra emarginata (G. Meyer) Hoehne.

    abstract::The epiphytic orchid, Dimerandra emarginata, occurs in habitats characterized by high light intensities and very variable water supply. Long-term observations of the water status indicate that this species experienced at least moderate water stress over most of the year. Well-watered, it showed high rates of net CO2 u...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/BF00327898

    authors: Zotz G,Tyree MT

    更新日期:1996-07-01 00:00:00

  • Reproductive phenology of a food-hoarding mast-seed consumer: resource- and density-dependent benefits of early breeding in red squirrels.

    abstract::The production of offspring by vertebrates is often timed to coincide with the annual peak in resource availability. However, capital breeders can extend the energetic benefits of a resource pulse by storing food or fat, thus relaxing the need for synchrony between energy supply and demand. Food-hoarding red squirrels...

    journal_title:Oecologia

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1007/s00442-013-2826-1

    authors: Williams CT,Lane JE,Humphries MM,McAdam AG,Boutin S

    更新日期:2014-03-01 00:00:00