Divergence of thermal physiological traits in terrestrial breeding frogs along a tropical elevational gradient.

ABSTRACT: Critical thermal limits are thought to be correlated with the elevational distribution of species living in tropical montane regions, but with upper limits being relatively invariant compared to lower limits. To test this hypothesis, we examined the variation of thermal physiological traits in a group of terrestrial breeding frogs (Craugastoridae) distributed along a tropical elevational gradient. We measured the critical thermal maximum (CT _max; n = 22 species) and critical thermal minimum (CT _min; n = 14 species) of frogs captured between the Amazon floodplain (250 m asl) and the high Andes (3,800 m asl). After inferring a multilocus species tree, we conducted a phylogenetically informed test of whether body size, body mass, and elevation contributed t

SUBMITTER: von May R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5415528 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature