Morphological determinants of jumping performance in the Iberian green frog.

ABSTRACT: Predation is one of the main selective forces in nature, frequently selecting potential prey for developing escape strategies. Escape ability is typically influenced by several morphological parameters, such as morphology of the locomotor appendices, muscular capacity, body mass, or fluctuating asymmetry, and may differ between sexes and age classes. In this study, we tested the relationship among these variables and jumping performance in 712 Iberian green frogs Pelophylax perezi from an urban population. The results suggest that the main determinant of jumping capacity was body size (explaining 48% of variance). Larger frogs jumped farther, but jumping performance reached an asymptote for the largest frogs. Once controlled by structural body size, the heaviest frogs jumped shorter distan

SUBMITTER: Moreno-Rueda G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7319472 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature