Abstract
Intersexual morphological differences within a species occur in many traits, including body size and shape. Many processes that cause geographic variability in morphology have been proposed: population structure, phenotypic plasticity (environmental effects on development), and natural and/or sexual selection. Several hypotheses can explain patterns of sexual dimorphism in anurans, including natural or intra/inter-sexual selection, and differences in life history strategies between sexes. Limnomedusa macroglossa is considered a habitat specialist restricted to rocky outcrops in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. We evaluated the extent of sexual (size and shape) dimorphism in L. macroglossa from Uruguay based on morphometrics and secondary sexual characteristics, while taking into account geographic variation. Sexual dimorphism in body size of adults was found, but multivariate analyses did not demonstrate the existence of significant differences in shape. There were also significant differences in body size and hind leg measurements among six hydrographic basins as a result from the phenotypic plasticity correlated with local temperature, representing a clinal variation along the latitudinal gradient of Uruguay. The sexual dimorphism found in body size is probably the consequence of higher growth rates and/or late sexual maturity in females, which favors larger body size for accommodating larger ovaries, and thus, higher reproductive output.
Highlights
Morphology is one of the main components of the phenotype that can be studied through qualitative as well as quantitative characteristics
We found that females of Limnomedusa macroglossa reach sexual maturity around 49.82 mm, while males reach it at a smaller size of about 41.29 mm
Our data on minimum size at sexual maturity (MSSM) and sexual size dimorphism (SSD) of Limnomedusa macroglossa from Uruguay may contribute to the knowledge of the life history traits of this species
Summary
Morphology is one of the main components of the phenotype that can be studied through qualitative as well as quantitative characteristics. Morphological quantitative traits are usually polygenically inherited and show considerable plasticity in relation to environmental factors (Babik and Rafinski, 2000). Plasticity can lead to geographic variability in morphology. Body size is a strongly plastic morphological trait (Green, 2015) fundamental in physiological and ecological contexts. Snout-vent length (SVL) has been used as the gold standard to measure body size in frogs (Kupfer, 2007). Analyses of intraspecific geographical variability in morphology have often revealed extensive variation in body size (Schäuble, 2004). Due to the limited dispersal ability and high philopatry in frogs, it is common to find
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