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Factors influencing flight-initiation distance in reptiles and the comparison with endotherm vertebrates
Fictumová, Tereza ; Frýdlová, Petra (advisor) ; Sedláček, Ondřej (referee)
The fleeing behaviour is one of the most common antipredatory strategy. It is intensively studied in many groups of animals. The flight-initiation distance (FID) is used for quantification of fleeing behaviour. The FID represents the distance between a prey and an approaching predator in which the prey starts fleeing. The FID is also used for quantifying of preys fear. The factors influencing FID in reptiles are: temperature, habitat, refuge availability, foraging strategies, predator behaviour etc. I discovered some factors which are different for mammals and birds. The most important difference is the ectothermy in reptiles vs. the endothermy in mammals and birds. Another difference is parental care, alarm calls and grouping. The factors as an influence of predator, refuge availability or type of habitat seems to have very similar or the same impact on FID for both groups.
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The Potential of computed tomography in the research of vertebrates
Piskáčková, Anna ; Frýdlová, Petra (advisor) ; Minařík, Martin (referee)
This thesis explores and classifies the capacities of computed tomography (CT) and mainly microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) in vertebrate research. The thesis pursues the application of the method in imaging the particular structures, tries to gain a knowledge as wide as possible about the studied tissues of vertebrates and about the resolution achieved with micro-CT and evaluates the optimal employment of this method. The aim of this thesis is to propose particular structures ideal for employment of this progressive method with high resolution in morphological, ecomorphological and phylogenetical context of research in vertebrate zoology. At present computed tomography is commonly used diagnostic method, which is employed not only in the medical and veterinary practice but also in biological research. The advantage of computed tomography is it's speed and the fact that it isn't invasive. CT and micro-CT can display mineralized tissues but also soft tissues with used of contrast agents. By micro-CT we create accurate three-dimensional projections of little structures. This can be helpful for example in research of spatially complex skulls and skeletons of even very small vertebrates. At first the thesis tries to map the principles of CT and mikro-CT, the history and the potential of the technique...
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Variability in vertebrae numbers and the evolution of body size in geckos
Vohralík, Martin ; Kratochvíl, Lukáš (advisor) ; Frýdlová, Petra (referee)
In ectothermic vertebrates, body segmentation is often linked to final body length. This thesis focuses on the realtionship between final body length, ecological (temperature) and genetic (sex) factors and the count of body vertebrae in the Paroedura geckos, closely focusing on the Paroedura picta species. Individuals of this species were exposed to three different constant rearing temperatures, where they achieved different final sizes. We tested the correlation between the number of presacral vertebrae and final body size and the effect of rearing temperature and sex on the vertebrae number. The data point to high genetic and enviromental canalisation of the vertebrae count. Large conservation in the number of presacral vertebae were found even across the genus Paroedura regardless of the considerable evolutionary changes in body size. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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Influence of maternal effect on body size evolution in geckos
Kubát, Jan ; Kratochvíl, Lukáš (advisor) ; Frýdlová, Petra (referee)
In this diploma thesis has been tested potential of maternal influences on body growth at two model groups of geckos with large interspecific body size variability. The effect of egg manipulation to hatchling size was proved to be significant for hatchlings at both model species Paroedura picta and Goniurosaurus lichtenfelderi. However, in adult animals, there were no more significant body size differences caused by egg manipulation. It leads to conclusion that both species of geckos have compensatory growth and its adult size is likely to be primarily genetically determined. Key words: maternal effect, egg manipulation, body growth, allometric engeneering, Paroedura picta, Goniurosaurus lichtenfelderi
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Ecological and phylogenetic effects determining variation of growth patterns in amniotes
Stanková, Veronika ; Frýdlová, Petra (advisor) ; Vohralík, Vladimír (referee)
Growth is a process during which organs or the whole body enlarges. It can be modeled by using growth models and curves. The work is mainly focused on the explanation of two types of growth - the determinate growth, which is finished after the reaching of the sexual maturity, and the indeterminate growth which on the other side continues even after the reproduction or after the reaching of the sexual maturity. In the literature there is generally stated that birds and mammals are characterized by the determinate growth, amphibians and reptiles have the indeterminate growth. The aim of this work was to analyze the current available literature relevant to the growth and to evaluate the above mentioned statements about the growth of the vertebrates. The ecological and the phylogenetic effects influencing the growth, the physiological regulation and the mechanism of the growth are summarized in this work. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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Comparative analysis of sexual and agonistic behaviour in eyelid geckos (Eublepharidae)
Rauner, Petr ; Kratochvíl, Lukáš (advisor) ; Frýdlová, Petra (referee)
Sexual selection is one of main selective pressure affecting body size, and subsequently leads to the evolution of sexual size dimorphism (SSD). The eyelid geckoes, family Eublepharidae, are a monophyletic group with considerable variability in SSD, including both male-larger and female-larger species. In general, it was supposed that eyelid geckos are highly variable in presence of male combats and in complexity of male pre-copulatory behaviour, and that this variability in this conspicuous male behaviour may lead to differences in SSD. The aim of this study was to reveal relationships between the direction of SSD and presence/absence of tail vibration during precopulatory phase and male combat behaviour. Using behavioural testing, it was revealed that male combats are present in all tested species, even in species, where the absence of such behaviour was supposed so far. In several species, the strong effect of seasonality to male aggression was observed, which may play a role in the evolution of SSD. The evolutionary changes in the presence/absence of tail vibration during precopulatory phase were independent on changes in the direction of SSD, the presence of tail vibration seems to be ancestral state for these lizards. During the evolution of this group, the tail vibrations disappeared four...
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Hormonal control of sexual size dimorphism in vertebrates
Tureček, Adam ; Kratochvíl, Lukáš (advisor) ; Frýdlová, Petra (referee)
Males and females of one species share the majority of the genome, often also the joint niche, but their phenotype is usually very different. The biggest difference between the sexes is the achievement of different sizes that can be controlled dimorphic secretion of hormones. Although many researches have been conducted on this topic, we still lack the knowledge that at least in vertebrates exists in this respect a single, common proximate mechanism or whether different types or lines vary considerably in hormonal control of dimorphism in body size. Growth is influenced by a variety of hormones that can interact - for example, growth hormone, somatomedins, thyroid hormones and steroid hormones. However, experimental studies have suggested that influence levels of sex steroid hormones can cause a change in sexual dimorphism in size. My work focuses on summarizing knowledge about hormonal influence dimorphic growth in vertebrates and analyse the methodology used. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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Ontogeny and evolution of body size and sexual size dimorphism in reptiles
Frýdlová, Petra ; Frynta, Daniel (advisor) ; Moravec, Jiří (referee) ; Zrzavý, Jan (referee)
Monitor lizards (Varanidae) are morphologically very uniform in body shape, but much diversified in body size along both phylogenetic and ontogenetic axes. A striking sexual size dimorphism exists in monitor lizards; they are capable of fast growth, metabolism and sexual maturation. I collected the data concerning body size of particular species and verified the validity of Rench's rule, which said that there is bigger difference in body size of a conspecific male and females growing with larger body size of the species. Males are markedly bigger than females. In the next step, I focused on the model species of monitor lizards, Varanus indicus. I monitored its ontogeny very carefully. I found that this monitor lizard has pronounced sexual size dimorphism, but there are only small differences in body shape. It is capable of rapid growth and sexual maturation. The sexual dimorphism in body shape is only poor, but still measurable right in those places where the selection pressures were expected. Blood sampling monitored biochemical and haematological parameters. The concentrations of the biochemical parameters revealed the economy of resources of particular sexes partially, the costs of body growth and reproduction. Although both sexes produce the same amount of biomass (the body growth of males vs. the...
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Ontogeny and evolution of body size and sexual size dimorphism in reptiles
Frýdlová, Petra
Monitor lizards (Varanidae) are morphologically very uniform in body shape, but much diversified in body size along both phylogenetic and ontogenetic axes. A striking sexual size dimorphism exists in monitor lizards; they are capable of fast growth, metabolism and sexual maturation. I collected the data concerning body size of particular species and verified the validity of Rench's rule, which said that there is bigger difference in body size of a conspecific male and females growing with larger body size of the species. Males are markedly bigger than females. In the next step, I focused on the model species of monitor lizards, Varanus indicus. I monitored its ontogeny very carefully. I found that this monitor lizard has pronounced sexual size dimorphism, but there are only small differences in body shape. It is capable of rapid growth and sexual maturation. The sexual dimorphism in body shape is only poor, but still measurable right in those places where the selection pressures were expected. Blood sampling monitored biochemical and haematological parameters. The concentrations of the biochemical parameters revealed the economy of resources of particular sexes partially, the costs of body growth and reproduction. Although both sexes produce the same amount of biomass (the body growth of males vs....
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