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Reproductive strategies in boid snakes
Vejvodová, Tereza ; Frynta, Daniel (advisor) ; Rehák, Ivan (referee)
The important part of life history of species is number and size of offspring, which is limited by size of maternal investment. Family of boas (Boidae) comprises species with various maternal investments. The species of study was Cuban boa (Chilabothrus angulifer) having small litter size, but producing one of the biggest neonates from family Boidae. The aim of the thesis was to analyze relationships between life-history parameters and try to find possible evolutionary causes of this huge maternal investment. Results show, that the female's decision to reproduce is under "Capital breeder" strategy, when size of the female positively influence litter size and offspring size. Surprising result is that smaller (younger) females are producing more sons than daughters in accordance with "Local resource competition" hypothesis. Fitness of the young should increase with birth size. That was confirmed only in interspecific survival rate being very high in Cuban boa. Keywords: snakes, Cuban boa, maternal investment, life history, SSD, sex ratio
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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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Reproductive biology and sexual dimorphism in the lizard Lepidophyma smithii (Squamata: Xantusiidae)
Kukačková, Dominika ; Kratochvíl, Lukáš (advisor) ; Frynta, Daniel (referee)
The squamata reptiles present a wide array of reproductive strategies. In the genus Lepidophyma from the neotropical family Xantusiidae, there are 19 species, all of them live- bearing and diploid. Obligatory unisexuality is also present in some species. This obligatory unisexuality did not evolve via hybridization, which is unique among vertebrates. The genus thus presents a very interesting, but still poorly little explored group. Only recently our team has discovered a facultative unisexuality in Lepidophyma smithii. The unisexually produced offsprings are not fully homozygous are of both sexes, which is unique for vertebrates as well. The aim of my work is to describe the basic reproductive biology of this species, e.g. the relationship between female size and clutch size and offspring size. Additionally, my work focuses on sexual dimorphism. I tested whether L. smithii is dimorphic in body length and head size. These traits are often sexually dimorphic in squamatesu. Also, I documented the ontogeny of sexual dimorphism and reconstructed growth curves for males and females.
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Reproductive strategies in boid snakes
Vejvodová, Tereza ; Frynta, Daniel (advisor) ; Rehák, Ivan (referee)
The important part of life history of species is number and size of offspring, which is limited by size of maternal investment. Family of boas (Boidae) comprises species with various maternal investments. The species of study was Cuban boa (Chilabothrus angulifer) having small litter size, but producing one of the biggest neonates from family Boidae. The aim of the thesis was to analyze relationships between life-history parameters and try to find possible evolutionary causes of this huge maternal investment. Results show, that the female's decision to reproduce is under "Capital breeder" strategy, when size of the female positively influence litter size and offspring size. Surprising result is that smaller (younger) females are producing more sons than daughters in accordance with "Local resource competition" hypothesis. Fitness of the young should increase with birth size. That was confirmed only in interspecific survival rate being very high in Cuban boa. Keywords: snakes, Cuban boa, maternal investment, life history, SSD, sex ratio
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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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