Size, body condition, and limb asymmetry in two hylid frogs at different habitat disturbance levels in Veracruz, Mexico

作者：Matias Ferrer Noemi^*; Escalante Patricia

来源：The Herpetological Journal, 2015, 25(3): 169-176.

• Agalychnis callidryas
• body condition
• body size
• Dendropsophus ebraccatus
• fluctuating asymmetry
• habitat disturbance
• Hylidae

Habitat disturbance is one of the main factors contributing to population declines. Changes in the amount and quality of available habitat can affect body condition and morphology. In this study we evaluated the effect of habitat disturbance (deforestation, urbanisation and land-use change) on body size, body condition and fluctuating asymmetry in two species of arboreal tropical frogs (Agalychnis callidryas and Dendropsophus ebraccatus) at Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Veracruz, Mexico. We did not find significant differences in body condition or body size associated with habitat disturbance in A. callidryas, although the species reduced its local distribution in line with habitat disturbance. In D. ebraccatus, on the other hand, we observed a significant relationship between body condition and size with habitat disturbance. It is unknown whether these changes are adaptive or compromise the permanence of populations. Fluctuating asymmetry indices for both species exhibited no significant differences except for the tibia-fibula length of D. ebraccatus, which was significantly higher in undisturbed habitat.

• 出版日期2015-7