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EFFECT OF LATITUDE AND ALTITUDE ON BODY SIZE IN THE COMMON FROG (RANA TEMPORARIA) POPULATIONS


RALUCA IOANA BANCILĂ, RODICA PLĂIAƞU, DAN COGĂLNICEANU

Issue:

SCSB, Volume XVII

Section:

Volume XVII - Animal Biology

Abstract:

The wide domain of distribution, both altitudinal and latitudinal, of the specie Rana temporaria allows testing the Bergmann law. This law affirm that the dimensions of individs that belongs to the same specie are larger in the areas with low temperatures and high latitudes, comparing with the warmer area or at low latitudes. Thus we studied intraspecific variation of body length (Lc) and weight (G) at 15 populations of R. temporaria and we testes (i) if the media of body dimensions (Lc and G) of R. temporaria populations from The Reservation Malla, Finlanda (latitude N: 690) is meaningful higher than the populations from the National Park Retezat (PNR), Romania (latitude N: 450) and (ii) if the media of body dimensions from lower altitudes (average altitude: 1004 m) from PNR is meaningful lower than the media of body dimensions at populations from PNR from higher latitudes (average altitude: 2093m). The low of Bergmann was confirmed both latitudinal and altitudinal by the both measurements at juvenile animals. Latitudinal, the females and males, for Lc as well as for G, presents an inverse variation than the one suggested by the Bergmann low.

Keywords:

[n/a]

Code [ID]:

SCSB200917V17S01A0008 [0003227]


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