Journal ArticleDOI
Reproductive success and risk of predation in normal and melanistic colour morphs of the adder, Vipera berus
Claes Andrén,Göran Nilson +1 more
TLDR
In a population of adders (Vipera berus) in Southwest Sweden, melanistic males were heavier than normal coloured males of the same length and Victory in male-male sexual combats was positively related to size.Abstract:
In a population of adders (Vipera berus) in Southwest Sweden, melanistic males were heavier than normal coloured males of the same length. Victory in male-male sexual combats was positively related to size. Higher risk of predation in the black morph was inferred from experiments showing a high predator attack rate on models of the black morph. Even the bright colour in newly moulted basking males of the normal morph gives cryptic protection. In females, melanism probably also affects body size and risk of predation by visually searching predators. The thermoregulatory influence of black colour, the reproductive success and the maintenance of two colour morphs in the population are discussed.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Pleiotropy in the melanocortin system, coloration and behavioural syndromes.
TL;DR: It is predicted that darker wild vertebrates are more aggressive, sexually active and resistant to stress than lighter individuals, and pleiotropic effects of the melanocortins might account for the widespread covariance between melanin-based coloration and other phenotypic traits in vertebrates.
Journal ArticleDOI
Thermal melanism in ectotherms
TL;DR: A synthesis of the thermal melanism hypothesis which states that dark individuals are at an advantage under conditions of low temperature since they heat up faster than light individuals at a given level of solar radiation is provided.
Journal ArticleDOI
Is sperm really so cheap? Costs of reproduction in male adders, Vipera berus
TL;DR: The data suggest that sperm production may be a major energy cost to reproducing male adders, and that this species offers a useful system in which to further investigate this possibility.
Journal ArticleDOI
An Experimental Analysis of Natural Selection on Body Size of Hatchling Turtles
TL;DR: Larger hatchling Chelydra serpentine exhibited significantly greater survivorship than smaller individuals during movement from the nest site to water, suggesting that larger body size of hatchling turtles may not evolve rapidly because the strength of selection was moderate in magnitude and the heritability was relatively low.
Journal ArticleDOI
Evolutionary significance of predation on sexually signalling males.
TL;DR: "There are several very good reasons why courtship displays should not exist at all": they render the animal performing them conspicuous, and therefore may attract predators.
References
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Book
Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences
TL;DR: This is the revision of the classic text in the field, adding two new chapters and thoroughly updating all others as discussed by the authors, and the original structure is retained, and the book continues to serve as a combined text/reference.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Ecological Significance of Sexual Dimorphism in Size in the Lizard Anolis conspersus.
TL;DR: Anolis conspersus selects prey from a wide range of taxa and shows no obvious intraspecific specialization not connected to differences in microhabitat and prey size.
Journal ArticleDOI
Sexual selection and resource-accruing abilities in anolis garmani.
TL;DR: The data presented here for Anolis garmani tend to support the view that those males who do most of the mating are those who have tended to demonstrate the superiority of their non sexlinked genes.
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