The ecomorphology of Bornean tree frogs (family Rhacophoridae) |
| |
Authors: | SHARON B. EMERSON |
| |
Affiliation: | Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, U.S.A. |
| |
Abstract: | Ecomorphological studies generally assume a causal relationship between morphology and ecology mediated by performance. That assumption was tested in a community of Bornean tree frogs of the family Rhacophoridae. Biomechanical models allow a priori predictions about expected intra- and interspecific correlations among toepad area, hind-limb length, body mass, sticking ability, jumping distance, microhabitat, vertical height and substrate. Both intra- and interspecifically, size and shape variables showed patterns of association with ecology predicted on the basis of maintaining relative as well as absolute levels of performance. Unexpectedly, the form-function relationship between toepad area and sticking ability differed intra- and interspecifically. These findings indicate the need for more empirical work examining morphology-performance relationships and their use in ecology. |
| |
Keywords: | Performance tree frogs ecology-biomechanics-sticking-jumping |
|
|