Potential effects of El Niño-South Oscillation (ENSO) on growth of the American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus (Crocodylia: Crocodilydae) in captivity |
| |
Authors: | Oswaldo Pé rez,Armando H. Escobedo-Galvá n |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Centro de Acuicultura La Tuna Carranza, Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Pesquero, GRAU 722 Tumbes, Perú;2. Laboratorio de Análisis Espaciales, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 México D.F., México |
| |
Abstract: | Temperature affects growth rate of crocodiles. However, no information exists about the effects of temperature by El Niño-South Oscillation (ENSO) on crocodiles. In this paper, we present information about the effect of ENSO on total length and body mass of Crocodylus acutus in captivity during 1997–2001. We did not observe differences in total length among years, but we did so in body mass. Furthermore, we observed that warm episodes of ENSO were associated with a higher average total length and cold episodes represented a higher average of body mass. Sea surface temperature (SST) was significantly related with total length; however, the relationship between SST and body mass was unclear. We suggest that ENSO effects on growth rates of crocodiles need to be considered as an important factor on the management of captive populations. |
| |
Keywords: | American crocodile Crocodylus acutus Captive breeding El Niñ o Growth rate |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|