Factors influencing offspring traits in the oviparous multi-clutched lizard,<Emphasis Type="Italic">Calotes versicolor</Emphasis> (Agamidae) |
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Authors: | Rajkumar?S?Radder Email author" target="_blank">Bhagyashri?A?ShanbhagEmail author |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Zoology, Karnatak University, 580 003 Dharwad, India |
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Abstract: | The determinants of offspring size and number in the tropical oviparous multi-clutched lizard,Calotes versicolor, were examined using both univariate and multivariate (path) analyses. InC. versicolor maternal snout-vent length (SVL) and body condition influence clutch mass and clutch size but have no significant influence
on offspring size. The positive effect of maternal SVL and body condition on offspring number is counterbalanced by a negative
effect of breeding time on egg mass. In fact, breeding time directly influences the offspring body mass and condition through
variation in the egg mass. There is a trade-off between offspring mass and condition with offspring number, and breeding time
influences both. Offspring hatched from the eggs of early (May–June) or mid (July–August) breeding periods invariably show
lower mass and condition than those hatched from the eggs of late breeding season (September–October). Yet, there is no variation
in offspring SVL among early, mid and late clutches. Thus, inC. versicolor offspring SVL is optimized while body mass and condition are not optimized. |
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Keywords: | Calotes versicolor lizard offspring size path analysis trade-off |
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