BIOL 350 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Menachem Meiri, Phenotypic Plasticity, Body Plan
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Body size increases with latitude, altitude, or temperature (within species) Brown. , 1995: true for > 72% of birds and 65% of mammals examined (meiri s. , & dayan, t. 2003) Exceptions: chilean foxes may be smaller at higher altitude, smaller prey available, gerbils: smaller at higher altitudes, competitive displacement by larger species. Many ectotherms exhi(cid:271)it the (cid:272)o(cid:374)(cid:448)erse of berg(cid:373)a(cid:374)(cid:374)"s rule. Maybe something to do with vulnerability to predation: giant galapagos turtles are around the equator, no a(cid:374)a(cid:272)o(cid:374)da"s i(cid:374) our forests. Mammalian body form: more linear (longer limbs and extremities) in warm climates, rounder (shorter limbs and extremities) in cold climates. Strong positive correlation between temperature and limb length: within species or between similar species. Lab work shows this may sometimes be due to phenotypic plasticity (serrat et al. Mice of the same genotype that were reared under different temperature conditions developed different lengths of limbs. Dark coloration (dark colours allow for absorption of more heat)
