The way animals allocate resources to growth and reproduction is of major importance in understanding life-history trade-offs. Because the investment in reproduction of the two sexes differs, comparing the costs and the reproductive strategies adopted offers an insight into the evolutionary forces that shaped them. In the Eastern Spadefoot Toad, Pelobates syriacus the males are larger than females in body length, but not in body mass. We studied the reproductive effort and output in a population of P. syriacus from the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (Romania), during two consecutive years (2010 and 2011). Body mass loss during mating and egg deposition in females averaged 27%, while in males it was 3.9%. Body mass loss in females was proportional with size, with larger females losing more weight than smaller ones. Initial body mass and body mass loss during reproduction were significantly correlated with clutch size, but egg size was not correlated to female size or body mass loss. Year had a significant effect on body size in both sexes, suggesting high plasticity and the effect of local environmental factors on growth and reproduction. Age of adults ranged between 2–12 years and did not differ significantly between sexes. A nonrandom, but not completely assortative, mating was observed, with the age and body size of paired animals slightly positively correlated, indicating an explosive breeder reproductive strategy.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Life History, Behavior, and Ecology|
December 30 2013
When Males Are Larger than Females in Ecthotherms: Reproductive Investment in the Eastern Spadefoot Toad Pelobates syriacus
Dan Cogălniceanu;
Dan Cogălniceanu
1 University Ovidius Constanta, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Al. Universităţii 1, corp B, 900470 Constanţa, Romania; E-mail: (DC) [email protected]; (PS) [email protected]; and (DS) [email protected]. Send reprint requests to PS.
Search for other works by this author on:
Paul Székely;
Paul Székely
1 University Ovidius Constanta, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Al. Universităţii 1, corp B, 900470 Constanţa, Romania; E-mail: (DC) [email protected]; (PS) [email protected]; and (DS) [email protected]. Send reprint requests to PS.
Search for other works by this author on:
Diana Székely;
Diana Székely
1 University Ovidius Constanta, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Al. Universităţii 1, corp B, 900470 Constanţa, Romania; E-mail: (DC) [email protected]; (PS) [email protected]; and (DS) [email protected]. Send reprint requests to PS.
Search for other works by this author on:
Daniela Roşioru;
Daniela Roşioru
1 University Ovidius Constanta, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Al. Universităţii 1, corp B, 900470 Constanţa, Romania; E-mail: (DC) [email protected]; (PS) [email protected]; and (DS) [email protected]. Send reprint requests to PS.
2 National Institute for Marine Research and Development Grigore Antipa, Blvd. Mamaia nr. 300, RO-900581, Constanţa, Romania; E-mail: [email protected].
Search for other works by this author on:
Raluca I. Băncilă;
Raluca I. Băncilă
1 University Ovidius Constanta, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Al. Universităţii 1, corp B, 900470 Constanţa, Romania; E-mail: (DC) [email protected]; (PS) [email protected]; and (DS) [email protected]. Send reprint requests to PS.
3 Emil Racoviţă Institute of Speleology, 13 Septembrie Road, No. 13, 050711, Bucharest, Romania; E-mail: [email protected].
Search for other works by this author on:
Claude Miaud
Claude Miaud
4 Université de Savoie, Laboratoire d´Ecologie Alpine, Le Bourget du Lac, France; Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Laboratoire Biogéographie et Ecologie des Vertébrés, Montpellier, France; E-mail: [email protected].
Search for other works by this author on:
Copeia (2013) 2013 (4): 699–706.
Citation
Dan Cogălniceanu, Paul Székely, Diana Székely, Daniela Roşioru, Raluca I. Băncilă, Claude Miaud; When Males Are Larger than Females in Ecthotherms: Reproductive Investment in the Eastern Spadefoot Toad Pelobates syriacus. Copeia 1 December 2013; 2013 (4): 699–706. doi: https://doi.org/10.1643/CE-12-053
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionCiting articles via
Editorial notes and news
Ryan J. Thoni
History of the Monographic Series Fishes of the Western North Atlantic
Bruce B. Collette, Katherine E. Bemis
John Andrew (Jack) Musick (1941–2021)
Eric J. Hilton, Charles F. Cotton, R. Dean Grubbs