Resource partitioning during caudal regeneration: assessing the impact of dietary intake on tail and body growth in the leopard gecko (eublepharis macularius)

Date
2012
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Abstract
Various impacts and costs are associated with caudal autotomy (voluntary tail loss) and subsequent regeneration in reptiles. Few studies, however, have explored the effects of tail regeneration on body growth, and even fewer have investigated the trade-offs associated with limited dietary resources. These impacts are investigated by: 1) observing the outcome of tail loss on juvenile leopard geckos experiencing conflicting demands of body growth and tail regeneration, when food is constrained; and 2) assessing how metabolic rate varies with tail loss. Results reveal that the regenerating tail receives priority over somatic growth when resources are limiting. Low diet tail-less animals sacrifice somatic growth to maintain tail regeneration rates consistent with those of high and medium diet animals. Furthermore, animals undergoing caudal regeneration suppress their metabolic rate at the point in caudal regeneration when volumetric increase is greatest, diverting resource allocation to the tail and maintaining linear growth of the tail.
Description
Bibliography: p. 359-372
Some pages are in colour.
Includes copy of ethics approvals. Original copies with original Partial Copyright Licence.
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Citation
Hynes, S. E. (2012). Resource partitioning during caudal regeneration: assessing the impact of dietary intake on tail and body growth in the leopard gecko (eublepharis macularius) (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/4885
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