Literaturdatenbank
Literaturdatenbank |
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Ben Kaddour, K., Mouden, E. H. E., Slimani, T., Bonnet, X., & Lagarde, F. (2008). Sexual dimorphism in the greek tortoise: a test of the body shape hypothesis. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 7(1), 21–27.
Added by: Sarina Wunderlich (14 Oct 2008 20:20:41 UTC) |
| Resource type: Journal Article DOI: 10.2744/CCB-0649.1 BibTeX citation key: Kaddour2008 View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Fortpflanzung = reproduction, Schildkröten = turtles + tortoises, Testudinidae, Testudo, Testudo graeca Creators: Ben Kaddour, Bonnet, Lagarde, Mouden, Slimani Collection: Chelonian Conservation and Biology |
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In most animal species, it is expected that females should exhibit a greater abdominal volume than males to hold the progeny, when compared with females, males should exhibit more developed attributes that enhance mobility. We tested this hypothesis in the Greek tortoise. In chelonians, a reduction of the openings in the shell improves protection against predation but also constrains the abdominal volume and limits the space available to move the limbs. As expected, our data show that the shell provides a larger abdominal volume relative to tortoise size in females than in males. In males, deep notches in the shell and a reduction of several plastron plates offer more freedom to the limbs and to the tail; these characteristics presumably enhance mating success. Further studies are necessary to assess the applicability of these results in other chelonians, notably freshwater and marine turtles. Keywords: Reptilia, Testudines, Testudinidae, body shape, body size, chelonian, sexual dimorphism, Testudo graeca Added by: Sarina Wunderlich |
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Added by: Sarina Wunderlich |