Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Estimating asymptotic size using the largest individuals per sample

  • Original Papers
  • Published:
Oecologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Estimates of asymptotic size are especially useful for comparative studies of taxonomic groups in which animals mature at small sizes relative to their final asymptotic sizes. The largest individuals per sample can provide reasonable estimates of asymptotic size if three conditions are met: 1) at least some adults in a population are near their final asymptotic size, 2) samples of a reasonable size are likely to contain a ‘largest individual’ that is near the average asymptotic size for the members of its sex, and 3) the coefficient of variation in asymptotic size is small for the members of each sex. In the current study, we show that all three of these conditions are met for one species of Anolis lizards (A. limifrons). For a series of samples from the genus Anolis, the largest individual per sample produces estimates of asymptotic size that are virtually identical to those produced by fitting field data on growth rates to nonlinear growth equations. These results suggest that the largest individual method can provide reasonable estimates of asymptotic size for the members of this genus, and imply that this method may also be useful for estimating asymptotic sizes in other taxa that satisfy the criteria listed above.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andrews RM (1982) Patterns of growth in reptiles. Gans C, Pough FH (eds) In: Biology of the Reptilia, vol. 13. Academic Press, New York, pp 273–320

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrews RM, Nichols JD (1990) Temporal and spatial variation in survival rates of the tropical lizard Anolis limifrons. Oikos 57: 215–221

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrews RM, Rand AS (1974) Reproductive effort in anoline lizards. Ecology 55: 1317–1327

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrews RM, Rand AS (1982) Seasonal breeding and long-term population fluctuations in the lizard Anolis limifrons. In: Leigh EG Jr, Rand AS, Windsor DM (eds) The ecology of a tropical forest: seasonal rhythms and long-term changes. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D C, pp 405–412

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrews RM, Rand AS, Guerrero S (1983) Seasonal and spatial variation in the annual cycle of a tropical lizard. In: Williams EG, Rhodin AG, Miyata K (eds) Advances in herpetology and evolutionary biology, essays in honor. Mus Comp Zool, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA, pp 441–454

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellis ED (1961) Growth of the wood frog, Rana sylvatica. Copeia 1961: 74–77

    Google Scholar 

  • Bjorndal KA, Bolten AB (1988) Growth rates of immature green turtles, Chelonia mydas on feeding grounds in the Southern Bahamas. Copeia 3: 555–564

    Google Scholar 

  • Boag PT, Boonstra R (1988) Quantitative genetics of life history traits in Meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). In: Boyce MS (ed) Evolution of life histories in mammals. Yale University Press, pp 3–32

  • Brisbin IL (1990) Growth curve analyses and their application to the conservation and captive management of crocodilians. In: King FW (ed) Proceedings of the 9th working meeting of the IUCN/SSC Crocodile Specialist Group, October 18–22, 1988, Lae, Papua New Guinea. Publication of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Gland, Switzerland

  • Brisbin IL, Collins CT, White GC, McCallum DA (1986) A new paradigm for the analysis and interpretation of growth data: the shape of things to come. Auk 104: 552–554

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryden MM (1968) Control of growth in two populations of elephant seals. Nature 217: 1106–1108

    Google Scholar 

  • Charnov EL (1990) Relative size at the onset of maturity (RSOM) is an interesting number in crustacean growth. Crustaceana 59: 108–109

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunham AE (1978) Food availability as a proximate factor influencing individual growth rates in the iguanid lizards Sceloporus merriami. Ecology 59: 770–778

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunham AE (1981) Populations in a fluctuating environment: the comparative population ecology of the iguanid lizards Sceloporus merriami and Urosaurus ornatus. Misc Publ Mus Zool Univ Mich 158 University Michigan, Ann Arbor

    Google Scholar 

  • Etheridge R (1964) Late Pleistocene lizards from Barbuda, British West Indies. Bull Fla State Mus 9: 43–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Fabens AJ (1965) Properties and fitting of the von Bertalanffy growth curve. Growth 29: 265–289

    Google Scholar 

  • Fitch HS (1981) Sexual size differences in reptiles. University of Kansas Mus Nat Hist Misc Publ no 70: 1–72

  • Foote M (1992) Ratefaction analysis of morphological and taxonomic diversity. Paleobiology 18: 1–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Forsman A (1991) Variation in sexual size dimorphism and maximum body size among adder populations: effects of prey size. J Anim Ecol 60: 253–267

    Google Scholar 

  • Frazer NB, Gibbons JW, Greene JL (1990) Exploring Faben's growth interval model with data on a long-lived vertebrate, Trachemys scripta (Reptilia, Testudinata). Copeia 1990: 112–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Georgiadis N (1985) Growth patterns, sexual dimorphism and reproduction in African ruminants. Afr J Ecol 23: 75–87

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbons JW (1972) Reproduction, growth and sexual dimorphism in the canebrake rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus atricaudatus). Copiea 1972: 222–226

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbons JW, Semlitsch RD, Greene JL, Schubauer JP (1981) Variation in age and size at maturity of the slider turtle (Pseudemys scripta). Am Nat 117: 841–845

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbons JW (1990) Life history and ecology of the slider turtle. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbons JW, Lovich JE (1990) Sexual dimorphism in turtles with emphasis on the slider turtle (Trachemys scripta). Herpet Monogr 1990(4): 1–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Gochfeld M (1987) On paradigms vs. methods in the study of growth. Auk 104: 554–555

    Google Scholar 

  • Goto A (1989) Growth differences in males of the river-sculpin Cottus hangiongensis along a river course, a correlate of life-history variation. Environ Biol Fish 24: 241–249

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant BW, Dunham AE (1990) Elevational covariation in environmental constraints and life histories of the desert lizard Sceloporus merriami. Ecology 71: 1765–1776

    Google Scholar 

  • Guyer C (1988a) Food supplementation in a tropical mainland anole, Norops humilis: demographic effects. Ecology 69: 350–361

    Google Scholar 

  • Guyer C (1988b) Food supplementation in a tropical mainland anole, Norops humilis: effects of individuals. Ecology 69: 362–369

    Google Scholar 

  • Haines RW (1969) Epiphyses and sesamoids. In: Gans C, Bellairs A d'A, Parsons TS (eds) Biology of the Reptilia, vol 1. Academic Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Halliday TR, Verrell PA (1988) Body size and age in amphibians and reptiles. J Herpet 22: 253–265

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartnoll RG (1985) Growth, sexual maturity and reproductive output. In: Wenner AM (ed) Factors in adult growth. Crustacean Issues 3. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 101–128

    Google Scholar 

  • Howard RD (1981) Sexual dimorphism in bullfrogs. Ecology 62: 303–310

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson NL, Kotz S (1970) Continuous univariate distributions-1. Distributions in statistics. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman KW (1981) Fitting and using growth curves. Oecologia 49: 293–299

    Google Scholar 

  • Ketchen KS, Forrester CR (1966) Population dynamics of the petrale sole, Eopsetta jordani in waters off western Canada. Fish Res Board Can Bull 153: 1–195

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight W (1968) Asymptotic growth: an example of nonsense disguised as mathematics. J Fish Res Bd Can 25: 1303–1307

    Google Scholar 

  • Kusano T (1982) Postmetamorphic growth, survival and age at first reproduction of the salamander. Hynobius nebulous tokyoensis Tago in relation to a consideration of the optimal timing of first reproduction. Res Popul Ecol 24: 329–344

    Google Scholar 

  • Leamy L, Bradley D (1988) Genetical analysis of growth curve variables in selected lines of rats: implications for life history evolution. In: Boyce MS (ed) Evolution of life histories in mammals. Yale University Press, pp 169–192

  • Leberg PL, Brisbin IL Jr, Smith MH, White GC (1989) Factors affecting the analysis of growth patterns of large mammals. J Mamm 70: 275–283

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee JC (1987) Aholis sagrei in Florida: phenetics of a colonizing species. Copeia 1987: 458–469

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis AR (1986) Body size and growth in two populations of the Puerto Rican ground lizard (Teiidae). J Herpet 20: 190–195

    Google Scholar 

  • Lovich JE, Ernst CH, McBreen JF (1990) Growth, maturity and sexual dimorphism in the wood turtle, Clemmys insculpta. Can J Zool 68: 672–677

    Google Scholar 

  • Macartney JM, Gregory PT, Charland MB (1990) Growth and sexual maturity of the Western Rattlesnake, Crotalus viridis in British Columbia. Copeia 1990: 528–542

    Google Scholar 

  • Miles DB, Dunham AE (1992) Comparative analyses of phylogenetic effects in the life-history patterns of iguanid reptiles. Am Nat 139: 848–869

    Google Scholar 

  • Pacala S, Roughgarden J (1985) Control of arthropod abundance by Anolis lizards on St. Eustatius (Netherland Antilles). Oecologia 64: 160–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Pregill (1986) Body size of the insular lizards: a pattern of holocene dwarfism. Evolution 40: 997–1008

    Google Scholar 

  • Read DG (1987) The von Bertalanffy growth model fitted to Planigale tenuirostris (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) post-weaning data. J Zool Lond 212: 1–5

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards RJ (1959) A flexible growth function for empirical use. J Exp Bot 10: 290–300

    Google Scholar 

  • Ricker WE (1979) Growth rates and models. In: Randall DJ, Brett JR (eds) Fish physiology, vol. 8: bioenergetics and growth. Academic Press, New York, pp 677–743

    Google Scholar 

  • Ricklefs RE (1968) Patterns of growth in birds. Ibis 110: 420–451

    Google Scholar 

  • Ricklefs RE (1983) Avian postnatal development. In: Farner DS, King JR, Parkes KC (eds) Avian Biology, vol. 7. Academic Press, New York, pp 2–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Roff DA (1986) Predicting body size with life history models. Bioscience 36: 316–323

    Google Scholar 

  • Rummel JD, Roughgarden J (1985) Effects of reduced perch-height separation on competition between two Anolis lizards. Ecology 66: 430–444

    Google Scholar 

  • Saastamoinen M (1990) Heritabilities for body size and growth rate and phenotypic correlations among measurements in young horses. Acta Agric Scand 40: 377–386

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoener TW (1988) Testing for non-randomness in sizes and habitats of West Indian lizards: choice of species pool affects conclusions from null models. Evol Ecol 2: 1–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoener TW, Schoener A (1978) Estimating and interpreting body-size growth in some Anolis lizards. Copeia 1978: 390–405

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwaner TD (1985) Population structure of black tiger snakes, Notechis ater niger, on offshore islands of South Australia. In: Grigg G, Shine R, Ehmann H (eds) The Biology of Australasian Frogs and Reptiles. Sydney: Surrey Beaty and Sons, pp 35–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwaner TD, Sarre SD (1990) Body size and sexual size dimorphism in mainland and island tiger snakes. J Herpetol 24: 320–322

    Google Scholar 

  • Shine R (1987) Ecological comparisons of island and mainland populations of Australian tiger snakes (Notechis: Elapidae). Herpetologica 43: 233–240

    Google Scholar 

  • Shine R (1990) Proximate determinants of sexual differences in adult body size. Am Nat 135: 278–283

    Google Scholar 

  • Shohoji T, Sasaki H (1987) An aspect of growth analysis of weight in Savannah baboon. II. Gender comparison by adjusting age. Growth 51: 425–431

    Google Scholar 

  • Stamps JA (in press) Sexual size dimorphism in species with asymptotic growth after maturity. Biol J Linn Soc

  • Stamps JA, Krishnan VV, Andrews RM (in review) Analyses of sexual size dimorphism using growth-based models. J Theor Biol

  • Stearns SC (1983) The evolution of life-history traits in mosquitofish since their introduction to Hawaii in 1905: rates of evolution, heritabilities, and developmental plasticity. Am Zool 23: 65–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Sutcliffe DW, Carrick TR, Willoughby LG (1981) Effects of diet, body size, age and temperature on growth rates in the amphipod Gammarus pulex. Freshwater Biol 11: 183–214

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanaka S, Mizue K (1979) Studies on sharks XV. Age and growth of Japanese dogfish Mustelus manazo Bleeker in the East China. Sea Bull Jap Soc Sci Fish 45: 43–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Trivers RL (1976) Sexual selection and resource-accuring abilities in Anolis garmani. Evolution 30: 253–269

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner FB, Gist CS (1970) Observations of lizards and tree frogs in an irradiated Puerto Rican forest. In: Odum HT (ed) A tropical rain forest. Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical Information National Bureau of Commerce. Springfield, Virginia, pp E25-E49

    Google Scholar 

  • Twigg CI (1965) Studies of Holochilus sciureus berbicensis, a cricetine rodent from the coastal region of British Guiana. Proc Zool Soc Lond 145: 263–283

    Google Scholar 

  • Ward PI (1988) Sexual selection, natural selection and body size in Gammarus pulex (Amphipoda). Am Nat 131: 348–359

    Google Scholar 

  • Ware DM (1980) Bioergetics of stock and recruitment. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 37: 1012–1024

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams EE (1972) The origin of faunas. Evolution of lizard congeners in a complex island: a trial analysis. Evol Biol 6: 47–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Yudin KG, Cailliet GM (1990) Age and growth of the gray smoothhoud Mustelus californicus, and the brown smoothhound, M. henlie, sharks from Central California. Copeia 1990: 191–204

    Google Scholar 

  • Zach R, Liner Y, Rigby GL, Mayoh KR (1984) Growth curve analysis of birds: the Richards model and procedural problems. Can J Zool 62: 2429–2435

    Google Scholar 

  • Zach R (1988) Growth-curve analysis: a critical reevaluation. Auk 105: 208–210

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of California Davis, 95616, Davis, CA, USA

    J. A. Stamps

  2. Department of Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 24061, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    R. M. Andrews

Authors
  1. J. A. Stamps
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R. M. Andrews
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Stamps, J.A., Andrews, R.M. Estimating asymptotic size using the largest individuals per sample. Oecologia 92, 503–512 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00317842

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00317842

Key words

Search

Navigation