▪ Abstract Lentic freshwater habitats in temperate regions exist along a gradient from small
ephemeral ponds to large permanent lakes. This environmental continuum is a useful axis …

During the last decade there has been a rapidly growing interest in the study of phenotypic
plasticity in animals. Confused terminology in this field of research may be one reason why …

Summary 1 Anurans exhibit high levels of growth‐mediated phenotypic plasticity in age and
size at metamorphosis. Although temperature and food quality exert a strong influence on …

Individual growth is a fundamental biological process and a typical component of juvenile
development. The study of juvenile growth and development has long been of interest for a …

Common frogs (Rana temporaria) breed readily in small pools and thus expose their
offspring to catastrophic mortality by desiccation. Amphibian larvae exhibit considerable …

In nature, larvae of the dung beetle Onthophagus taurus (Schreber 1759) are confronted
with significant variation in the availability of food without the option of locating new …

Phenotypic plasticity provides means for adapting to environmental unpredictability. In terms
of accelerated development in the face of pond‐drying risk, phenotypic plasticity has been …

Temporary ponds provide rich but unpredictable habitats for amphibians. Frogs, toads and
newts have life cycles which are geared to the filling and drying‐up of temporary ponds, and …

The effects of variable hydroperiod (three levels) and initial density of amphibians (two
levels) on survival, growth rate, and time to and mass at metamorphosis were studied for …

Anurans breed in a variety of aquatic habitats with contrasting levels of desiccation risk,
which may result in selection for faster development during larval stages. Previous studies …