1991/04/01 by SHARON B. EMERSON, Sharon B. Emerson
Environmental Science · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Psychology · #Amphibian and Reptile Biology #Bat Biology and Ecology Studies #Primate Behavior and Ecology
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1991.tb00656.x
Ecomorphological studies generally assume a causal relationship between morphology and ecology mediated by performance. That assumption was tested in a community of Bornean tree frogs of the family Rhacophoridae. Biomechanical models allow a priori predictions about expected intra- and interspecific correlations among toepad area, hind-limb length, body mass, sticking ability, jumping distance, microhabitat, vertical height and substrate. Both intra- and interspecifically, size and shape variables showed patterns of association with ecology predicted on the basis of maintaining relative as well as absolute levels of performance. Unexpectedly, the form-function relationship between toepad area and sticking ability differed intra- and interspecifically. These findings indicate the need for more empirical work examining morphology-performance relationships and their use in ecology.