The Effect of Urbanization on Morphological Indicators of Moor Frog (Rana arvalis Nilsson, 1842) Population

About the authors:

Olga V. Dubrovskikh, Undergraduate Student, Institute of Biology, University of Tyumen; dubrovskix.olga@mail.ru

Sergey N. Gashev, Dr. Sci. (Biol.), Professor, Head of the Department of Zoology and Evolutionary Ecology of Animals, University of Tyumen; gsn-61@mail.ru

Abstract:

The authors have analyzed 15 morphological features of moor frog among different populations effected by numerous urban factors in Tyumen, and they compared them those of wild populations. Urbanized habitats were divided into the habitats with weak, medium, and strong degrees of severity of the complex of urbanization factors.

The data shows that the differences in majority of morphometric parameters (in terms of reduction of the overall size and increase of the length of the extremities) in moor frog fingerlings are reliable in an urbanized area. On the other hand, many morphometric parameters of adults are reliably higher in urban areas in comparison with wild populations.

Variability of morphometric parameters of fingerlings of the moor frog in the conditions from urban zone is higher, than in the control group. However, it considerably decreases in comparison with a background at adult individuals, since second year of life of the moor frog.

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