Energy Reserves and Some Related Population Characteristics of the Common Frog (Rana Temporaria) from the Opposite Parts of the Range
摘要
For the first time, a comprehensive assessment of energy resources (lipids and glycogen) in tissues and organs and some related population characteristics was carried out using the common frog (Rana temporaria) from the eastern periphery of its distribution range (suburbs of Perm). The traditional concept of the seasonal dynamics of lipid and glycogen reserves and of their partitioning between the needs of growth, reproduction, and survival during overwintering, all obtained using western populations, was shown to be not fully applicable to individuals from other parts of the range, even with the same duration of the active season. The values of the relative masses of storage organs (liver and fat bodies), the content of glycogen and lipids therein, the body sizes of individuals, and their reproductive characteristics revealed in the study population can serve as the basis for studying the geographic variability of these interrelated features in the eastern part of the range.