Evaluating body size changes in relation to elevation and latitude in Torrent Ducks (Merganetta armata): a test of Bermann’s and Allen’s rules

GUTIERREZ-PINTO, NATALIA; MCCRACKEN, KEVIN; ALZA, LUIS; TUBARO, PABLO; KOPUCHIAN, CECILIA; ASTIÉ, ANDREA ALEJANDRA; CADENA, DANIEL

Miami

Congreso; International Biogeography Society 6th Biennial Meeting; 2013

Endothermic animals as birds and mammals face a challenge imposed by cold environments because of their need to maintain a constant body temperature. Solutions to such challenge are diverse, causing widely studied patterns as Bergmann?s Rule and Allen?s Rule, which indicate that organisms living in colder habitats, including those at high elevations, tend to be larger and to have smaller appendages, respectively, to minimize heat loss through their body surface. Our results suggest that selection pressures associated with decreasing temperatures at increasing elevations may differ from pressures imposed by temperature changes at the latitudinal level.