A Unified Approach to Analysis of Body Condition in Green Toads
Lukas Landler,
Stephan Burgstaller,
Magdalena Spießberger,
Andras Horvath,
Zhivko Zhelev,
Ivelin Mollov,
Ulrich Sinsch,
Johannes Nepita,
Florian Schwabel,
Wolfgang Kuhn,
Christian Köbele,
Heinz Sedlmeier,
Cornelia Amon,
Joanna Mazgajska,
Tomasz D. Mazgajski,
Amir Sistani,
Rieke Schluckebier,
Eberhard Andrä,
Moritz Ott,
Günter Gollmann
Affiliations
Lukas Landler
Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Stephan Burgstaller
Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Magdalena Spießberger
Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Andras Horvath
Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Zhivko Zhelev
Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski”, 24 Tzar Assen Str., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Ivelin Mollov
Department of Ecology and Environmental Conservation, Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski”, 24 Tzar Assen Str., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Ulrich Sinsch
Department of Biology, AG Zoology, Institute of Integrated Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, 56070 Koblenz, Germany
Johannes Nepita
Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Florian Schwabel
Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Wolfgang Kuhn
Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan für Ernährung, Landnutzung und Umwelt der Technischen Universität München, Alte Akademie 8, 85354 Freising, Germany
Christian Köbele
Landesbund für Vogelschutz in Bayern e.V. (LBV), Kreisgruppe München, Klenzestr. 37, 80469 München, Germany
Heinz Sedlmeier
Landesbund für Vogelschutz in Bayern e.V. (LBV), Kreisgruppe München, Klenzestr. 37, 80469 München, Germany
Cornelia Amon
Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Joanna Mazgajska
Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679 Warszawa, Poland
Tomasz D. Mazgajski
Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679 Warszawa, Poland
Amir Sistani
Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Body condition is increasingly used to assess the status of populations and as a proxy for individual fitness. A common, quick and non-invasive approach is to estimate condition from the relation between body length and mass. Among the methods developed for this purpose, the Scaled Mass Index (SMI) appears best suited for comparisons among populations. We assembled data from 17 populations of European green toads (Bufotes viridis) with the aim of devising a standard formula applicable for monitoring this species. The mean value of the exponents describing length–mass allometry in these samples was 3.0047. Hence, we propose using 3 as a scaling coefficient for calculating the SMI in green toads. From the contrast of SMI values for both sexes within populations, estimated with either the population-specific or the standard coefficient, we conclude that applying the standard formula not only facilitates comparisons among populations but may also help to avoid misinterpretation of variation within populations.
