Conserved growth rate and age structure of Xenopus laevis in the edge and core of an expanding population

Abstract

Invasive species represent a unique opportunity to study the evolutionary mechanisms driving range expansions. Although range expansion is expected to be associated with increased reproduction and dispersal at the range edge, Xenopus laevis seems to decrease its reproductive investment and to enhance dispersal at the range edge. Evidence of increased dispersal at the edge of expanding populations occurring simultaneously with a faster growth rate has been reported for other organisms. Here, we focused on the growth rate and age structure at the range edge vs. the range core in an expanding population of X. laevis. We used skeletochronology to characterize the age of 250 individuals captured at the range core and edge of this expanding population. Using the Von Bertalanffy equation, we then compared individual growth rates between locations. We found no significant changes in growth rate or age structure between edge and core samples. This result suggests that the reduced investment in reproduction recorded in another study at the range edge might compensate for the increased dispersal without impacting growth in this population. This implies that the resource allocation in an expanding population might thus be more diverse than commonly assumed.