Genetic variability predicts common frog (Rana temporaria) size at metamorphosis in the wild

Abstract

We investigated associations between genetic variability and two fitness-related traits - size and age at metamorphosis - in two subartic populations of the common frog, Rana temporaria. We found that metamorphic size was positively correlated with individual heterozygosity (as estimated using eight microsatellite loci) and that maternal heterozygosity also explained a significant amount of variation in this trait. In contrast, age at metamorphosis was only explained by environmental factors. Since size at metamorphosis is positively correlated with fitness in amphibians, these results suggest that genetic variability may be an important component of individual fitness in common frogs. The environmental variation underlying timing of metamorphosis may indicate that strong selection pressure on this trait in the Nordic environment is likely to override genetic effects. © 2007 Nature Publishing Group All rights reserved.