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Cited by 850

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 27 of the 27 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Amphibian Metamorphosis: Growth Rate, Predation Risk, and the Optimal Size at Transformation

Werner, Earl E.·1986·The American Naturalist
DOI 10.1086/284565
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Abstract

Many taxa have evolved complex life cycles featuring a dramatic shift in habitat or resource use at metamorphosis. Despite their prevalence and unique characteristics, we understand little about the adaptive properties and evolution of these life histories. I offer a conceptual framework that considers how size-specific growth and mortality rates in both habitats interact with size at metamorphosis to affect lifetime fitness. This model predicts the size at metamorphosis that maximizes fitness, and I use this framework to interpret the wide variation in the life history structure of the amphibians. In particular, I speculate on the adaptive significance of the tadpole stage of the anurans and on the cause of variation in the size at metamorphosis both between and within anuran families. Further, I predict the conditions under which direct development or paedomorphosis will be selected for, and I offer hypotheses on the selective factors that may contribute to the three-stage life history of the newts. Finally, I comment on the evolution and maintenance of complex life histories.

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Metadata

Authors
Werner, E. E.
Venue
The American Naturalist
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Published
1986-09
Volume
128
Issue
3
Pages
319-341
ISSN
  • 0003-0147 (ISSN-L)
  • 1537-5323
DOI
10.1086/284565
OpenAlex
W2019433975
Cited by
850
References
27
FWCI
21.70
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Amphibian Metamorphosis: Growth Rate, Predation Risk, and the Optimal Size at Transformation. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1086/284565
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Werner, E. E. (1986). Amphibian Metamorphosis: Growth Rate, Predation Risk, and the Optimal Size at Transformation. The American Naturalist. https://doi.org/10.1086/284565

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Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.

Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).

Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.