Using body condition index can be an unreliable indicator of fitness: a case of sand lizard Lacerta agilis Linnaeus, 1758 (Sauria: Lacertidae)

Authors : Krzysztof DUDEK, Zofia SAJKOWSKA, Monika GAWALEK, Anna EKNERGRZYB

Pages : 182-184

Doi:10.3906/zoo-1310-30

View : 17 | Download : 5

Publication Date : 0000-00-00

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :In ecological and morphological studies, researchers often use body condition index as a measure of an individual`s fitness. Our research shows that body condition index may be an unreliable method for this purpose, because changes in lizards` body proportions are not stable during their lifetime. Results obtained from a Polish population of the sand lizard insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(Lacerta agilis); show that the body length increases faster than the body mass, meaning that the correlation between these 2 parameters is not linear. Herpetologists frequently use the body condition index to compare the fitness of lizards of different ages. Our study demonstrates that this method may not be accurate; in the future, research should strive to develop new ways of measuring lizards` fitness.
Keywords : Condition, corpulence, morphology, Lacertidae, sand lizard, Lacerta agilis, growth