Accuracy Assessment of Skeletochronology in the Arizona Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum)
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Issue Date
2007-05-16
Authors
Eden, Christopher J.
Whiteman, Howard H.
Duobinis-Gray, Leon
Wissinger, Scott A.
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Keywords
amphibians , salamander , age structure , population estimates
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Abstract
Skeletochronology is the most commonly used tool for evaluating the age of amphibians and reptiles. However, the accuracy of skeletochronology is questionable because few studies have utilized individuals of known age to calibrate their results. In
this study, the accuracy of skeletochronology was assessed using individual Arizona Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum) that were of known ages that varied from 2–15 years. Cross-sections of salamander toes were analyzed to compare the number of LAG (lines of arrested growth) to the actual age of known cohorts. Our results suggest that skeletochronology was an inaccurate tool for estimating age in this population of A. tigrinum nebulosum because it grossly underestimated age. The high intensity of endosteal resorption coupled with rapprochement of the most peripheral LAG may have produced these results. Our research indicates that skeletochronological studies that do not use individuals of known age for calibration may underestimate age.
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Biology
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Citation
Eden, C.J., Whiteman, H.W., Duobinis-Gray, L., and Wissinger, S.A. (2007). Accuracy assessment of skeletochronology in the Arizona tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum). Copeia 2007(2): 471-477. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25140650
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American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH)