Morphometrical and acoustical comparison between diploid and tetraploid green toads

In the present paper we compare, on the basis of morphometrical characters and acoustical properties of the advertisement calls, a sample of 158 male green toads (Bufo viridis complex) collected in 12 breeding populations of south Kazakstan and north Kyrgyzstan. The samples of three populations resulted in only diploid loads (2n=22), those of eight populations in only tetraploid toads (2n=44) whereas in one locality diploid, tetraploid and many triploid toads were collected. Diploid toads show significantly larger body size and proportionally larger head and shorter limbs than both tetraploids and triploids, whereas no evident morphometrical differences were observed between triploids and tetraploids. Diploid advertisement calls have spectral and temporal properties that significantly differ From those of both triploid and tetraploid advertisement calls. In particular, diploids produce significantly longer calls with higher pulse-rates and lower Frequencies than those of tetraploids. We address the question of the factors that could be responsible for these differences and we discuss four hypotheses: (1) the direct effect of polyploid mutation, (2) genetic drift, (3) reproductive character displacement and (4) environmental selection. (C) 1998 The Linnean Society of London.