Brobdingnagians and Goliaths: two forms of gigantism in fish.
J Fish Biol
; 104(6): 1709-1717, 2024 Jun.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38423514
ABSTRACT
Two forms of gigantism are differentiated in fish, Brobdingnagian and Goliathan gigantism, the former applying to populations whose individuals are all larger than is typical for the taxon, the latter to single individuals within a population. While Brobdingnagian gigantism is largely explained by various ecological and evolutionary rules, Goliathan gigantism is not. A mechanistic hypothesis is proposed which explains Goliathan gigantism in terms of the reduction of oxygen requirements of individual fish via moving to cooler temperatures and/or acquiring larger, more energy-dense prey, which enable them to get bigger, and, in the process, sometimes generate bimodal size distributions that may qualify as gradual forms between Goliathan and Brobdingnagian gigantism. This mechanism, which relies on the manner in which their gill surface area grows, is more likely to operate in fish that can get big in the first place than in fish that remain small.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Tamaño Corporal
/
Peces
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Fish Biol
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Canadá
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido