Adult recruitment in chorus frogs: effects of size and date at metamorphosis.

A cohort of tadpoles of Pseudacris triseriata, on Isle Royale, Michigan, was classified at metamorphosis into 4 categories based on size and date of metamorphosis: large-early, small-early, large-late, and small-late. Long larval period and small body size at metamorphosis influenced recruitment to the breeding population by delaying maturity. Large body size and early date at metamorphosis increased survivorship to maturity by enhancing the change that reproductive size was attained within 1yr of metamorphosis. Frogs recaptured in the 2nd yr after metamorphosis, when all frogs had attained mature size, were from all 4 categories in the same proportions marked at metamorphosis, ie unless breeding during the 1st yr led to higher mortality of large individuals, survival rate after metamorphosis was not related to size or date at metamorphosis. -from Author