Interrupció del creixement en la hibernació del gripau corredor (<i>Epidelea calamita</i>) en zones semiàrides

The biology of amphibian populations in semiarid
zones that suffer environmental stress can be
revealed through skeletochronological studies.
These studies aim to determine the age of natterjack
toads from the lines of arrested growth
(LAG) that can be observed in the phalanges.
There is a correspondence between the number of
LAGs and the number of hibernation so that in
principle one LAG means one year of life. In the
analysis of the phalanges we found a group of
multiples lines, which we considered to be the result
of a hibernation interrupted by short phases of
growth during warmer periods in winter and also
to some extent by the occasional precipitation.
The results obtained suggest a pattern of growth in
amphibian populations in semi-arid zones that is
different from any found in amphibian in temperate
zones.