Elevational Variation in Organ Size and Brain-Viscera Energetic Trade-Offs in the Minshan Toad (<i>Bufo minshanicus</i>).

Overview

1. College of Life Science, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China
2. International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China

Abstract

Energy trade-offs underlying brain size evolution represent a central topic in evolutionary biology. The Expensive Brain Hypothesis (EBH) posits that the high energetic costs of large brains must be compensated for by increased energy intake or reduced allocation to other costly tissues and functions. We examined the Minshan toad (Bufo minshanicus) along an elevational gradient (2594–3441 m) on the eastern Tibetan Plateau, measuring relative sizes of the brain, five visceral organs, and two reproductive organs, as well as body condition (SMI). Body size and condition significantly decreased with elevation. Relative brain mass showed a non-significant increasing trend with elevation, whereas relative masses of the liver, heart, and alimentary tract significantly increased, and lung mass significantly decreased, with pronounced sexual dimorphism. Relative brain mass was positively correlated with most viscera and male reproductive organs, while a significant brain–ovary trade-off occurred only in females at mid elevation. Overall, elevational environmental conditions shape divergent organ mass covariation patterns. High-altitude habitats may relax energetic constraints to allow coordinated organ development, while moderate mid-altitude stress induces brain–ovary resource trade-offs in females. Our findings do not universally contradict the EBH and instead demonstrate that energetic trade-offs are strongly context-dependent rather than ubiquitous across elevational gradients.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Data

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• zenodo:20838967 — at Zenodo; found in “Data Availability Statement”

Data Availability Statement

Data have been made available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20838967.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 4 authors, 6 keywords, 2 funders, 73 references.

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This paper

Deng, Y., Liu, B., Wang, L., & Yu, T. (2026). Elevational Variation in Organ Size and Brain-Viscera Energetic Trade-Offs in the Minshan Toad (<i>Bufo minshanicus</i>). Biology, 15(16), 1373. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology15161373

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