Interpreting Breeding Patterns from Census Data: A Solution to the Husting Dilemma
1985
Gill, Douglas E.
Semelparous, iteroparous, periodic, and erratic breeding patterns were observed in montane populations of the red—spotted newt, Notophthalmus viridescens, in western Virginia from 1974 to 1983. Most of the observed absences and gaps in the records of both males and females are explained by a null model that combines the small errors of sampling with independently estimated rates of annual mortality. Most newts naturally breed every year until their deaths, but a significant number of females and males did skip breeding opportunities. Because the variation in breeding histories could have been environmentally induced, no adaptive significance is ascribed to it.
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