Reproductive Ecology and Parental Care in Amphibians and Reptiles
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Herpetology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 June 2026 | Viewed by 165
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Understanding the reproductive ecology and parental care strategies of reptiles and amphibians is increasingly critical, as these taxa face unprecedented challenges in a rapidly changing world. Alterations to the abiotic environment, including climate change and habitat loss, along with variability in the quantity and quality of potential mates, can significantly influence reproductive investment and behaviors in complex and sometimes unpredictable ways.
This Special Issue will explore the plasticity and context dependence of reproductive strategies and parental care in reptiles and amphibians. We welcome original research and reviews, examining how shifting environmental conditions affect the costs and benefits of parental care, how mate choice and genetic or non-genetic mate compatibility impact offspring quality and parental investment, and how mating systems and parental care strategies interact. In addition, contributions addressing the influence of disease ecology on mate choice and parental care, as well as the effects of captive breeding on reproductive strategies, are encouraged.
This Special Issue broadly seeks to advance our understanding of how abiotic and biotic variability shape reproductive strategies essential for species persistence. This Special Issue will complement the existing literature by highlighting the dynamic nature of reproduction and parental care in herpetofauna, ultimately informing conservation and management efforts for these vulnerable vertebrate groups.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Lindsey Swierk
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- amphibians
- behavioral ecology
- environmental change
- life-history strategies
- mate compatibility
- mating systems
- parental care
- parental investment
- phenotypic plasticity
- reproductive ecology
- reptiles
- social environment
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