Alligators and Crocodiles :: genetics Department of Biology,
University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-3908, USA.
firstname.lastname@example.org The adult phenotype of an
organism is the result of its genotype, the environment, and the
interaction between the two. Assessing the relative contribution
of these factors to the final adult phenotype continues to
occupy researchers. Studies have shown clutch effects early in
development but few have investigated the persistence of clutch
effects on a longer time scale. Five clutches of American
alligators were reared for 1 year in a common environment then
assessed for the presence of clutch effects as they related to
morphological and physiological characteristics. After 1 year,
significant clutch effects were evident in all size related
variables despite open access to food. Additionally, lung and
liver masses remained different between clutches after animal
mass was taken into account. Although clutch had no effect on
resting heart rate, it significantly contributed