Population Biology of Marine Iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus). I. Changes in Fecundity Related to a Population Crash

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Abstract
Changes in frequency of reproduction, age at first breeding, clutch size and egg weight of female marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) followed a population crash during the 1982-83 El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event in Galapagos [Pacific Ocean]. Almost no females bred after the event, 1983-84. In the next year the frequency of reproduction doubled, the age of first breeding decreased and mean clutch size increased from two to three. Mean egg weight dropped in 1984-85 from c. 90 g to c. 75 g but increased again in 1985-86 to pre-ENSO levels. Females that bred in 1981-82 had lower body condition a year later than females that did not breed in 1981-82. The results are discussed in relation to the condition of the females and the allocation of limited resources between the conflicting requirements of reproduction and survival.

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