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Correspondence to: Peter M. Narins, Department of Ecology and EvolutionaryBiology and Department of Physiological Science, University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive S., Los Angeles,California 90095, USA; e-mail: pnarins@ucla.edu.Species, Rather Than Body Size, DeterminesSocial Dominance in LizardsLarge body size often confers a significant advantage in bothintra- and interspecific resource competition, generally indicatingsuperior fighting ability or strength. This has proven problematicto confirm experimentally, because if the dominant taxon consistssolely of individuals larger than the subordinate taxon, then separatingthe influence of species from the influence of size becomesdifficult. In this study, the authors separated the influence of speciesidentity and body size in interspecific interactions by conductinglaboratory shelter-choice trials using five sympatric montaneskink species from southeastern Australia: Egerniacunninghami, Egernia saxatilis, Egernia whitii, Eulamprusheatwolei, and Eulamprus tympanum. Combinations of juvenilesand adults from a number of the species were forced to competefor a desirable resource (in this case a ‘hot’ shelter maintained at36.5°C, in contrast to a ‘cold’ shelter at 21°C). Interestingly, juvenilesof larger species were as successful as conspecific adults atdeterring adults of smaller species, even when much smaller thanthe adults they displaced. Analysis of bite force confirmed thatjuveniles posed limited threat to large heterospecifics. The authorsconclude that in this system, species identity is more importantthan body size in determining interspecific dominance.LANGKILDE, T., AND R. SHINE. 2007. Interspecific conflict in lizards: socialdominance depends upon an individual’s species not its body size. AustralEcology 32:869–877.Correspondence to: Tracy Langkilde, Department of Biology, 208 MuellerLaboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania16802, USA; e-mail: t1130@psu.edu.Identifying Divergent mtDNA Lineages in aLizardMolecular research on hybrid zones has primarily focused onmtDNA, which displays substantial variation both between andwithin species. However, large scale sequencing is both costly andlabor-intensive. In this study, the authors developed a quick, costeffective polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method to identifydivergent lineages within a contact zone in a North Americanlizard, eliminating the need to sequence large numbers of individuals.Two highly divergent clades of the Side-blotched Lizard,Uta stansburiana, form a contact zone on the peninsula of BajaCalifornia in northwestern Mexico. The authors used lineage-selectiveprimers generated from sequence data from 15 individualsto amplify a PCR product diagnostic of each of the two mitochondriallineages. This assay was then applied to an additional 132specimens from a transect spanning the contact zone to identifymitochondrial lineages. The authors suggest that this cost effectiveand reliable technique could be used in other species wherediagnostic lineage variation occurs.LINDELL, J., AND R. W. MURPHY. 2008. Simple identification of mitochondriallineages in contact zones based on lineage-selective primers. MolecularEcology Resources 8:66–73.Correspondence to: Johan Lindell, Department of Ecology and EvolutionaryBiology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto,Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2; e-mail: johan.lindell@utoronto.ca.Cost of Phenotypic Plasticity in the Wood FrogPhenotypic plasticity can allow an organism to respond to temporalchanges in its environment; however, plastic responses inone trait can have negative fitness consequences for another. Inthis study, the authors examined the impact of a plastic trait expressedat the larval stage on post-metamorphic fitness in the WoodFrog, Rana sylvatica. This species breeds in temporary ponds, andcan accelerate larval development to avoid desiccation, but thishas potential impacts on postmetamorphic immune functioning.To examine this, tadpoles housed in the laboratory were exposedto one of four desiccation treatments. Subsequently, individual immunefunction was assessed by administering a single phytohaemagglutinin(PHA) injection, which causes inflammationaround the injection point, with greater inflammation representinga stronger immune response. Leucocyte counts were also conductedto assess immune functioning. Tadpoles exposed to desiccationdeveloped faster than those from control conditions, buthad reduced postmetamorphic immune functioning, as determinedby both the PHA injection and leucocyte counts. The authors suggestthat this reduction in immune functioning may result from atrade-off between rapid development of traits essential for terrestriallife and traits that may not be immediately important. Whilethe duration of immune depression is currently unknown, the authorssuggest that even a temporary period may be highly costlyto individuals following metamorphosis.GERVASI, S. G., AND J. FOUFOPOULOS. 2008. Costs of plasticity: responsesto desiccation decrease post-metamorphic immune function in a pondbreedingamphibian. Functional Ecology 22:100–108.Correspondence to: Stephanie Gervasi, Department of Zoology, OregonState University, 3029 Cordley Hall, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA; e-mail: gervasis@science.oregonstate.edu.Maternal Care in the Dwarf NewtMost amphibian species do not demonstrate parental care, andthere is an extremely high mortality at aquatic larval stages. However,females of the Dwarf Newt, Triturus pygmaeus, from theIberian Peninsula, may indirectly affect embryonic survival bywrapping their eggs in leaves from aquatic plants. In this study,the authors investigated whether wrapping protects the eggs fromcontamination by ammonium nitrate, a compound commonly foundin fertilizer, and water acidification. First, females were collectedin the field (N = 54) and exposed in the laboratory to one of threetreatments; water containing ammonium nitrate, acid water or acontrol treatment. Results indicated that low pH altered ovipositionbehavior, with the percentage of wrapped eggs lower in the132 Herpetological Review 39(2), 2008