Viviparity is associated with larger female size and higher sexual size dimorphism in a reproductively bimodal lizard

Squamate reptiles are central for studying phenotypic correlates of evolutionary transitions from oviparity to viviparity because these transitions are numerous, with many of them being recent. Several models of life-history theory predict that viviparity is associated with increased female size, and thus more female-biased sexual size dimorphism (SSD). Yet the corresponding empirical evidence is overall weak and inconsistent. The lizard Zootoca vivipara, which occupies a major part of Northern Eurasia and includes four viviparous and two non-sister oviparous lineages, represents an excellent model for testing these predictions. 
We analysed how sex-specific body size and SSD is associated with parity mode, using body length data for nearly 14,000 adult individuals from 97 geographically distinct populations, which cover almost the entire species’ range and represent all six lineages. Our analyses controlled for lineage identity, climatic seasonality (the strongest predictor of geograph..., The body size data come from museum samples or from previous studies performed for other purposes (e.g., Bauwens & Verheyen 1987; Arribas 2009; Recknagel & Elmer 2019). Additional data were extracted from published histograms or individual values.
Climate data were extracted from the Worldclim resource., , # Viviparity is associated with larger female size and higher sexual size dimorphism in a reproductively bimodal lizard

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.66t1g1k97](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.66t1g1k97)

## Description of the data and file structure

Data are presented in excel files, each data file is accompanied with extensive comments given in a corresponding MS Word file;

Empty cells mean that the data are not available (=n/a)

Files Roitberg_et_al_2024_SVL_data.xls and Roitberg_et_al_2024_SVL_data_ReadMe.doc relate to body-sizedata;

Files Roitberg_et_al_2024_physical_characteristics_of_study populations.xls and Roitberg_et_al_2024_physical_characteristics_of_study populations_ReadMe.doc relate to latitude, longitude, altitude, and climatic data (averaged for study populations);

Files Roitberg_et_al_2024_physical_characteristics_of_individual_sites.xls and Roitberg_et_al_2024_physical_characteristics_of_individual_sites_ReadMe.doc relate to latitude, longitude, altitude, and cli...