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Giery ST, Sloan RK, Watson J, Groesbeck A, Davenport JM. Ecosystem effects of intraspecific variation in a colour polymorphic amphibian. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240016. [PMID: 38565157 PMCID: PMC10987232 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
An emerging consensus suggests that evolved intraspecific variation can be ecologically important. However, evidence that evolved trait variation within vertebrates can influence fundamental ecosystem-level processes remains sparse. In this study, we sought to assess the potential for evolved variation in the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) to affect aquatic ecosystem properties. Spotted salamanders exhibit a conspicuous polymorphism in the colour of jelly encasing their eggs-some females produce clear jelly, while others produce white jelly. Although the functional significance of jelly colour variation remains largely speculative, evidence for differences in fecundity and the morphology of larvae suggests that the colour morphs might differ in the strength or identity of ecological effects. Here, we assessed the potential for frequency variation in spotted salamander colour morphs to influence fundamental physiochemical and ecosystem properties-dissolved organic carbon, conductivity, acidity and primary production-with a mesocosm experiment. By manipulating colour morph frequency across a range of larval densities, we were able to demonstrate that larva density and colour morph variation were ecologically relevant: population density reduced dissolved organic carbon and increased primary production while mesocosms stocked with white morph larvae tended to have higher dissolved organic carbon and conductivity. Thus, while an adaptive significance of jelly coloration remains hypothetical, our results show that colour morphs differentially influence key ecosystem properties-dissolved organic carbon and conductivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean T. Giery
- Department of Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
| | - Reese K. Sloan
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608, USA
| | - James Watson
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608, USA
| | - Autumn Groesbeck
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608, USA
| | - Jon M. Davenport
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608, USA
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Smith GR. Legacy effects in temporally separated tadpole species are not mediated by invasive Western Mosquitofish ( Gambusia affinis). Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10034. [PMID: 37091573 PMCID: PMC10115897 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Temporally separated species are often thought to have limited competition over a shared resource. However, early arriving species may consume a limited resource such that later-arriving species have access to fewer resources and thus experience competitive effects, even if they are temporally separated (i.e., they experience legacy effects from the early species). The presence of a predator might affect potential legacy effects by influencing the behavior or survivorship of the early species. Using a mesocosm experiment, I examined whether the presence of nonnative Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) mediated legacy effects in the interaction of two temporally separated species of tadpoles, early arriving American Toads (Anaxyrus americanus) and late-arriving Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana). Anaxyrus americanus tadpoles reduced R. catesbeiana tadpole growth despite all A. americanus tadpoles metamorphosing 8 days before the introduction of R. catesbeiana tadpoles into the mesocosms (i.e., legacy effects). Gambusia affinis had limited effects on A. americanus (1 day delay in metamorphosis but no effect on survivorship or size at metamorphosis) and positive effects on R. catesbeiana (increased growth). There were no significant interactions between the A. americanus tadpole density and G. affinis treatments. In conclusion, I found evidence of significant legacy effects of A. americanus tadpoles on R. catesbeiana tadpoles, but no evidence that G. affinis mediated the legacy effects.
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Dvorsky C, Riddle K, Boone M. Assessing the Impact of Chemical Algae Management Strategies on Anurans and Aquatic Communities. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2023; 42:213-224. [PMID: 36342350 PMCID: PMC10107480 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Pond management with chemical and biological agents that reduce overgrowth of algae is an important means of maintaining water quality in residential ponds, yet the effects on nontarget species are not fully understood. We assessed the impact of Aquashade (a common nontoxic pond dye) and copper sulfate (a toxic algaecide) on American toad (Anaxyrus americanus), northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens), and Cope's gray treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) metamorphosis in outdoor mesocosm experiments. We also evaluated the relative impact of tadpole grazing versus chemical treatment on phytoplankton and periphyton abundance. We found no significant effects of pond management treatment on anuran metamorphosis, suggesting that addition of Aquashade and copper sulfate at tested concentrations does not significantly impact anurans under these experimental conditions. Interestingly, we found that the presence of tadpoles more strongly reduced algal abundance than Aquashade or copper sulfate by significantly decreasing phytoplankton and periphyton abundance over time. The present study suggests that anuran tadpoles may be effective at maintaining water quality, and that Aquashade and copper sulfate may have minimal effects on amphibian metamorphosis. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:213-224. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
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Divergent physiological acclimation responses to warming between two co-occurring salamander species and implications for terrestrial survival. J Therm Biol 2022; 106:103228. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2022.103228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Rettig JE, Teeters NR, Smith GR. Effects of the Interaction of Bluegill and Two Species of Tadpoles on Experimental Zooplankton Communities. AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 2021. [DOI: 10.1674/0003-0031-186.1.95] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Abstract
Many species of salamanders (newts and salamanders per se) have a pivotal role in energy flow pathways as they include individuals functioning as prey, competitors, and predators. Here, I synthesize historic and contemporary research on the reciprocal ecological role of salamanders as predators and prey in aquatic systems. Salamanders are a keystone in ecosystem functioning through a combination of top–down control, energy transfer, nutrient cycling processes, and carbon retention. The aquatic developmental stages of salamanders are able to feed on a wide variety of invertebrate prey captured close to the bottom as well as on small conspecifics (cannibalism) or other sympatric species, but can also consume terrestrial invertebrates on the water surface. This capacity to consume allochthonous resources (terrestrial invertebrates) highlights the key role of salamanders as couplers of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (i.e., aquatic–terrestrial linkages). Salamanders are also an important food resource for other vertebrates such as fish, snakes, and mammals, covering the energy demands of these species at higher trophic levels. This study emphasizes the ecological significance of salamanders in aquatic systems as central players in energy flow pathways, enabling energy mobility among trophic levels (i.e., vertical energy flow) and between freshwater and terrestrial habitats (i.e., lateral energy flow).
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Ruthsatz K, Giertz LM, Schröder D, Glos J. Chemical composition of food induces plasticity in digestive morphology in larvae of Rana temporaria. Biol Open 2019; 8:bio048041. [PMID: 31852656 PMCID: PMC6955212 DOI: 10.1242/bio.048041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Food conditions are changing due to anthropogenic activities and natural sources and thus, many species are exposed to new challenges. Animals might cope with altered quantitative and qualitative composition [i.e. variable protein, nitrogen (N) and energy content] of food by exhibiting trophic and digestive plasticity. We examined experimentally whether tadpoles of the common frog (Rana temporaria) exhibit phenotypic plasticity of the oral apparatus and intestinal morphology when raised on a diet of either low (i.e. Spirulina algae) or high protein, N and energy content (i.e. Daphnia pulex). Whereas intestinal morphology was highly plastic, oral morphology did not respond plastically to different chemical compositions of food. Tadpoles that were fed food with low protein and N content and low-energy density developed significantly longer guts and a larger larval stomachs than tadpoles raised on high protein, N and an energetically dense diet, and developed a different intestinal surface morphology. Body sizes of the treatment groups were similar, indicating that tadpoles fully compensated for low protein, N and energy diet by developing longer intestines. The ability of a species, R. temporaria, to respond plastically to environmental variation indicates that this species might have the potential to cope with new conditions during climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Ruthsatz
- Department of Biology, Institute for Zoology, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lisa Marie Giertz
- Department of Biology, Institute for Zoology, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dominik Schröder
- Department of Biology, Institute for Zoology, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Julian Glos
- Department of Biology, Institute for Zoology, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
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Anderson TL, Stemp KM, Ousterhout BH, Burton D, Davenport JM. Impacts of phenological variability in a predatory larval salamander on pond food webs. J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- T. L. Anderson
- Department of Biology Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau MO USA
- Department of Biology Appalachian State University Boone NC USA
| | - K. M. Stemp
- Department of Biology Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau MO USA
- Department of Biology Appalachian State University Boone NC USA
| | - B. H. Ousterhout
- National Great Rivers Research and Education Center East Alton IL USA
| | - D. Burton
- Department of Biology Appalachian State University Boone NC USA
| | - J. M. Davenport
- Department of Biology Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau MO USA
- Department of Biology Appalachian State University Boone NC USA
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de Mira-Mendes CV, Costa RN, Dias IR, Carilo Filho LM, Mariano R, Le Pendu Y, Solé M. Effects of increasing temperature on predator-prey interaction between beetle larvae and tadpoles. STUDIES ON NEOTROPICAL FAUNA AND ENVIRONMENT 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/01650521.2019.1656519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Renan Nunes Costa
- Graduate program in Tropical Aquatic Systems, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Brazil
- Graduate program in Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Brazil
| | - Iuri Ribeiro Dias
- Graduate program in Zoology, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Brazil
| | | | - Rodolfo Mariano
- Department of Biological Science, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Brazil
| | - Yvonnick Le Pendu
- Department of Biological Science, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Brazil
| | - Mirco Solé
- Department of Biological Science, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Brazil
- Herpetology Section, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany
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Yap TA, Nguyen NT, Serr M, Shepack A, Vredenburg VT. Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans and the Risk of a Second Amphibian Pandemic. ECOHEALTH 2017; 14:851-864. [PMID: 29147975 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-017-1278-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Revised: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Amphibians are experiencing devastating population declines globally. A major driver is chytridiomycosis, an emerging infectious disease caused by the fungal pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). Bd was described in 1999 and has been linked with declines since the 1970s, while Bsal is a more recently discovered pathogen that was described in 2013. It is hypothesized that Bsal originated in Asia and spread via international trade to Europe, where it has been linked to salamander die-offs. Trade in live amphibians thus represents a significant threat to global biodiversity in amphibians. We review the current state of knowledge regarding Bsal and describe the risk of Bsal spread. We discuss regional responses to Bsal and barriers that impede a rapid, coordinated global effort. The discovery of a second deadly emerging chytrid fungal pathogen in amphibians poses an opportunity for scientists, conservationists, and governments to improve global biosecurity and further protect humans and wildlife from a growing number of emerging infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany A Yap
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, Hensill Hall, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA.
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
| | - Natalie T Nguyen
- U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Rd., Madison, WI, 53711, USA
| | - Megan Serr
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Thomas Hall, 1100 Brooks Avenue, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Alexander Shepack
- Zoology Department, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 1125 Lincoln Drive, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA
| | - Vance T Vredenburg
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, Hensill Hall, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
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Anderson TL, Rowland FE, Semlitsch RD. Variation in phenology and density differentially affects predator-prey interactions between salamanders. Oecologia 2017; 185:475-486. [PMID: 28894959 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-017-3954-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 09/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Variation in the timing of breeding (i.e., phenological variation) can affect species interactions and community structure, in part by shifting body size differences between species. Body size differences can be further altered by density-dependent competition, though synergistic effects of density and phenology on species interactions are rarely evaluated. We tested how field-realistic variation in phenology and density affected ringed salamander (Ambystoma annulatum) predation on spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum), and whether these altered salamander dynamics resulted in trophic cascades. In outdoor mesocosms, we experimentally manipulated ringed salamander density (low/high) and breeding phenology (early/late) of both species. Ringed salamander body size at metamorphosis, development, and growth were reduced at higher densities, while delayed phenology increased hatchling size and larval development, but reduced relative growth rates. Survival of ringed salamanders was affected by the interactive effects of phenology and density. In contrast, spotted salamander growth, size at metamorphosis, and survival, as well as the biomass of lower trophic levels, were negatively affected primarily by ringed salamander density. In an additional mesocosm experiment, we isolated whether ringed salamanders could deplete shared resources prior to their interactions with spotted salamanders, but instead found direct interactions (e.g., predation) were the more likely mechanism by which ringed salamanders limited spotted salamanders. Overall, our results indicate the effects of phenological variability on fitness-related traits can be modified or superseded by differences in density dependence. Identifying such context dependencies will lead to greater insight into when phenological variation will likely alter species interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas L Anderson
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, 105 Tucker Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, 2101 Constant Ave, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA.
| | - Freya E Rowland
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, 105 Tucker Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Raymond D Semlitsch
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, 105 Tucker Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
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