Cannibalism and Size Relations in a Cohort of Larval Ringed Salamanders (Ambystoma annulatum)

Nyman, Stephen; Wilkinson, Robert F.; Hutcherson, Jackie E.

doi:10.2307/1564909

Cited by 40 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Alternatively, an association between tail damage and small body size might also be the result of small larvae experiencing greater risk of injury by conspecifics compared to large larvae. Two lines of evidence support such an explanation in our system: (1) smaller larvae have reduced escape ability (e.g., slower burst swim speed; Figure b); and (2) cannibalism (and associated sub‐lethal damage to conspecifics) in Ambystoma salamander larvae and other taxa tends to be perpetrated by larger individuals and directed toward smaller individuals (e.g., Nyman, Wilkinson, & Hutcherson, ; Smith, ; Walls, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 52%

Threat of predation alters aggressive interactions among spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) larvae

Hossie

MacFarlane

Clement

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Intraspecific aggression represents a major source of mortality for many animals and is often experienced alongside the threat of predation. The presence of predators can strongly influence ecological systems both directly by consuming prey and indirectly by altering prey behavior or habitat use. As such, the threat of attack by higher level predators may strongly influence agonistic interactions among conspecifics via nonconsumptive (e.g., behaviorally mediated) predator effects. We sought to investigate these interactions experimentally using larval salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) as prey and dragonfly nymphs (Anax junius) as predators. Specifically, we quantified salamander behavioral responses to perceived predation risk (PPR) from dragonfly nymphs and determined the degree to which PPR influenced intraspecific aggression (i.e., intraspecific biting and cannibalism) among prey. This included examining the effects of predator exposure on the magnitude of intraspecific biting (i.e., extent of tail damage) and the resulting change in performance (i.e., burst swim speed). Salamander larvae responded to PPR by reducing activity and feeding, but did not increase refuge use. Predator exposure did not significantly influence overall survival; however, the pattern of survival differed among treatments. Larvae exposed to PPR experienced less tail damage from conspecifics, and maximum burst swim speed declined as tail damage became more extensive. Thus, escape ability was more strongly compromised by intraspecific aggression occurring in the absence of predation risk. We conclude that multitrophic indirect effects may importantly modulate intraspecific aggression and should be considered when evaluating the effects of intraspecific competition.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 52%

Threat of predation alters aggressive interactions among spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) larvae

Hossie

MacFarlane

Clement

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Interestingly, one of the salamander traits that responded differently to predators at middle and late stages of development, head depth, is probably related to the ability of salamanders to capture prey (Nyman, Wilkinson & Hutcherson, 1993). During the middle of development, salamanders did not alter their head depth in response to predators and we found no variation in the ability of salamanders to deplete their prey resources among treatments that varied in the presence of top predators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Increasing conspecific density weakens the ability of intermediate predators to develop induced morphological defences to top predators

Davenport

Chalcraft

2013

Freshwater Biology

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Summary Intraguild predation is common in nature, but it is unclear how species that both compete and eat each other can persist together. One possibility is that intermediate predators possess inducible morphological defences that protect them from top predators while not compromising their ability to compete with top predators. The ability of intermediate predators to develop morphological defences may be compromised in environments with a high density of conspecifics because of reduced resource availability and predation risk due to the saturating functional response of top predators. Furthermore, since morphological defences take time to develop, the type and extent of morphological defences may vary during development. We conducted an experiment to measure the phenotypic responses of an intermediate predator (larvae of the salamander Ambystoma opacum) to the presence of a caged top predator (larvae of the dragonfly Anax spp.) throughout ontological development in environments that differed in the density of conspecifics present. We also assessed how intermediate predators, reared in the different environments, differed in their vulnerability to top predators and ability to deplete their food resources. We found that Anax induced morphological defences in A. opacum, but the extent of morphological change declined with the density of conspecifics. Moreover, some morphological traits disappeared, while others appeared just prior to A. opacum metamorphosis. The change in A. opacum phenotype in response to Anax made A. opacum less vulnerable to predation by Anax but had no significant effect on the foraging ability of A. opacum. Our study demonstrates that top predators can induce phenotypes in intermediate predators that reduce their vulnerability to top predators while not compromising their ability to feed on a common prey. An increase in intermediate predator density, however, could diminish the ability of intermediate predators to develop the full suite of morphological defences. The inability to develop the full suite of morphological defences may reduce the probability of persistence with top predators.

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“…An ability to invade diverse habitats may thereby reduce a lineage's risk of extinction; organisms that are more widely distributed appear to be less vulnerable to extinction ( Jablonski 1986), presumably because they are less susceptible to deterioration of any one habitat or part of their geographical range. Thus, polyphenic development may planktivore versus cannibal niches Collins & Cheek (1983) long-toed salamander larvae (Ambystoma macrodactylum) planktivore versus cannibal niches Walls et al (1993) ringed salamander larvae (Ambystoma annulatum) planktivore versus cannibal niches Nyman et al (1993) Asian salamander larvae (Hynobius retardatus)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resource polyphenism increases species richness: a test of the hypothesis

Pfennig

McGee

2010

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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A major goal of evolutionary biology is to identify the causes of diversification and to ascertain why some evolutionary lineages are especially diverse. Evolutionary biologists have long speculated that polyphenism-where a single genome produces alternative phenotypes in response to different environmental stimuli-facilitates speciation, especially when these alternative phenotypes differ in resource or habitat use, i.e. resource polyphenism. Here, we present a series of replicated sister-group comparisons showing that fishes and amphibian clades in which resource polyphenism has evolved are more species rich, and have broader geographical ranges, than closely related clades lacking resource polyphenism. Resource polyphenism may promote diversification by facilitating each of the different stages of the speciation process (isolation, divergence, reproductive isolation) and/or by reducing a lineage's risk of extinction. Generally, resource polyphenism may play a key role in fostering diversity, and species in which resource polyphenism has evolved may be predisposed to diversify.

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Cannibalism and Size Relations in a Cohort of Larval Ringed Salamanders (Ambystoma annulatum)

Cited by 40 publications

References 19 publications

Threat of predation alters aggressive interactions among spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) larvae

Threat of predation alters aggressive interactions among spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) larvae

Increasing conspecific density weakens the ability of intermediate predators to develop induced morphological defences to top predators

Resource polyphenism increases species richness: a test of the hypothesis

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