Different season, different strategies: Feeding ecology of two syntopic forest-dwelling salamanders

Salvidio, Sebastiano; Romano, Antonio; Oneto, Fabrizio; Dario, Ottonello; Roberta, Michelon

doi:10.1016/j.actao.2012.05.001

Cited by 43 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…These results are in good agreement with those obtained by Salvidio et al (2012) from the same population, but with a larger sample size, which allowed us to pool the subsamples by season for the study of individual specialization. The ratios WIC/TNW were almost identical in autumn (0.54) and spring (0.55) ( Table 2) and should be considered medium-sized values of individual specialization (see Fig.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

“…In the previous study, 27 food categories were obtained from 132 stomach-flushed S. strinatii (Appendix B in Salvidio et al 2012). In the present study, to reduce problems arising from the analysis of categories with low numbers of items, we removed all categories with less than 10% of total prey items (e.g., da Rosa et al 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overall, the population behaved as a generalist feeder that captured a high diversity of prey categories and showed little seasonal variation in its general trophic strategy ( Fig. 1 in Salvidio et al 2012). …”

Section: Study Species and Stomach Samplingmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Forest invertebrates were sampled at the same time as salamanders by pitfall and adhesive traps, as well as by two 1000 cm 3 soil cores. Results of prey availability were discussed in detail in a previous paper (Appendix B in Salvidio et al 2012) and here are briefly synthesized. During the study, the available prey items and their biomass showed a twofold seasonal variation both in abundance (1005 and 406 prey items sampled in spring and autumn, respectively) and in biomass (23.30 and 13.08 mm 3 in spring and autumn, respectively), while prey diversity was similar .…”

Section: Study Species and Stomach Samplingmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…This species feeds on a wide range of soil-dwelling invertebrates and is therefore considered a generalist predator (Salvidio 1992;Crovetto et al 2012;Salvidio et al 2012). In particular, we posed three questions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trophic specialization at the individual level in a terrestrial generalist salamander

et al. 2015

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Information on individual trophic specialization may be relevant to better understand the ecological adaptation of populations to their environment and the evolution of their realized trophic niche. In this study, we analysed the trophic specialization at the individual level in a population of the plethodontid Northwest Italian Cave Salamander (Speleomantes strinatii (Aellen, 1958)), a terrestrial generalist predator. Salamanders were sampled in northwestern Italy on the forest floor in autumn (n = 49) and spring (n = 47) along with their available prey. In autumn, when trophic resources showed a twofold reduction in abundance, the population trophic niche width (TNW = 2.58) was significantly broader than during spring (TNW = 2.25), and in both seasons, individual specialization (IS) was significantly higher than expected by chance (P = 0.001). There were no sexual or ontogenetic differences in IS within each season, but IS in autumn was significantly higher than in spring (IS = 0.34 and IS = 0.41, respectively; P = 0.01). These findings are in accordance with the niche variation hypothesis, which predicts a positive relationship between TNW and IS. Therefore, while the population became more generalist, individual salamanders shifted towards a more specialized diet by adapting their feeding behaviour to changes in prey availability.Résumé : La connaissance de la spécialisation trophique à niveaux individuelle peut permettre de mieux comprendre l'adaptation des populations à leur milieux et l'évolution de leur niche trophique réalisée. Dans cette étude, nous avons analysé la spécialisation trophique individuelle dans une population de la salamandre terrestre Speleomantes strinatii (Aellen, 1958), qui est un prédateur generaliste. Nous avons échantillonnées les salamandres, au même temps que leur disponibilité en proies, en un milieu forestier de l'Italie du nord-ouest, au cours de l'automne (n = 49) et du printemps (n = 47). En automne, quand la disponibilité en proies est réduite, l'ampleur de niche trophique de la population est majeure (TNW = 2,58) qu'au printemps (TNW = 2,25). Toutefois, dans les deux saisons, la spécialisation individuelle (IS) est significativement majeur de celle attendue par chance (P = 0,001). Il n'y a pas des différences de spécialisation trophique individuelle à niveau du sexe ou d'age entre saison, mais en automne l'IS est majeur qu'au printemps (respectivement IS = 0,34 et IS = 0,41, P = 0,01). Ces résultats sont en accord avec l'hypothèse de la variation de niche, la quelle prédit une relation positive entre TNW et spécialisation à niveau individuel. Dans notre cas, lorsque la population entière devienne plus generaliste, les individus assument une diète plus spécialisée en s'adaptant aux changement des proies disponibles.Mots-clés : Spélerpès de Strinati, écologie trophique, spécialisation individuelle, Speleomantes strinatii, comportement trophique, variation de la niche trophique.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Species and Stomach Samplingmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Study Species and Stomach Samplingmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trophic specialization at the individual level in a terrestrial generalist salamander

et al. 2015

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Safe caves and dangerous forests? Predation risk may contribute to salamander colonization of subterranean habitats

Salvidio

Palumbi

Romano

et al. 2017

Sci Nat

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Recent studies suggest that many organisms actively colonize the subterranean environment to avoid climatic stress, exploit new ecological opportunities and reduce competition and predation. Terrestrial salamanders are known to colonize the more stable subterranean habitats mainly to escape external climatic extremes, while the role of predation avoidance remains untested. To better understand the importance of predation, we used clay models of the cave salamander Speleomantes strinatii to compare the predation occurring in woodland and subterranean habitats. Models were positioned in three forests and in three caves in NW Italy. One-hundred eighty-four models were retrieved from the field and 59 (32%) were attacked by predators. Models were attacked on their head more often than expected by chance and, therefore, were perceived by predators as real prey items. In the woodlands, clay models showed a four-time higher probability of being attacked in comparison to caves, suggesting a different level of potential predation risk in these surface habitats. These findings are one of the first experimental evidences that, in terrestrial ecosystems, predation avoidance may contribute to the salamander underground colonization process.

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Seasonality and microhabitat selection in a forest-dwelling salamander

Basile

Romano

Costa

et al. 2017

Sci Nat

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Many small terrestrial vertebrates exhibit limited spatial movement and are considerably exposed to changes in local environmental variables. Among such vertebrates, amphibians at present experience a dramatic decline due to their limited resilience to environmental change. Since the local survival and abundance of amphibians is intrinsically related to the availability of shelters, conservation plans need to take microhabitat requirements into account. In order to gain insight into the terrestrial ecology of the spectacled salamander Salamandrina perspicillata and to identify appropriate forest management strategies, we investigated the salamander's seasonal variability in habitat use of trees as shelters in relation to tree features (size, buttresses, basal holes) and environmental variables in a beech forest in Italy. We used the occupancy approach to assess tree suitability on a non-conventional spatial scale. Our approach provides fine-grained parameters of microhabitat suitability and elucidates many aspects of the salamander's terrestrial ecology. Occupancy changed with the annual life cycle and was higher in autumn than in spring, when females were found closer to the stream in the study area. Salamanders showed a seasonal pattern regarding the trees they occupied and a clear preference for trees with a larger diameter and more burrows. With respect to forest management, we suggest maintaining a suitable number of trees with a trunk diameter exceeding 30 cm. A practice of selective logging along the banks of streams could help maintain an adequate quantity of the appropriate microhabitat. Furthermore, in areas with a presence of salamanders, a good forest management plan requires leaving an adequate buffer zone around streams, which should be wider in autumn than in spring.

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Different season, different strategies: Feeding ecology of two syntopic forest-dwelling salamanders

Cited by 43 publications

References 44 publications

Trophic specialization at the individual level in a terrestrial generalist salamander

Trophic specialization at the individual level in a terrestrial generalist salamander

Safe caves and dangerous forests? Predation risk may contribute to salamander colonization of subterranean habitats

Seasonality and microhabitat selection in a forest-dwelling salamander

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