Faecal pellets as burrow markers: intra- and interspecific odour recognition by western plethodontid salamanders

Ovaska, Kristiina; Davis, Theodore M.

doi:10.1016/s0003-3472(06)80006-0

Cited by 24 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…In a study of chemical communication among salamanders, Ovaska and Davis (1992) concluded that clouded salamanders did not seem to distinguish odors of fecal pellets. They found some differences, however, between the sexes in time spent inside burrows marked with fecal pellets.…”

Section: Relation To Old-growth and Potential Impact Of Habitat Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Intraspecific and interspecific chemical communication was studied by Ovaska and Davis (1992). They found that P. dunni distinguished fecal pellet odors of conspecifics (males and females) and of P. vehiculum, but not of P. vandykei.…”

Section: Relation To Old-growth and Potential Impact Of Habitat Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These salamanders occasionally destroyed fecal pellets of congeners, a behavior also observed in territorial P. cinereus (Jaeger and Home 1988). Ovaska and Davis (1992) suggested that fecal pellet destruction could speed their odor evaporation, dissipating old territorial markers, and facilitating territorial marking by new, replacement pellets.…”

Section: Relation To Old-growth and Potential Impact Of Habitat Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Rocky Mountain populations, aquatic insects are common prey of P. idahoensis in roadside seepages (Wilson and Larsen 1988). Ovaska and Davis (1992) examined the use of odors for communication in Van Dyke's salamanders. They found that these salamanders distinguished fecal pellet odors of conspecific females and their congener P. vehiculum, but they did not distinguish fecal pellets of conspecific males.…”

Section: Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The biology of amphibians and reptiles in old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest.

Blaustein¹,

Beatty²,

Olson³

et al. 1995

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This file was created by scanning the printed publication. Text errors identified by the software have been corrected; however, some errors may remain. The amphibian and reptile fauna of older forest ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest includes several endemic species, species with unique behavioral and ecological characteristics, and species whose populations have been in decline in recent years. We review the biology of these species and include information oh their distinguishing characteristics, behavior, and ecology. Herpetofaunal associations with forest characteristics and the impact of habitat loss are addressed.Keywords: Amphibian, reptile, old-growth forest, Pacific Northwest, ecology. (Ehrlich 1988, McNeely and others 1990, Soule' 1986. A continual loss of biodiversity can have far-reaching ecological, economic, social, medical, and ethical consequences (for example, Green and Losos 1988, Oldfield 1984, Soule' 1986, Wilson 1988. Members of all taxonomic groups are affected, and threatened species exist in all the vertebrate classes.As part of the overall biodiversity crisis, several recent reports have suggested that many species within the vertebrate classes Amphibia and Reptilia are undergoing population declines and range reductions (Beebee 1992, Blaustein and Wake 1990, Blaustein and others 1994a, Phillips 1990, Vial and Saylor 1993. The declines of some species are especially perplexing because they are disappearing in areas of the world that are devoid of obvious habitat destruction, pollution, and exotic competitors or predators.Amphibians and reptiles are important components in many ecosystems. They can occupy key trophic positions in food webs of both aquatic and terrestrial systems. As adults, they can be top carnivores, and as larvae or juveniles, they may be the major food source of many other species including birds, mammals, fish, and invertebrates. In some forest ecosystems, amphibians may comprise the major component of the vertebrate biomass (for example, Burton and Likens 1975, Bury 1988). Moreover, under certain conditions, amphibians may be good "bioindicators" of environmental stress because of various aspects of their life histories, including their physiological and behavioral characteristics, morphogenetic patterns, and aspects of their population biology. The decline in amphibians may be an early warning signal that, ultimately, other organisms also may be in danger of decline and extinction.There is growing concern over the impact of potential losses in biodiversity in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in forest systems/The herpetofauna of these forests can reach relatively high densities and comprise the dominant component of faunal biomass (for example, Bury 1988). Additionally, some forest species are unique and extremely interesting, such as the giant salamanders (Dicamptodon species) which are thought to be the largest terrestrial salamanders, the tailed frog (Ascaphus truei) whose males have copulatory organs, the Cascades frog (R. cascadae) whose larvae may aggre...

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Section: Relation To Old-growth and Potential Impact Of Habitat Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Relation To Old-growth and Potential Impact Of Habitat Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Relation To Old-growth and Potential Impact Of Habitat Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The biology of amphibians and reptiles in old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest.

Blaustein¹,

Beatty²,

Olson³

et al. 1995

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In many species, however, chemical cues may be more important than visual cues for transmission of information between conspecifics. manders, territorial advertisement is via identifying pheromones deposited on the substrate and on fecal pellets (Ovaska and Davis 1992;Simons and Felgenhauer 1992;Anthony 1993;Simons et al 1994). Whether parasite load can be detected through pheromonal markers has not been reported.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pheromonal markers as indicators of parasite load: parasite-mediated behavior in salamanders ( Plethodon angusticlavius )

Maksimowich

Mathis

2001

Acta ethologica

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Assessment of parasite load of conspecifics may be important during social interactions such as courtship and aggressive encounters. We used a correlational study to test whether pheromonal markers can be used to assess parasite load of conspecifics, and whether the parasite load of the pheromone receivers affected their responses. We tested the responses of parasitized and nonparasitized Ozark zigzag salamanders, Plethodon angusticlavius, to territorial markers (fecal pellets) from conspecific males. Males and females were simultaneously exposed to fecal pellets placed in front of two artificial burrows located at the opposite ends of their chambers. The treatments were (1) fecal pellet of male with low parasite load versus fecal pellet of male with high parasite load, (2) fecal pellet of male with low parasite load versus control pellet (chemical blank), and (3) fecal pellet of male with high parasite load versus control pellet. Nonparasitized females spent significantly more time near fecal pellets of males with low parasite load in test condition 1, whereas the behavior of parasitized females was not significantly different from random in any test condition. Males responded differently to treatments only in condition 3; males with low parasite loads spent significantly more time near control pellets, whereas males with high parasite loads spent significantly more time near fecal pellets of males with high parasite loads. This study demonstrates that pheromonal markers may be used for assessment of parasite load of conspecifics and that responses by both males and females may be influenced by their own level of infection.

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External nasal gland morphology of Eurycea bislineata (Amphibia, Urodela, Plethodontidae)

Trame

Denova

Pereira

et al. 2022

Journal of Morphology

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Plethodontid salamanders possess numerous courtship glands. Previous studies have shown that the glands are more prominent in male individuals than females, and often experience periods of atrophy and hypertrophy throughout the year that correlate to the nonmating and mating seasons, respectively. We sampled male and female Eurycea bislineata throughout the year to test the hypothesis that external nasal glands are courtship glands. External nasal glands are paired, branched tubular glands that extend from excretory ducts dorsal to the nares to terminal secretory units posterior to the eyes. We found that the glands hypertrophy and stain/react more intensely with histochemical procedures during the mating season. Hypertrophy of the glands is more pronounced in males, and seasonal variation in epithelial height of external nasal glands of males is significantly correlated to that of seasonal variation in mental gland epithelial height, a known courtship gland found in males, when compared throughout the year. This correlation was not as strong in females, confirming sexual dimorphism of external nasal glands in terms of seasonal variation. We found no ultrastructural differences between male and female external nasal glands. In all specimens, the glandular tubules were lined by a simple, columnar epithelium that was packed with secretory granules that often obscured other cytoplasmic contents.

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Faecal pellets as burrow markers: intra- and interspecific odour recognition by western plethodontid salamanders

Cited by 24 publications

References 15 publications

The biology of amphibians and reptiles in old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest.

The biology of amphibians and reptiles in old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest.

Pheromonal markers as indicators of parasite load: parasite-mediated behavior in salamanders ( Plethodon angusticlavius )

External nasal gland morphology of Eurycea bislineata (Amphibia, Urodela, Plethodontidae)

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