Resource Level and Reproductive Frequency in Female Four-Toed Salamanders, Hemidactylium Scutatum

Abstract

Many species of vertebrate animals skip reproduction in some years. We studied the pattern of reproduction exhibited by female four-toed salamanders (Hemidactylium scutatum). Data from a 10-year field study showed that females reproduced in sequential years with a frequency of 0.56 but skipped one or more years of reproduction with a frequency of 0.44. This pattern was not correlated with whether a female attended or deserted her nest. When females skipped reproduction, they had higher growth, which can translate into higher fecundity. We experimentally examined whether female four-toed salamanders reproduced in sequential years if they had adequate resources after nesting and before the onset of winter. A manipulation of food level after the nesting period revealed that females fed a high food ration were twice as likely to return the next year to oviposit as females fed a lower food level. This study is the first to document experimentally that reproductive frequency varies with resource level in a vertebrate species.

Care and parentage in a skin‐feeding caecilian amphibian

“…Only a few cases have been documented in amphibians, in egg-guarding salamanders such as Hemidactylium scutatum (Harris et al, '95;Harris and Ludwig, 2004) and Ambystoma opacum (Kaplan and Crump, '78;Croshaw and Scott, 2005). In these species, females oviposit eggs in communal nests and some females remain with the clutches until hatching, and there is no costly, post-paritive, maternal provision of nutrition.…”

Direct and Indirect Effects of Climate Change on Amphibian Populations

“…For instance, Milanovich et al [132] documented that, in the western slimy salamander (Plethodon albagula), the amount of precipitation one year prior to oviposition was correlated with average clutch size in the subsequent year. Food availability has been shown to affect traits related to individual fitness in other species of salamanders as well (Figure 3; [133,134]). …”

Resource Allocation and Life History Traits of Plethodon cinereus at Different Elevations

“…Harris and Ludwig (2004) experimentally demonstrated that reproductive frequency of plethodontid salamanders (Hemidactylium scutatum) varied with resource levels, and more females oviposited in consecutive years under high food treatments. Reproductive frequency of female Plethodon cinereus varies depending on geographic locality.…”