Robustness of newt heads in condition of co-existence: a case of the Carpathian newt and the alpine newt

Abstract

Co-existence between potentially competing newt species can lead to niche differentiation (e.g., in terms of diet shifts). This may cause adaptive responses involving changes in head shape. Here, we tested the hypothesis: the head shape of Lissotriton montandoni is different in conditions of co-occurrence with Ichthyosaura alpestris than in conditions in which other newt species are absent. We analysed images depicting head shape of specimens of I. alpestris and L. montandoni from a museum collection. All specimens of I. alpestris originated in a habitat where L. montandoni also occurred, whereas specimens of L. montandoni derived from populations that cohabited with I. alpestris and populations in which the presence of another newt species was not recorded. In each image, landmarks and semilandmarks were digitised. Females of L. montandoni from the population where I. alpestris also occurred were characterised by more massive heads and longer mouths in lateral views than females from sites where no other newt species occurred. Significant differences in head shape were also found when analysing ventral views between these species when they occupied the same habitat. We confirmed that the head shape of female L. montandoni differs between conditions of co-occurrence and absence of I. alpestris; no differences were found for males. A differently shaped head may be an adaptation to diet; L. montandoni females with longer mouths and more robust basal parts of the head can feed on larger invertebrates and compete more effectively with I. alpestris. The co-existence of newt species should be taken into account in future ecomorphological studies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00435-017-0366-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Environmental variation predicts patterns of phenotypic and genomic variation in an African tropical forest frog

“…The Cameroonian highlands and coastal regions of the Gulf of Guinea also appear to be associated with variation in body size and head shape, possibly due to strong ecological gradients associated with elevation and precipitation in these regions. Differences in skull shape morphology have been linked to the type, size, and speed of prey consumed in frogs and other amphibians (Emerson, 1985;Kaczmarski et al, 2017;Van Buskirk & Schmidt, 2000;Vega-Trejo et al, 2014) indicating that head shape might be at least partly adaptive. Head morphology has also been shown to exhibit considerable developmental plasticity in response to changes in temperature and could have important consequences for post-larval survival (Tejedo et al, 2010).…”