Spatial distribution and survival rate of waterfrog tadpoles in relation to biotic and abiotic factors: a field experiment

Thurnheer, Sylvie; Reyer, Heinz‐Ulrich

doi:10.1163/156853801750096150

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The tendency for large body size in ponds with many predators is opposite from the induced response in most predation experiments (Lardner 2000, Van Buskirk 2000. However, a similar pattern has been noted in other field studies and may be caused by higher productivity or otherwise improved conditions in ponds with more predators (Thurnheer and Reyer 2001). This interpretation is supported by observations of a positive correlation between densities of amphibian larvae and their predators, suggesting that both groups of animals may respond to underlying variation in the quality of the environment (Van Buskirk 2005).…”

Section: Relationships Between Morphology and Habitat Gradientssupporting

confidence: 67%

Natural variation in morphology of larval amphibians: Phenotypic plasticity in nature?

Buskirk

2009

Ecological Monographs

104

107

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Phenotypic plasticity has been studied intensively in experimental settings but infrequently in nature, and therefore the relevance of experimental findings is poorly known. This is especially true for morphological plasticity in amphibian larvae induced by predators and competitors. This paper describes a seven-year survey of head and tail shape in eight species of anuran and newt larvae in northern Switzerland, involving 6824 individual larvae and 59 ponds. I tested relationships between geometric measures of size and shape and five habitat gradients: pond permanence, cover by forest canopy and aquatic vegetation, and the densities of predators and competitors. Responses to competitors and predators were often similar to those reported in experiments. High competitor density was associated with small size and a large head in newt larvae, a long or deep head/body in anuran larvae, and a short or shallow tail in newts and some tadpoles. High predator density was correlated with a deep tail fin and tail muscle in many species. In anurans, the change in shape between low-and highpredator ponds in nature closely paralleled the plastic response to nonlethal predators in mesocosm experiments. The survey revealed many previously undescribed relationships between morphology and the other habitat features. Several species had relatively large tails in ponds that were shaded or thickly vegetated. Associations between year-to-year changes in shape and habitat within ponds implicated phenotypic plasticity rather than genetic population divergence, at least in anurans. These results inspire confidence in the relevance of experiments and highlight many new patterns that will merit further study. Abstract. Phenotypic plasticity has been studied intensively in experimental settings but infrequently in nature, and therefore the relevance of experimental findings is poorly known. This is especially true for morphological plasticity in amphibian larvae induced by predators and competitors. This paper describes a seven-year survey of head and tail shape in eight species of anuran and newt larvae in northern Switzerland, involving 6824 individual larvae and 59 ponds. I tested relationships between geometric measures of size and shape and five habitat gradients: pond permanence, cover by forest canopy and aquatic vegetation, and the densities of predators and competitors. Responses to competitors and predators were often similar to those reported in experiments. High competitor density was associated with small size and a large head in newt larvae, a long or deep head/body in anuran larvae, and a short or shallow tail in newts and some tadpoles. High predator density was correlated with a deep tail fin and tail muscle in many species. In anurans, the change in shape between low-and highpredator ponds in nature closely paralleled the plastic response to nonlethal predators in mesocosm experiments. The survey revealed many previously undescribed relationships between morphology and the other habitat features. Several species h...

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Section: Relationships Between Morphology and Habitat Gradientssupporting

confidence: 67%

Natural variation in morphology of larval amphibians: Phenotypic plasticity in nature?

Buskirk

2009

Ecological Monographs

104

107

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“…Tadpoles of three species of frogs in central Brazil use the shallower parts of a pond for all or part of the year (Barreto and Moreira 1996). Rana esculenta and R. lessonae tadpoles also use shallower portions of ponds (Thurnheer and Reyer 2001). found that the use of shallower parts of a pond by bullfrog tadpoles (Rana catesbeiana) was influenced by season; deeper water was used during the summer and shallower water in the winter.…”

Section: Downloaded By [State University Ny Binghamton] At 07:27 18 Nmentioning

confidence: 98%

Distribution and Abundance of Amphibian Larvae within Two Temporary Ponds in Central Ohio, USA

Smith

Dingfelder

Vaala

2003

Journal of Freshwater Ecology

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We investigated the distributions of amphibian larvae within two temporary ponds in central Ohio. Spring Peeper Pond had higher densities of all taxa than did Taylor-Ochs Pond. All amphibian larval distributions were significantly aggregated on all sampling dates in both ponds. Larval abundances changed over time in Spring Peeper Pond, but not in Taylor-Ochs Pond. In Spring Peeper Pond, spring peeper tadpole densities were highest in the shallows, leopard frog tadpole densities were negatively related to temperature, and American toad tadpole densities were not related to any factor. Larval densities were not correlated with any environmental factor in Taylor-Ochs Pond. In both ponds, spring peeper and American toad tadpole densities were positively correlated for some dates and for the overall pooled dataset. Salamander larvae and spring peeper tadpole abundances were positively correlated on one date in Taylor-Ochs Pond. Our study points out that the factors that can explain tadpole distributions vary not only among species, but also among populations of the same species. INTRODUCTIONWhile numerous studies have considered the factors driving among-pond distributions of amphibian larvae, less attention has been paid to within-pond larval distributions, even though such distributions could have significant consequences for the performance of individual amphibian larvae. Within-pond distributions of amphibian larvae have been shown to be a function of water depth, predator presence or absence, presence of aquatic vegetation, substrate type, dissolved oxygen content, and temperature (e.for review).We investigated the distribution of amphibian larvae within two fishless, temporary ponds in central Ohio, USA. We were particularly interested in determining if various physical and biotic characteristics (water depth, dissolved oxygen, water temperature; light at the water's surface, presence or absence of macrophytes) could explain variation in abundance within these ponds.

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“…The frogs were transferred to two fenced-artificial ponds near Zü rich. The ponds were 60 cm deep, with a surface area of 40 m 2 , and were surrounded by fine-meshed steel fences similar to those used in the terrestrial experiment (for details, see Thurnheer and Reyer 2001). On 15 May and 22 June 2000, we recaptured the surviving frogs, identified, weighed, and measured them.…”

Section: Monitoring Survival and Growth In The Terrestrial Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of Natural Selection on Size at Metamorphosis in Water Frogs

Altwegg¹,

Reyer²

2003

Evol

Self Cite

227

297

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Patterns of natural selection on size at metamorphosis in water frogs Altwegg, Res; Reyer, Heinz-Ulrich Altwegg, Res; Reyer, Heinz-Ulrich. Patterns of natural selection on size at metamorphosis in water frogs. Evolution 2003, 57(4):872-82. Abstract Strategies for optimal metamorphosis are key adaptations in organisms with complex life cycles, and the components of the larval growth environment causing variation in this trait are well studied empirically and theoretically. However, when relating these findings to a broader evolutionary or ecological context, usually the following assumptions are made: (1) size at metamorphosis positively relates to future fitness, and (2) the larval growth environment affects fitness mainly through its effect on timing of and size at metamorphosis. These assumptions remain poorly tested, because data on postmetamorphic fitness components are still rare. We created variation in timing of and size at metamorphosis by manipulating larval competition, nonlethal presence of predators, pond drying, and onset of larval development, and measured the consequences for subsequent terrestrial survival and growth in 1564 individually marked water frogs (Rana lessonae and R. esculenta), raised in enclosures in their natural environment. Individuals metamorphosing at a large size had an increased chance of survival during the following terrestrial stage (mean linear selection gradient: 0.09), grew faster and were larger at maturity than individuals metamorphosing at smaller sizes. Late metamorphosing individuals had a lower survival rate (mean linear selection gradient:-0.03) and grew more slowly than early metamorphosing ones. We found these patterns to be consistent over the three years of the study and the two species, and the results did not depend on the nature of the larval growth manipulation. Furthermore, individuals did not compensate for a small size at metamorphosis by enhancing their postmetamorphic growth. Thus, we found simple relationships between larval growth and postmetamorphic fitness components, and support for this frequently made assumption. Our results suggest postmetamorphic selection for fast larval growth and provide a quantitative estimate for the water frog example. Abstract.-Strategies for optimal metamorphosis are key adaptations in organisms with complex life cycles, and the components of the larval growth environment causing variation in this trait are well studied empirically and theoretically. However, when relating these findings to a broader evolutionary or ecological context, usually the following assumptions are made: 1) size at metamorphosis positively relates to future fitness, and 2) the larval growth environment affects fitness mainly through its effect on timing of and size at metamorphosis. These assumptions remain poorly tested, because data on post-metamorphic fitness components are still rare. We created variation in timing of and size at metamorphosis by manipulating larval competition, non-lethal presence of predators, pond drying, and onset of l...

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Spatial distribution and survival rate of waterfrog tadpoles in relation to biotic and abiotic factors: a field experiment

Cited by 16 publications

References 33 publications

Natural variation in morphology of larval amphibians: Phenotypic plasticity in nature?

Natural variation in morphology of larval amphibians: Phenotypic plasticity in nature?

Distribution and Abundance of Amphibian Larvae within Two Temporary Ponds in Central Ohio, USA

Patterns of Natural Selection on Size at Metamorphosis in Water Frogs

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