Coexistence within an endangered predator–prey community in California vernal pools

Messerman, Arianne F.; Clause, Adam G.; Catania, Shantel V. L.; Shaffer, H. Bradley; Searcy, Christopher A.

doi:10.1111/fwb.13717

Cited by 8 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Across hydroperiods, differential survival shifted the distribution of successful individuals from the initial proportions of larval source pond and family groups (Figure 4). (23). This would likely increase rates of cannibalism, which has rarely been documented in CTS, but is common in other members of the tiger salamander complex, including BTS (23,24,67).…”

Section: Differential Group Survivalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, previous studies have already explored the optimal conditions for purely native populations (e.g. 23,36,40,69), and our study was focused on the dynamics that occur when hybrids dominate or are actively competing with native genotypes under different hydroperiod regimes. In doing so, our experimental conditions represent the conservation scenarios where the greatest opportunity exists to reverse selection for non-native genotypes.…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(23). This would likely increase rates of cannibalism, which has rarely been documented in CTS, but is common in other members of the tiger salamander complex, including BTS (23,24,67). If selective cannibalism that avoids close kin occurs in long hydroperiod ponds with a mix of hybrid and native CTS, it could create a positive feedback loop where native CTS experience progressively greater predation as the number of hybrids in a population grows.…”

Section: Differential Group Survivalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This evidence predicts that hybrid salamanders will eventually replace native CTS at least regionally, resulting in genome-level extinction (34). Supporting this view, hybrids are not ecologically equivalent to native CTS, causing trophic cascades that disrupt vernal pool communities (25) and shift the abundance of other native taxa (24) including endangered prey (23). This body of work has emphasized the need for management strategies that reduce or eliminate invasive hybrids in CTS populations.…”

Section: Main Text Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense; hereafter "CTS") is an endemic California species restricted to vernal pool grassland habitats in central California (22). As aquatic larvae, CTS are important apex predators that help shape vernal pool communities and trophic webs (23)(24)(25). This endangered species is protected at both the federal and state levels based on population declines throughout its range (26,27).…”

Section: Main Text Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Managing invasive hybrids through habitat restoration in an endangered salamander system

Cooper

Shaffer

2022

Preprint

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Invasive species present one of the greatest threats to the conservation of biodiversity. When invasives hybridize with endangered native taxa, they introduce novel challenges ranging from the identification of hybrids in the field, to hybrid vigor and the erosion of species identity as genotypes are lost. Across a large swath of central California, a hybrid swarm consisting of admixed endangered California tiger salamanders (CTS, Ambystoma californiense) and introduced barred tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium) has replaced native populations, threatening CTS with genomic extinction. Here we employ a large-scale, genomically-informed field ecological experiment to test whether habitat restoration can reinstate natural selection favoring native salamander genotypes. We constructed 14 large, semi-natural ponds and manipulated their hydroperiods to evaluate larval survival and mass at metamorphosis. Consistent with earlier work, we found overwhelming evidence of hybrid superiority which persisted across all hydroperiod treatments. Short duration ponds substantially reduced the mass and survival probability of both native and hybrid larvae, likely exerting strong selective pressure in the wild. We identified 86 candidate genes, representing 1.8% of 4,723 screened loci, that significantly responded to this hydroperiod-driven selection. In contrast to previous mesocosm-based studies, native CTS never exhibited greater fitness than hybrids, suggesting that hydroperiod management alone will not shift selection to favor native genotypes. However, shortening pond hydroperiod may represent a cost-effective strategy to limit the overall productivity of ponds with non-native genotypes, complimenting additional strategies such as targeted hybrid removal. At a broader level, our experimental approach leverages extensive ecological knowledge, modern genomic tools, and a naturalistic, in situ replicated design to critically evaluate and expand the potential toolkit that managers can use to address this, and other recalcitrant biological invasions. We believe that this strategy may be an important tool for managing the growing number of complex invasion scenarios threatening global biodiversity.

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Section: Differential Group Survivalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Differential Group Survivalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Main Text Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Main Text Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Managing invasive hybrids through habitat restoration in an endangered salamander system

Cooper

Shaffer

2022

Preprint

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Co‐occurrence of large branchiopods and killifish in African savannah ponds

Pinceel

Berghen

Buschke

et al. 2021

Ecology

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Habitat value of constructed breeding pools for the endangered Sonoma population of California tiger salamander

Cook¹,

Stemle

Stokes

et al. 2023

J Wildl Manag

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Habitat creation is a common element of efforts to recover populations threatened by altered habitat. Unfortunately, human-created habitats do not necessarily support reestablishment of target species. We investigated the value of constructed vernal pools as breeding habitat for the endangered Sonoma County population of California tiger salamanders (Ambystoma californiense) by conducting 19 years of larval surveys in 118 pools that were natural (n = 40), constructed (n = 70), or natural with substantial human alterations (humanaltered, n = 8). California tiger salamander larval densities in human-altered and natural pools declined over the study period, while larval densities in constructed pools showed nonnegative trends. Larval declines in natural pools may be attributed to long-term degradation of the surrounding terrestrial habitat. Mean larval densities over the course of the study were equivalent between constructed and natural pools, when corrected for pool morphometry. In contrast, human-altered pools had lower larval densities. To assure consistent California tiger salamander breeding, pools needed to be ≥30 cm deep and 240 m 2 in area, with deeper (50-70 cm) and larger (1,600-1,800 m 2 ) pools providing increased larval productivity. Over the study, there was no evidence of decrease in the rate of colonization of new pools. We conclude that constructed pools can be important tools in the recovery

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Coexistence within an endangered predator–prey community in California vernal pools

Cited by 8 publications

References 74 publications

Managing invasive hybrids through habitat restoration in an endangered salamander system

Managing invasive hybrids through habitat restoration in an endangered salamander system

Co‐occurrence of large branchiopods and killifish in African savannah ponds

Habitat value of constructed breeding pools for the endangered Sonoma population of California tiger salamander

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