Growth and foraging consequences of facultative paedomorphosis in the tiger salamander,Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum

Whiteman, Howard H.; Wissinger, Scott A.; Brown, Wendy

doi:10.1007/bf01237728

Cited by 66 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…As part of this long-term research, we are collecting fitness data that corroborate these results in part (Whiteman et al 1996, Whiteman 1997), but also suggest that the evolutionary maintenance of this polyphenism may be more complex than the ecological mechanisms that produce the alternative morphs (Whiteman 1997;Whiteman et al, unpublished data; see also Whiteman and Semlitsch 2005;Whiteman et al 2006).…”

Section: Facultative Paedomorphosis and The Evolution Of Phenotypic Vmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…Paedomorphic adults were the primary predators of larvae in permanent ponds (Whiteman and Wissinger 2005;Wissinger et al 2010); thus, we used paedomorphic adult densities as estimates of predation pressure. Metamorphic adult densities were not included because they were very low across permanent ponds and because metamorphs feed on different prey (Whiteman et al 1995(Whiteman et al , 1996Wissinger et al 1999;Denoël et al 2007). We estimated size structure using the C.V. of SVL among gilled salamanders within each pond during the month prior to metamorphosis.…”

Section: Larval Growth Environmental Variation and Paedomorphosismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Larval growth in polyphenic salamanders: making the best of a bad lot

et al. 2011

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Polyphenisms are excellent models for studying phenotypic variation, yet few studies have focused on natural populations. Facultative paedomorphosis is a polyphenism in which salamanders either metamorphose or retain their larval morphology and eventually become paedomorphic. Paedomorphosis can result from selection for capitalizing on favorable aquatic habitats (paedomorph advantage), but could also be a default strategy under poor aquatic conditions (best of a bad lot). We tested these alternatives by quantifying how the developmental environment influences the ontogeny of wild Arizona tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum). Most paedomorphs in our study population arose from slow-growing larvae that developed under high density and size-structured conditions (best of a bad lot), although a few faster-growing larvae also became paedomorphic (paedomorph advantage). Males were more likely to become paedomorphs than females and did so under a greater range of body sizes than females, signifying a critical role for gender in this polyphenism. Our results emphasize that the same phenotype can be adaptive under different environmental and genetic contexts and that studies of phenotypic variation should consider multiple mechanisms of morph production.

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Section: Facultative Paedomorphosis and The Evolution Of Phenotypic Vmentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Larval Growth Environmental Variation and Paedomorphosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Larval growth in polyphenic salamanders: making the best of a bad lot

et al. 2011

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“…The respective performance of each feeding morphology differs according to prey type. Whereas the unidirectional water flow system of the paedomorph oral apparatus is more efficient than the bidirectional flow of the metamorphs when foraging on aquatic prey (e.g., microcrustaceans) (Whiteman et al, 1996;, it is less efficient when foraging on terrestrial insects that are caught at the water surface (Fig. 1).…”

Section: Ultimate Mechanisms Of Facultative Paedomorphosis (1 ) mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also have to consider processes that constrain the evolution of polyphenism at larger habitat scales. For example, the usual absence of dispersal in paedomorphs is costly since they cannot leave a pond to reach more productive habitats, or to avoid competition, predation (including cannibalism) or inbreeding (Whiteman, 1994 ;Whiteman, Wissinger & Bohonak, 1994;Whiteman et al, 1996;Denoël, 2004 b). Dispersal can bring advantages in populations that inhabit pond archipelagoes where the costs of movements from one pond to another are low.…”

Section: Ultimate Mechanisms Of Facultative Paedomorphosis (1 ) mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most advances until the early 1990s were summarised by Whiteman (1994) who proposed alternative models to account for the variation of ontogenetic pathways among facultative paedomorphic species in natural and experimental conditions. Numerous authors have subsequently used facultative paedomorphosis as a model system in which to investigate the genetic bases and benefits of polyphenism in natural populations (Voss, 1995;Kalezic et al, 1996 ;Whiteman, Wissinger & Brown, 1996 ;Voss & Shaffer, 1997;Whiteman, 1997;Ryan & Semlitsch, 1998 ;Denoël & Joly, 2000Denoël, Poncin & Ruwet, 2001b ;Denoël et al, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evolutionary ecology of facultative paedomorphosis in newts and salamanders

Denoël¹,

2005

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Facultative paedomorphosis is an environmentally induced polymorphism that results in the coexistence of mature, gilled, and fully aquatic paedomorphic adults and transformed, terrestrial, metamorphic adults in the same population. This polymorphism has been of interest to scientists for decades because it occurs in a large number of caudate amphibian taxa as well as in a large diversity of habitats. Numerous experimental and observational studies have been conducted to explain the proximate and ultimate factors affecting these heterochronic variants in natural populations. The production of each alternative phenotype is based on a genotyperenvironment interaction and research suggests that differences in the environment can produce paedomorphs through several ontogenetic pathways. No single advantage accounts for the maintenance of this polymorphism. Rather, the interplay of different costs and benefits explains the success of the polyphenism across variable environments. Facultative paedomorphosis allows individuals to cope with habitat variation, to take advantage of environmental heterogeneity in the presence of open niches, and to increase their fitness. This process is expected to constitute a first step towards speciation events, and is also an example of biodiversity at the intraspecific level. The facultative paedomorphosis system is thus ripe for future studies encompassing ecology, evolution, behaviour, endocrinology, physiology, and conservation biology. Few other systems have been broad enough to provide varied research opportunities on topics as diverse as phenotypic plasticity, speciation, mating behaviour, and hormonal regulation of morphology. Further research on facultative paedomorphosis will provide needed insight into these and other important questions facing biologists.

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Paedogenesis in European newts (Triturus: Salamandridae): Cranial morphology during ontogeny

Djorović¹,

Kalezić²

2000

Journal of Morphology

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Growth and foraging consequences of facultative paedomorphosis in the tiger salamander,Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum

Cited by 66 publications

References 54 publications

Larval growth in polyphenic salamanders: making the best of a bad lot

Larval growth in polyphenic salamanders: making the best of a bad lot

Evolutionary ecology of facultative paedomorphosis in newts and salamanders

Paedogenesis in European newts (Triturus: Salamandridae): Cranial morphology during ontogeny

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