Some like it salty: Spatio‐temporal dynamics of salinity differentially affect anurans and caudates in coastal wetlands

Abstract

Coastal wetlands are naturally subjected to salinity, which is expected to increase through global climate changes. Most species will be affected by these changes, leading to major consequences for community structure and ecosystem functioning. We investigated variation of salinity of temporary wetlands across spatial (1,000 m from the ocean) and temporal (across three breeding season) scales relevant to coastal biodiversity and used amphibians (six species, sampled across one breeding season) as a model to investigate the consequences of the spatio‐temporal variation of salinity in 24 ponds situated on the Atlantic coast of France. We show that salinity is a highly dynamic environmental variable that varies widely both across spatial and temporal scales. The spatio‐temporal dynamics of salinity are a critical factor structuring amphibian communities that affect the main amphibian phylogenetic groups (caudates vs. anurans) differently. Temporal variation in salinity disrupts the match between salinity selected by reproductive adults and those experienced later by their developing offspring, which negatively affect reproductive success. Future changes in coastal salinity are likely to affect the structure and functioning of these ecosystems, excluding salt‐intolerant species and eventually leading to less diverse communities of salt‐tolerant species.