Data di Pubblicazione:
2013
Citazione:
Foraging plasticity favours adaptation to new habitats in fire salamanders / R. Manenti, M. Denoël, G.F. Ficetola. - In: ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR. - ISSN 0003-3472. - 86:2(2013), pp. 375-382. [Epub ahead of print] [10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.05.028]
Abstract:
Predators often show strong plasticity of optimal foraging strategies. A major difference in foraging
strategies occurs between sit-and-wait and active predators. Models predict that the efficiency of these
strategies is affected by environmental conditions, active predators being favoured when prey are scarce
and their detection difficult. The shift between the two strategies may occur through both phenotypic
plasticity and local adaptations. Larvae of the fire salamander, Salamandra salamandra, are typically
stream-dwelling sit-and-wait predators, but some populations breed in caves. We evaluated whether
local adaptations or phenotypic plasticity determine shifts in foraging strategy between stream and cave
populations. The foraging behaviour of salamander larvae was evaluated under all combinations of three
test conditions during trials: light versus darkness, prey presence versus absence and food deprived
versus fed; larvae originated from caves and streams and were reared in epigeous photoperiod or in
darkness. Observations and video tracking showed that salamander larvae modified their behaviour in
response to environmental conditions. In the darkness, larvae showed higher average velocity and
moved longer distances. Movements were higher in food-deprived larvae and in the presence of prey
compared to fed larvae and prey absent conditions. Furthermore, larvae from cave populations showed
higher behavioural plasticity than stream larvae, and better exploited the available space in test environments.
Variation in foraging behaviour was strong, and involved complex interactions between
plasticity and local adaptations. Larvae from cave populations showed higher behavioural plasticity,
supporting the hypothesis that this trait may be important for the exploitation of novel environments,
such as caves.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
Amphibian; Cave; Fire salamander; Hypogeous; Local adaptation; Phenotypic plasticity; Predation; Salamandra salamandra
Elenco autori:
R. Manenti, M. Denoël, G.F. Ficetola
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