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Related Experiment Videos

Character displacement in polyphenic tadpoles.

D W Pfennig1, P J Murphy

  • 1Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-3280, USA. dpfennig@email.unc.edu

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|December 7, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Character displacement in spadefoot toad tadpoles evolves to reduce food competition. Phenotypic plasticity also mediates these competitive interactions between species, influencing morph development.

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Genetic accommodation in the wild: evolution of gene expression plasticity during character displacement.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Closely related species often show distinct phenotypes when living together, but are similar when alone.
  • The evolutionary drivers of character displacement, particularly competition, remain debated.
  • Polyphenic spadefoot toad tadpoles exhibit diet-dependent morphs (omnivore and carnivore).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test if character displacement evolves to minimize interspecific food competition.
  • To assess the role of phenotypic plasticity in mediating competitive interactions.
  • To investigate how diet influences the development of omnivore and carnivore morphs in spadefoot toads.

Main Methods:

  • Laboratory experiments and field surveys of spadefoot toad ponds (Spea bombifrons and S. multiplicata).

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  • Analysis of carnivore morph production in sympatric and allopatric populations.
  • Competitive interaction experiments to determine resource superiority for each species.

    • Main Results:

    • Species showed greater divergence in carnivore production when together than when alone.
    • Character displacement observed in S. multiplicata's reduced carnivore production in sympatry.
    • Phenotypic plasticity mediated interactions: S. multiplicata increased carnivore production when S. bombifrons was present, and S. bombifrons suppressed carnivore production when S. multiplicata was present.

    Conclusions:

    • Selection to minimize food competition drives character displacement.
    • Both character displacement and phenotypic plasticity are key mechanisms mediating interspecific competition.
    • Resource competition influences the evolution of distinct phenotypes and adaptive plasticity in spadefoot toads.