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Related Experiment Videos

Trophic specialisations in alternative heterochronic morphs.

Mathieu Denoël1, Robert Schabetsberger, Pierre Joly

  • 1Laboratory of Fish and Amphibian Ethology, Behavioural Biology Unit, Department of Life Sciences, University of Liège, 22 Quai Van Beneden, 4020 Liège, Belgium. Mathieu.Denoel@ulg.ac.be

Die Naturwissenschaften
|March 3, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Polymorphisms in Alpine newts allow different food sources, reducing competition. This trophic differentiation between paedomorphs and metamorphs may maintain facultative polymorphism in mountain lakes.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Herpetology

Background:

  • Polymorphisms can reduce intraspecific competition in diverse environments by enabling varied resource utilization.
  • The adaptive significance of alternative morphs, particularly in terms of resource partitioning, remains under-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the trophic ecology and food partitioning between two distinct heterochronic morphs of the Alpine newt (Triturus alpestris) in mountain lake ecosystems.
  • To understand how morphological differences in feeding apparatus influence resource use and potentially facilitate coexistence.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of gut contents or stable isotopes to assess diet.
  • Observation of feeding behaviors in natural habitats.
  • Ecological niche modeling to quantify resource partitioning.

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Main Results:

  • Significant trophic differentiation was observed between paedomorph and metamorph morphs across all studied lakes.
  • Paedomorphs primarily consumed planktonic prey, while metamorphs predominantly fed on terrestrial invertebrates landing on the water surface.
  • Morphs exhibit distinct feeding strategies linked to their specialized feeding apparatus morphology.

Conclusions:

  • Resource partitioning based on feeding morphology allows coexistence of Alpine newt morphs in lakes lacking vertebrate predators.
  • Dietary divergence is a key factor in the evolutionary maintenance of facultative polymorphism in Triturus alpestris populations.
  • Facultative polymorphism, driven by food diversity, may be favored in heterogeneous mountain lake environments.