When color pattern variation is co-adapted with other biological features, distinct color morphs may be separated along divergent niche axes, and data on niche partitioning can provide insight into how distinct color morphs are maintained over spatiotemporal scales. The Eastern Red-backed Salamander, Plethodon cinereus, contains two common color morphs (striped and unstriped) that differ along several trait axes in addition to coloration. Previous studies from a single population have suggested that dietary composition represents an important axis of ecological differentiation between morphs of P. cinereus. To determine if morphs partition prey resources over space and time, we collected stomach contents from morphs across six populations that ranged in color morph frequency from 100% striped to >99% unstriped, and sampled each population in a spring and a fall season. From each population and season, we also sampled leaf litter invertebrates to quantify morph differences in prey selection. Based on previous studies, we predicted striped morph diet would consist of higher quality prey in polymorphic populations, whereas in monomorphic populations, we predicted both morphs would have a more variable diet due to ecological release from intermorph competition. In the two polymorphic populations we examined, one showed no evidence of diet differences and the other mirrored differences reported from previous studies. There was no change in dietary breadth between polymorphic and monomorphic populations, and thus no signature of dietary release. Our results show there is a high degree of overlap between dietary and leaf litter invertebrates, suggesting both morphs of P. cinereus are generalist predators. Finally, we found dietary composition varied across seasons and populations, which demonstrates the importance of examining morph traits over spatial and temporal scales.
Skip Nav Destination
Close
Article navigation
December 2020
Research Article|
November 20 2020
A Spatiotemporal Assessment of Dietary Partitioning between Color Morphs of a Terrestrial Salamander
Copeia (2020) 108 (4): 727–736.
Article history
Received:
July 09 2019
Accepted:
May 22 2020
Citation
Maggie M. Hantak, Kyle M. Brooks, Cari-Ann M. Hickerson, Carl D. Anthony, Shawn R. Kuchta; A Spatiotemporal Assessment of Dietary Partitioning between Color Morphs of a Terrestrial Salamander. Copeia 1 December 2020; 108 (4): 727–736. doi: https://doi.org/10.1643/CE-19-264
Download citation file:
Close
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your Institution
33
Views
0
Citations
Citing articles via
Homing in the Rubí Poison Frog Andinobates bombetes (Dendrobatidae)
Luisa F. Arcila-Pérez, Michelle A. Atehortua-Vallejo, Fernando Vargas-Salinas
Systematics and Taxonomy of Chapalichthys (Cyprinodontiformes: Goodeidae), a Small Genus of Live-Bearers from Central Mexico
Kyle R. Piller, Devin D. Bloom, John Lyons, Norman Mercado-Silva
Comprehensive Analysis of Salamander Hybridization Suggests a Consistent Relationship between Genetic Distance and Reproductive Isolation across Tetrapods
Scott Lucas Melander, Rachel Lockridge Mueller
New Species of Leaf-litter Toad of the Rhinella margaritifera Species Group (Anura: Bufonidae) from Amazonia
Miquéias Ferrão, Albertina Pimentel Lima, Santiago Ron, Sueny Paloma dos Santos, James Hanken