Phenotypic design, plasticity, and ecological performance in tadpoles
Van Buskirk J and Smith DC. 1993. Phenotypic design, plasticity, and ecological performance in tadpoles. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. 74(2):467
Our goal is to connect community structure to phenotypic design in tadpoles of Pseudacris crucifer and P. triseriata, which partition a gradient in predator density at Isle Royale. The two species differ phenotypically as expected from functional studies: crucifer coexists with dragonfly predators, is inactive, and has a deep muscular tail; triseriata is in pools with no predators, is active, and has a shallow tail and a large visceral mass. A reciprocal transplant experiment between the two habitats illustrated the importance of phenotypic plasticity. P. crucifer showed no phenotypic differences between habitats, whereas triseriata showed strong behavioral and morphological shifts when moved between habitats. As a result, crucifer performed poorly in pools without predators, while triseriata did relatively well in the presence of predators. Our results indicate that focus on phenotypic design and plasticity represents a feasible approach to mechanistic and predictive community theory.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Van Buskirk, Josh; Smith, David
- Units
- ISRO
- Keywords
- Amphibians (Amphibia), Animal Studies, phenotype, Tadpoles