Article (Scientific journals)
Morph switching in a dimorphic population of Triturus alpestris (Amphibia, Caudata)
Denoël, Mathieu; Lena, Jean-Paul; Joly, Pierre
2007In Evolutionary Ecology, 21 (3), p. 325-335
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Keywords :
Body condition; Facultative paedomorphosis; Growth rate; Metamorphosis rate; Survival; Mesotriton alpestris; CMR; Longitudinal survey; Alpine newt; Salamandridae; amphibian; Alpine lake; Switching; Sex; Ichthyosaura alpestris; Drying; PIT-tag; Tattooing; Capture-Mark-Recapture; Marking; Passive Integrated transponder; Lac de la cabane; France; Alpes; Best of a bad lot; Development; Métamorphose; Pédomorphose; Triton alpestre; Alps; Sexual differences; sex-specific
Abstract :
[en] The usual life cycle of Alpine newts comprises an aquatic larval stage and a terrestrial juvenile and adult stage. However, some populations differ from this pattern in exhibiting facultative paedomorphosis where some individuals reach sexual maturity while retaining larval traits such as gills and gill slits. While paedomorphic newts can, in some circumstances, initiate metamorphosis, once a newt has commenced metamorphosis, the state is irreversible. Because the frequency of this switching from one morph to the other has never been quantified in the wild, we attempted to estimate switching rate and survival by carrying out a 3-year monitoring survey of a population inhabiting an alpine lake. While morph switching did occur in this population, it involved a relatively low proportion of the paedomorphs (approx. 12%), suggesting that metamorphosis is not favoured in the study population. The hypothesis of paedomorphic advantage was not supported since neither survival nor body condition differed between morphs. The ontogenetic pathway of wild Alpine newts is thus characterised by two forks in the developmental pathway. The first occurs during the larval stage (metamorphosis vs. paedomorphosis), and the second occurs in paedomorphic adults (switching for metamorphosis vs. continuation of the paedomorphic lifestyle). Such a two-level decision process may allow individuals to cope with environmental uncertainty.
Disciplines :
Zoology
Aquatic sciences & oceanology
Environmental sciences & ecology
Author, co-author :
Denoël, Mathieu  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Biologie du comportement - Ethologie et psychologie animale
Lena, Jean-Paul;  Université Claude Bernard - Lyon 1 - UCLB - France
Joly, Pierre;  Université Claude Bernard - Lyon 1 - UCLB - France
Language :
English
Title :
Morph switching in a dimorphic population of Triturus alpestris (Amphibia, Caudata)
Publication date :
2007
Journal title :
Evolutionary Ecology
ISSN :
0269-7653
eISSN :
1573-8477
Publisher :
Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands
Volume :
21
Issue :
3
Pages :
325-335
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funders :
F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique [BE]
Available on ORBi :
since 30 December 2008

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