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Larval amphibians reach high densities in playa wetlands in the Southern Great Plains (SGP), USA, and thus may influence the entire structure and function of these ecosystems. We investigated whether both carnivorous and omnivorous morphotypes of Spadefoot Toad tadpoles (New Mexico Spadefoot, Spea multiplicata (Cope, 1863), and Plains Spadefoot, Spea bombifrons (Cope, 1863)) would exhibit a macrophagous feeding behavior that would allow them to occupy several trophic levels in playas. We also compared tadpole diets and foregut widths as influenced by the land use surrounding playas (cultivated versus grassland watersheds), year (dry versus wet year), and body size (snout-to-vent length). Tadpole diets were dominated...
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Polyphenism in larval amphibians has been related to several factors, including wetland hydroperiod, food availability, competition, and predation. Spadefoot toads (genus Spea Cope, 1866) often exhibit a trophic polyphenism by developing distinct carnivore and omnivore larval morphotypes. Using a multimodel selection approach, we investigated the influence of land use (cropland vs. grassland type) and differences in annual precipitation on morphotype expression in Plains spadefoot (Spea bombifrons (Cope, 1863)) and New Mexico spadefoot (Spea multiplicata (Cope, 1863)) toads in playas. We also examined the relative importance of tadpole density, tadpole age, water-loss stress, wetland size, density of larval mole...
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Abstract: In playas of the Southern Great Plains, larval barred tiger salamanders (Ambystoma... | Article from Canadian Journal of Zoology June 1, 2008
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