Feeding behaviour of larval Ambystoma granulosum (Amphibia: Caudata)
Por:
Sarma, S. S. S., Fuentes-Barradas, A. E., Nandini, S., Chaparro-Herrera, D. J.
Publicada:
1 nov 2017
Resumen:
Aim: Food availability during the early developmental stages of larval
salamanders is a bottleneck for their successful breeding strategies and
the conservation of amphibians. Zooplankton based diets allow salamander
larvae to choose different prey types based on their size and energy
gains. In this study, we quantified the patterns of prey selection and
functional responses of Ambystoma granulosum during the larval stages (1
to 8 weeks).
Methodology: For the prey selection experiment, we offered a mixture of
five crustacean zooplankton (Alona glabra, Ceriodaphnia dubia,
Heterocypris incongruens, Simocephalus vetulus and Daphnia pulex). A.
glabra, C. dubia and H. incongruens were used as prey for the functional
response experiments.
Results: There was a direct and linear correlation between the larval
length and the gape size during the study period. Prey selectivity by A.
granulosum indicated a shift in choice of the crustacean species, where
small bodied items (e.g., A. glabra)were selected until the fifth week;
during the later weeks, these were replaced by the larger S. vetulus and
D. pulex. Functional response curves indicated that the pattern of prey
consumption mainly corresponded to type II. Ambystoma granulosum offered
C. dubia showed increased prey consumption with increasing larval age.
However, when fed A. glabra the consumption increased until the sixth
week but declined thereafter.
Interpretation: Studies on the feeding ecology of A. granulosum allowed
us to understand the quantity and type of prey needed as the larvae
grow. The highest prey biomass was consumed by A.granulosum only at the
highest offered prey density. Since natural availability of prey in high
levels are rare, larval A. granulosum possibly suffers from food
deficiency and this in turn may lead to high mortality during early
stages.
Filiaciones:
Sarma, S. S. S.:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Lab Aquat Zool, Campus Iztacala,Av Barrios 1,AP 314, TIalnepantla 54090, State Of Mexico, Mexico
Fuentes-Barradas, A. E.:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Lab Aquat Zool, Campus Iztacala,Av Barrios 1,AP 314, TIalnepantla 54090, State Of Mexico, Mexico
Nandini, S.:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Lab Aquat Zool, Campus Iztacala,Av Barrios 1,AP 314, TIalnepantla 54090, State Of Mexico, Mexico
Chaparro-Herrera, D. J.:
UNAM FES, UIICSE, Lab Microbiol Ambiental, Av Barrios 1, Tlalnepantla 54090, Edo Mex, Mexico
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