Abstract Climate is globally changing. In Europe, studies have highlighted an increasing trend in both the frequency and magnitude of droughts. Abrupt changes in the frequency, location, or intensity of extreme heatwaves and droughts can have direct and severe effects on wild populations. Amphibians are the planet's most threatened group of vertebrates, with over 40% of known species considered in decline. To date, researchers have mainly focused on the influence of repeated droughts on species occurrence and community composition; however, evidence of the direct impact of climatic factors on the demographic parameters of amphibians is currently not well documented. Further investigation of this issue is therefore of critical importance in order to optimize local and global wildlife conservation policies in the context of a changing climate. This study used capture–recapture data to investigate the impact of severe drought on the survival and fecundity of a threatened amphibian, the yellow‐bellied toad ( Bombina variegata , L.), as well as to predict how potential changes in the frequency of droughts might influence the population growth rate. By developing multievent capture‐recapture models, we showed that severe drought has a negative impact on fecundity and postmetamorphic survival at different ontogenetic stages. Then, using stochastic matrix population models, we predicted that changes in drought frequency negatively influence the population growth rate, which is a warning sign for population persistence. Direct conservation actions are then proposed to mitigate the detrimental effects of drought on population dynamics.
Evolutionary theory assumes that facultative paedomorphosis in newts and salamanders is adaptive in allowing either a younger age at maturity or resource partitioning between the heterochronic morphs. In newt populations that only take the metamorphic ontogenetic pathway, juveniles are terrestrial and avoid food competition with larvae and breeding adults. In contrast, in populations where paedomorphosis occurs, branchiate newts of all sizes coexist in the aquatic habitats, posing the question of whether intramorph competition exists and its relationship with the evolution of paedomorphosis. We studied size-related predation in such a size-structured community of branchiate Alpine newts (Triturus alpestris) inhabiting a deep alpine lake. Although gape limitation may explain such size-related predation, individuals also exhibited selectivity according to prey size. Amongst small prey that were within the capture range of all newt size classes, smaller newts preyed on smaller items than did larger ones. We assume that such decisions favour the coexistence of different-sized individuals. It is suspected that such size-selective predation on items which are avoided by water-living metamorphs allows the maintenance of facultative paedomorphosis, in favouring resource partitioning between morphs.
Dispersal is a key process in ecological and evolutionary dynamics. Spatiotemporal variation in habitat availability and characteristics has been suggested to be one of the main cause involved in dispersal evolution and has a strong influence on metapopulation dynamics. In recent decades, the study of dispersal has led to the development of capture-recapture (CR) models that allow movement between sites to be quantified, while handling imperfect detection. For studies involving numerous recapture sites, Lagrange et al. () proposed a multievent CR model that allows dispersal to be estimated while omitting site identity by distinguishing between individuals that stay and individuals that move. More recently, Cayuela et al. () extended this model to allow survival and dispersal probabilities to differ for the different types of habitat represented by several sites within a study area. Yet in both of these modeling systems, the state of sites is assumed to be static over time, which is not a realistic assumption in dynamic landscapes. For that purpose, we generalized the multievent CR model proposed by Cayuela et al. () to allow the estimation of dispersal, survival and recapture probabilities when a site may appear or disappear over time (MODEL 1) or when the characteristics of a site fluctuate over space and time (MODEL 2). This paper first presents these two new modeling systems, and then provides an illustration of their efficacy and usefulness by applying them to simulated CR data and data collected on two metapopulations of amphibians. MODEL 1 was tested using CR data recorded on a metapopulation of yellow-bellied toads (Bombina variegata). In this first empirical case, we examined whether the drying-out dynamics of ponds and the past dispersal status of an individual might affect dispersal behavior. Our study revealed that the probability of facultative dispersal (i.e., from a pond group that remained available/flooded) fluctuated between years and was higher in individuals that had previously dispersed. MODEL 2 was tested using CR data collected on a metapopulation of great crested newts (Triturus cristatus). In this second empirical example, we investigated whether the density of alpine newts (Ichthyosaura alpestris), a potential competitor, might affect the dispersal and survival of the crested newt. Our study revealed that the departure rate was lower in ponds with a high density of heterospecifics than in ponds with a low density of heterospecifics at both inter-annual and intra-annual scales. Moreover, annual survival was slightly higher in ponds with a high density of heterospecifics. Overall, our findings indicate that these multievent CR models provide a highly flexible means of modeling dispersal in dynamic landscapes.
This work aims to illustrating how it is possible to measure different modalities of adult dispersal in two subdivided populations of the alpine newt (Triturus alpestris). Recent developments in capture-mark-recapture methods make it possible to estimate transience rates from individuals captured only once. In the context of subdivided newt populations, transience is assumed to express nomadic behaviour that contribute to breeding dispersal. Skeletochronology and recaptures within each pond system also made it possible to estimate emigration rates and local dispersal. Two subdivided populations of alpine newts were monitored over 4 and 5 years, respectively. Whereas population A is suspected to have been established for more than 100 years, population B was monitored when colonizing a newly created archipelago of ponds. Transience was detected in each population at similar rates (37% in population A and 35% in the population B). Annual apparent survival rates were estimated as 82% in population A vs. 33% in population B. Similarity of age structures between populations leads us to consider such low survival rates in population B as resulting from emigration. Emigration was thus negligible in population A and was estimated to reach 57·3% in population B. Conversely, high local dispersal (movements within a pond system) was detected in population A, but not in population B. Even though the causation of dispersal in newts (genetic polymorphism vs. phenotypic plasticity) remains unexplored, our study succeeded in identifying several dispersal components that could result from different selective pressures (habitat heterogeneity at different temporal scales). Experimental approaches are needed to investigate the causative bases of these traits.
Abstract: The influence of landscape matrix on functional connectivity has been clearly established. Now methods to assess the effects of different land uses on species’ movements are needed because current methods are often biased. The use of physiological parameters as indicators of the level of resistance to animal movement associated with different land uses (i.e., matrix resistance) could provide estimates of energetic costs and risks to animals migrating through the matrix. To assess whether corticosterone levels indicate matrix resistance, we conducted experiments on substrate choice and measured levels of corticosterone before and after exposure of toads ( Bufo bufo ) to 3 common substrates (ploughed soil, meadow, and forest litter). We expected matrix resistance and hormone levels to increase from forest litter (habitat of the toad) to meadows to ploughed soil. Adult toads had higher corticosterone levels on ploughed soil than on forest litter or meadow substrates. Hormone levels did not differ between forest litter and meadow. Toads avoided moving onto ploughed soil. Corticosterone levels in juvenile toads were not related to substrate type; however, hormone levels decreased as humidity increased. Juveniles, unlike adults, did not avoid moving over ploughed soil. The difference in responses between adult and juvenile toads may have been due to differences in experimental design (for juveniles, entire body used to measure corticosterone concentration; for adults, saliva alone); differences in the scale of sensory perception of the substrate (juveniles are much smaller than adults); or differences in cognitive processes between adult and juvenile toads. Adults probably had experience with different substrate types, whereas juveniles first emerging from the water probably did not. As a consequence, arable lands could act as ecological traps for juvenile toads.
Abstract: In farmlands, the population viability of many amphibians is suspected to depend on the resistance the matrix of crop fields presents to movements between ponds and terrestrial sites and movements among ponds. Over recent decades the increase in cereal growing at the expense of cattle breeding has caused a drastic change in habitat matrix in many European regions. We investigated the effect of such change on populations of three newt species ( Triturus helveticus, T. alpestris, and T. cristatus) by comparing their abundances in sites that varied in amount of cultivated ground. A multivariate regression analysis of the relationship of newt abundance to both pond and landscape variables demonstrated the negative influence of cultivated ground on abundance. The width of the uncultivated sector linking the pond to the forest was a good predictor of abundance after the influences of both pond area and fish presence were removed. Moreover, newt presence was positively related to the number of ponds within that 50-ha surrounding area, highlighting the role of metapopulation functioning in newt occupancy of ponds. The relationship between newt abundance and width of uncultivated sectors agrees with present knowledge of the orientation mechanisms that underlie migration movements in urodeles. Such a relationship between connectedness and sector width shows that narrow, linear corridors such as hedgerows may not be useful in newt conservation. Our study also highlights the need to incorporate a behavioral component of habitat use into models of connectivity in conservation biology. Resumen: Se considera que en tierras de cultivo la disponibilidad poblacional de muchos anfibios depende de la resistencia que la matriz de las tierras de cultivo presentan a los movimientos entre estanques y los sitios terrestres, y entre estanques. Durante las décadas recientes el incremento en la producción de cereal a cambio de la cría de ganado ha ocasionado un cambio drástico en la matriz del hábitat en muchas regiones de Europa. Investigamos los efectos de estos cambios en las poblaciones de tres especies de tritones ( Triturus helveticus, T. alpestris y T. cristatus) comparando sus abundancias en sitios que variaron en la cantidad de tierra cultivada. Un análisis de regresión multivariado de las relaciones entre la abundancia de tritones y las variables de los estanques y del paisaje demostró las influencias negativas de las tierras de cultivo sobre la abundancia. La amplitud de sectores sin cultivar que conectó a los estanques con el bosque fue un buen pronosticador de la abundancia después de remover las influencias del área del estanque y la presencia de peces. Más aún, la presencia de tritones estuvo positivamente relacionada con el número de estanques dentro de un área adyacente de 50 ha, resaltando el papel del funcionamiento de la metapoblación en la ocupación de estanques. La relación entre la abundancia de tritones y la amplitud de sectores sin cultivar concuerda con el conocimiento actual sobre los mecanismos de orientación que delimitan los movimientos de migración en urodelos. Esta relación entre la conectividad y la amplitud del sector muestra que los corredores estrechos y lineales como lo son los cercos podrían no ser útiles para la conservación de tritones. Nuestro estudio también resalta la necesidad de incorporar un componente conductual del uso del hábitat cuando se modela la conectividad en estudios de conservación biológica.
According to the literature and to our own experience, R. ridibunda is absent from ponds with occasionally low oxygen concentrations. We tested the effects of stochastically fluctuating oxygen concentration on tadpole survival and growth under laboratory conditions. Two experimental treatments (constant and fluctuating oxygen regimes) were arranged in a factorial design with three populations of R. ridibunda. Stochastic oxygen fluctuation with drops from normoxia to hypoxia did not clearly influence long-term survival (which remained high in all blocks) or growth and development. Only in one population did survival differ between oxygen treatments, and survival was greater under the fluctuating than under the stable oxygen conditions. One population differed from the others in exhibiting slight variations in morphology between treatments. But in no case did these laboratory experiments provide evidence that oxygen regime can affect development of R. ridibunda tadpoles and explain oxygen-dependent habitat use by this species.
