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Morphological differentiation among populations of Rhinella marina (Amphibia: Anura) in western Mexico

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Abstract

Conspecific populations inhabiting different environments may exhibit morphological differences, potentially reflecting differential local adaptation. In anuran amphibians, morphology of the pelvis and hindlimbs may often experience strong selection due to effects on locomotion. In this study, we used the cane toad Rhinella marina to test the hypothesis that populations experiencing a higher abundance of predators should suffer higher mortality rates and exhibit morphological traits associated with enhanced locomotor performance (narrower pelvis and head, longer pelvis and hindlimbs, shorter presacral vertebral column). We investigated inter-population variation in survival rate, abundance of predators, and body shape across five populations in rivers in western Mexico. We conducted (1) mark-recapture experiments to calculate survival rates, (2) linear transects with point counts to estimate abundance of predatory spiders, snakes, and birds, and (3) geometric morphometric analyses to investigate body shape variation. We found significant differences among populations in survival rates, abundance of predators, and body shape. However, these three variables were not necessarily inter-related. Increased predator abundance did not result in decreased survival rates, suggesting other causes of mortality affect these populations. While some morphological differences supported our predictions (trend for longer pelvis, shorter presacral vertebral column, and narrower head in sites with increased abundance of spiders and snakes), other aspects of morphology did not. We discuss alternative explanations for the lack of clear associations between predation, survival, and morphology.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico-Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) through the project PAPIIT IN206309-3. Hugh Drummond and Zenón Cano-Sanatana provided helpful advice. Fieldwork was assisted by F. Reyes-Rodríguez, A. Hernández-Rosas, A. Molina-Moctezuma, E. García-Molina, A. Arellano, E. Romero-García, and I. González-Leyva. I. Castellanos provided help on the estimation on predator abundance. We thank the personnel of the Biosphere Reserva Chamela-Cuixmala: E.Ramírez-García, A. Miranda, E. Robles-Jiménez, J. M. Robles-Jiménez, D. Verduzco-Robles, I. Rubio-Crisoto, and N. Barocio. J. Zúñiga-Guitérrez provided logistic support. This paper constitutes a partial fulfillment of the Graduate Program in Biological Sciences of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. R. Vega-Trejo acknowledges the scholarship and financial support provided by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología and UNAM.

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  1. Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Mexico D.F., Mexico

    Regina Vega-Trejo & J. Jaime Zúñiga-Vega

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7617, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7617, USA

    R. Brian Langerhans

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  1. Regina Vega-Trejo
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Vega-Trejo, R., Zúñiga-Vega, J.J. & Langerhans, R.B. Morphological differentiation among populations of Rhinella marina (Amphibia: Anura) in western Mexico. Evol Ecol 28, 69–88 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-013-9667-6

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