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Effects of behavioral and morphological plasticity on risk of predation in a Neotropical tadpole

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Abstract

Predator-induced phenotypic plasticity is widespread among aquatic animals, however the relative contributions of behavioral and morphological shifts to reducing risk of predation remain uncertain. We tested the phenotypic plasticity of a Neotropical tadpole (Rana palmipes) in response to chemical cues from predatory Belostoma water bugs, and how phenotype affects risk of predation. Behavior, morphology, and pigmentation all were plastic, resulting in a predator-induced phenotype with lower activity, deeper tail fin and muscle, and darker pigmentation. Tadpoles in the predator cue treatment also grew more rapidly, possibly as a result of the nutrient subsidy from feeding the caged predator. For comparison to phenotypes induced in the experiment, we quantified the phenotype of tadpoles from a natural pool. Wild-caught tadpoles did not match either experimentally induced phenotype; their morphology was more similar to that produced in the control treatment, but their low swimming activity was similar to that induced by predator cues. Exposure of tadpoles from both experimental treatments and the natural pool to a free-ranging predator confirmed that predator-induced phenotypic plasticity reduces risk of predation. Risk of predation was comparable among wild-caught and predator-induced tadpoles, indicating that behavioral shifts can substantially alleviate risk in tadpoles that lack the typical suite of predator-induced morphological traits. The morphology observed in wild-caught tadpoles is associated with rapid growth and high competition in other tadpole species, suggesting that tadpoles may profitably combine a morphology suited to competition for food with behaviors that minimize risk of predation.

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Acknowledgements

We thank S. Schwager, F. Vermeylen, and F. Bookstein for statistical advice, S.A. McCollum for the color chart, and D. Lytle for identifying Belostoma. H. Beasley and A. Wilson assisted with the experiments, and comments from R. Relyea, J. Grant, the Flecker-Peckarsky lab group, and anonymous reviewers improved the manuscript. The Perez and Figueredo families offered hospitality at the field site, and D. Taphorn provided logistical assistance. This work was supported by a fellowship (P.B.M.) and grants DEB-9615349 and DEB-0321471 (A.S.F.) from the NSF.

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  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Corson Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853-2701, USA

    Peter B. McIntyre & Alexander S. Flecker

  2. US Geological Survey, Woods Hole Field Center, 384 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA

    Sandra Baldwin

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  1. Peter B. McIntyre
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Correspondence to Peter B. McIntyre.

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McIntyre, P.B., Baldwin, S. & Flecker, A.S. Effects of behavioral and morphological plasticity on risk of predation in a Neotropical tadpole. Oecologia 141, 130–138 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-004-1652-x

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