Coral reefs in the Florida Keys are severely degraded with a reported 38% loss between 1996 and 2000, yet the causes of these devastating declines remain largely unknown. Our long-term studies in the Upper Keys and Biscayne National Park indicate acute stress events affecting physiological condition in species representing different trophic levels in the reef community, one of which was white grunt (Haemulon plumieri; Lacepede, 1801). We initiated a preliminary investigation describing cellular physiological stress effects and the possible causes of these stress events using cellular diagnostic profiling coupled with a cursory body-load contaminant chemistry analysis. The cellular biomarker profiles from fish taken from Alina's Reef indicated a toxic response profile that was suggestive of a suicide reaction of the cytochrome P450 2-class as a result of an interaction with a xenobiotic that adversely affects heme metabolism. Elevated levels of damaged porphyrin products were also found in fish from Alina's Reef. Liver loads of anthropogenic contaminants ( e. g., pesticides, PCBs) were measured and provided further evidence for possible causative agents. Evaluation and synthesis of each type of data were used to establish a biological effect, develop a mechanism of pathogenicity, and build a profile for possible causative agent(s).

Coral reefs within the Florida Keys are disappearing at an alarming rate. Coral cover in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary declined by 38% from 1996 to 2000. In 2000, populations of Montastraea annularis at four sites near Molasses Reef within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and one reef within Biscayne National Park were sampled on a quarterly basis. Anecdotal observations showed corals at Alina’s Reef in Biscayne National Park appeared healthy in March, but experienced an acute loss of coral cover by August. Cellular Diagnostic analysis indicated that Alina’s Reef corals were in distress: they had been afflicted with a severe oxidative damaging and protein-denaturing stress that affected both the corals and their symbiotic zooxanthellae. This condition was associated with a significant xenobiotic detoxification response in both species, reflecting probable chemical contaminant exposure. These results demonstrate that applying a Cellular Diagnostic approach can be effective in helping to identify stress and its underlying causes, providing diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of coral health.

Size-specific interactions between predators can affect both species population dynamics and the structure and biodiversity of communities they inhabit. Interactions between size-structured populations of predators, especially those with complex life-cycles, often change with resource-use changes driven by ontogenetic niche shifts. However, if resource use is determined largely by prey size, generalist predators may compete across a wider range of body sizes and life stages resulting in diffuse intra- and interspecific competition. We examined size- and stage-specific interactions between juvenile sirens (Siren i. intermedia) and adult newts (Notophthalmus viridescens dorsalis) in the context of previous experiments demonstrating competitive equality of larvae and strong effects of adult S. intermedia on adult N. viridescens. Competition between juvenile siren and adult newts was mutually negative and roughly symmetrical. Two S. intermedia reduced growth of three N. viridescens by 21%, while three N. viridescens reduced growth of two S. intermedia by 29%. Together with previous work, this implicates diffuse competition as a critical feature in the ecology of these species across the range of body sizes and suggests that intensity of competition varies more with size than species identity. Competition that varies incrementally with body size expands the realm of possibilities for continuous niche changes and diffuse competition across large size gradients. For generalist predators such as S. intermedia and N. viridescens, body size, except at the extremes, is not an adequate niche difference either intra- or interspecifically.

Conservation BiologyVolume 18, Issue 4 p. 1156-1159 Fire as Friend and Foe of Amphibians: a Reply JAMIE M. SCHURBON, JAMIE M. SCHURBON Anoka Conservation District, 16015 Central Ave NE, Suite 103, Ham Lake, MN 55304–5618, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorJOHN E. FAUTH, Corresponding Author JOHN E. FAUTH Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32816–2368, U.S.A., email [email protected]‡Address correspondence to J. E. Fauth.Search for more papers by this author JAMIE M. SCHURBON, JAMIE M. SCHURBON Anoka Conservation District, 16015 Central Ave NE, Suite 103, Ham Lake, MN 55304–5618, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorJOHN E. FAUTH, Corresponding Author JOHN E. FAUTH Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32816–2368, U.S.A., email [email protected]‡Address correspondence to J. E. Fauth.Search for more papers by this author First published: 23 July 2004 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2004.00215.xCitations: 9Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Literature Cited Brennan, L. A., R. T. Engstrom, W. E. Palmer, S. M. Hermann, G. A. Hurst, L. W. Burger, and C. L. Hardy. 1998. Whither wildlife without fire Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference 63 : 402–414. Web of Science®Google Scholar Chapin, F. S., III, E. S. Zavaleta, V. T. 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Abstract: Fire alters the abundance and diversity of many species, but its effects on amphibians are poorly known. We tested whether prescribed burning affected amphibian abundance and diversity within the Francis Marion National Forest, South Carolina, by monitoring assemblages at 15 temporary ponds with five different burn histories: 0, 1, 3, 5, and 12 years after burns. We also monitored terrestrial and aquatic environmental variables likely to influence amphibian diversity, such as leaf‐litter depth, pond water chemistry, and distance to neighboring ponds. Fire had significant negative effects. Immediate effects ( burning during the study ) explained 12.8% and 10.8% of the variation in anuran and amphibian abundance, respectively, whereas short‐term effects explained 31.8% and 24.6% of variation in amphibian species richness and evenness, respectively. Species richness increased and evenness decreased with time since burn, primarily because salamanders were rarely encountered at sites burned within 2 years. These sites had the shallowest leaf litter and highest soil temperature variances. Environmental factors unrelated to burning also significantly influenced amphibian diversity. Water chemistry explained 31.1% of variation in species richness, 32.2% of evenness, and>25% of anuran, salamander, and total amphibian abundances. Salamanders were most sensitive to water chemistry factors, particularly pH. Our results suggest that decreasing the frequency of prescribed burns from the current 2–3 years to 3–7 years will better maintain diverse amphibian and plant assemblages. Substituting growing‐season burns for the current practice of winter and spring burns would avoid repeatedly interrupting amphibian breeding and would maintain the desired longleaf pine community.

During the past two decades, coral reefs have experienced extensive degradation worldwide. One etiology for this global degradation is a syndrome known as coral bleaching. Mass coral bleaching events are correlated with increased sea-surface temperatures, however, the cellular mechanism underlying this phenomenon is uncertain. To determine if oxidative stress plays a mechanistic role in the process of sea-surface temperature-related coral bleaching, we examined corals along a depth transect in the Florida Keys over a single season that was characterized by unusually high sea-surface temperatures. We observed strong positive correlations between accumulation of oxidative damage products and bleaching in corals over a year of sampling. High levels of antioxidant enzymes and small heat-shock proteins were negatively correlated with levels of oxidative damage products. Corals that experienced oxidative stress had higher chaperonin levels and protein turnover activity. Our results indicate that coral bleaching is tightly coupled to the antioxidant and cellular stress capacity of the symbiotic coral, supporting the mechanistic model that coral bleaching (zooxanthellae loss) may be a final strategy to defend corals from oxidative stress.

The objective of this study was to determine the cellular physiological status of the bivalves Mya arenaria and Mytilus trossulus in an area experiencing a 10-yr chronic exposure of spilled Exxon Valdez crude oil in Prince William Sound Bivalves were collected from.,well-characterized oiled and unoiled sites. We used a novel biotechnology (Environmental Cellular Diagnostic S stem) to determine (i) if bivalves Were Physiologically stressed, (ii) the nature of the altered physiological state, and (iii) whether the bivalves were responding to an exposure of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Molecular diagnostic analysis indicated that bivalve's at the oiled site were experiencing both oxidative and xenobiotic stress, resulting in increased. protein turnover and chaperone activity. Bivalves from the impacted area were responding specifically to a PAH-xenobiotic exposure and accumulating protein-PAH adducts. Finally, species-specific responses were observed that could be related to the habitat preferences of each species We conclude that bivalves inhabiting a site impacted by crude oil from. the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill showed clear indications,of cellular physiological stress.

Identifying the factors that limit species distributions and maintain patterns of diversity is a major goal of temporary pond ecologists, and an important pursuit for conservation biologists. We used multiple regression analysis to identify ecological correlates of anuran species richness in twenty-one temporary pools within the Francis Marion National Forest, South Carolina. Analysis of data collected in 1996-1997 revealed that anuran richness was limited by the multiplicative effects of pool acidity, hydroperiod, and fish species richness. Anuran species richness declined with decreasing pH and hydroperiod, and with colonization by more species-rich assemblages of predatory fish. Two species of frog (Hyla cinerea and Rana grylio) and a newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) were excluded from the most acidic pools, and three anurans (Bufo quercicus, Pseudacris ornata, and R. capito) were limited by fish. Two large-bodied frogs with tadpoles that overwinter prior to metamorphosis (R. catesbeiana and R. virgatipes) were restricted to pools with longer hydroperiods, and R. capito was more likely to breed in large than in small ponds. The results suggest that anuran richness at our study site is controlled by different factors than in similar ponds in North Carolina, where hydroperiod and the densities of tadpoles and two species of salamander were important, Identifying mechanisms likely to affect local anuran species richness allowed us to predict how subtle anthropogenic stresses could cause declines in amphibians to begin, in a region where few have been reported.

Using field sampling and experiments in natural and artificial ponds, I studied interactions between branchiate adult mole salamanders (Ambystoma talpoideum) and lesser sirens (Siren intermedia), two top predators in temporary ponds of the southeastern United States. The abundance and distribution of these two salamanders were independent among ponds, with A. talpoideum more numerous and widespread than S. intermedia. Both species were more likely to be found in ponds near other intermittent wetlands. Within a pond, captures of these two species were negatively correlated, and a field experiment showed that paedomorphic A. talpoideum avoided traps containing S. intermedia. An experiment in artificial ponds confirmed that interactions between these two species were highly asymmetrical; S. intermedia reduced the growth and recruitment of A. talpoideum without experiencing reciprocal. positive or negative effects. These results suggest that S. intermedia competes with and is an intraguild predator of A. talpoideum, limiting its growth and controlling its recruitment.

In salamanders, biting serves three potential purposes: subduing prey (e.g., Reilly and Lauder, 1990), repelling competitors and predators (e.g., Jaeger, 1981; Brodie et al., 1989), and stimulating the opposite sex during courtship (Arnold, 1977). In Siren intermedia, nonpredatory biting was first reported by Gehlbach and Walker (1970), who observed it while recording underwater vocalizations. Bitten individuals often fled

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McCollum Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The American Naturalist Volume 147, Number 2Feb., 1996 Published for The American Society of Naturalists Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/285850 Views: 242Total views on this site Citations: 250Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1996 The University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Anne Strack, Lukas Jonkers, Marina C. Rillo, Helmut Hillebrand, Michal Kucera Plankton response to global warming is characterized by non-uniform shifts in assemblage composition since the last ice age, Nature Ecology & Evolution 13 (Oct 2022).https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01888-8Andrés Felipe Suárez‐Castro, Martine Maron, Matthew G. E. Mitchell, Jonathan R. 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Is the ability to function as a keystone predator a property of a species or an emergent property of the community? We discussed this question in a temporary—pond community where the broken—striped newt Notophthalmus viridescens dorsalis is known to act as a keystone predator on larval anurans. We independently manipulated the initial density of adult Notophthalmus (two or four) and the presence or absence of one adult Siren intermedia in a set of 20 artificial ponds to determine if this additional predator affected the ability of Notophthalmus to function as a keystone predator. Each pond received a diverse assemblage of larval anuran prey: a spring—breeding assemblage of 275 Rana utricularia, 100 Pseudacris crucifer and 25 Bufo americanus tadpoles, and a summer assemblage of 200 Hyla chrysoscelis and 150 Gastrophryne carolinensis tadpoles. Two additional pond received neither predator, to assay the outcome of competition among the tadpoles. The effect of the salamander Siren on Notophthalmus survival and fecundity depended on the density of Notophthalmus. At low newt density Siren had no effect on survival, but at high newt density competition reduced the survival and growth rates of Notophthalmus. The density of Notophthalmus and the presence of Siren interacted to determine the fecundity of Notophthalmus. At low newt density Siren reduced Notophthalmus reproductive success by preying on larvae. At high newt density Siren indirectly enhanced reproductive success by reducing survival of adults, thus releasing larvae from intraspecific competition and cannibalism. Notophthalmus density had no effect on adult Siren survival or growth rate in this experiment, but other evidence indicates that competition with Notophthalmus reduces the growth rates of Siren. Notophthalmus acted as a keystone predator on the assemblage of spring—breeding anurans; it increased the number of metamorphs of the weak competitor Pseudacris crucifer by releasing them from interspecific competition. Siren preyed on tadpoles in a nonselective manner. An additive model was sufficient to describe the effects of Siren and initial density of Notophthalmus on the structure of the tadpole assemblage. In our system of experimental ponds, the strong interaction between Siren and Notophthalmus density did not extend its effects to lower trophic levels, and the direct and indirect effects of Siren did not alter the role of Notophthalmus as a keystone predator.

The hypothesis that local isolated populations differed in the genetic basis for life-history traits was tested in the salamander Ambystoma talpoideum. Genetic basis was defined as the specific genetic architecture (additive and nonadditive) that contributes, along with maternal and environmental factors, to the phenotype. All crosses within and between three populations were made to produce nine F1 populations. Nine within-population crosses produced the F2 generation. This design does not permit an estimation of the exact nature of the genetic basis (e.g., additive, nonadditive) for any trait within populations. However, hybrid dissimilarity in the F2 generation was taken as evidence of a different genetic basis for a trait in each population. The genetic basis of life-history pathway (metamorphosis vs. paedomorphosis) and per capita fecundity differed between two populations. The genetic basis of life-history pathway, per capita fecundity, survival, and growth rate was similar between the remaining sets of populations. This study and related ones (Semlitsch and Wilbur, 1989; Semlitsch et al., 1990) suggest that a heterochronic shift that causes rapid morphological evolution between metamorphosis and paedomorphosis (a macroevolutionary pattern) can evolve independently and does not require a macromutation or other nonmicroevolutionary mechanisms.

We used a replicated field experiment to determine the relative intensity of intraspecific and interspecific competition between larvae of Siren intermedia and Notophthalmus viridescens. These two salamanders possess markedly different morphologies and life histories and belong to distantly related salamander families, but feed on similar prey. Each species was raised in artificial ponds, alone at either low density (3 larvae per pond, 1.95 m-2) or high density (6 larvae per pond, 3.90 m-2) or together in a 3:3 ratio for a combined density of 6 larvae per pond. These 5 treatments were each replicated 4 times in a total of 20 ponds. The experimental design allowed us to explicitly compare the relative intensities of intra- and interspecific competition under realistic conditions. Competition affected different components of fitness in each species. Both intraspecific and interspecific competition caused a decline in survival of Notophthalmus, but had no detectable effect on body size or length of larval period. Negative densitydependent mortality may regulate Notophthalmus populations in the larval stage of their complex life cycle. Intraspecific competition caused a decline in both the survival and growth of larval Siren, but interspecific competition caused only growth to decline. Decreased growth rates may increase the vulnerability of larval Siren to desiccation and to predation. We found no evidence to reject the null hypothesis that larvae of these two species are equal competitors at the densities we employed. Our results indicate that, despite dissimilarities in life history and morphology, and a distant phylogenetic relationship, larval Siren and larval Notophthalmus compete as equals. J.E. Fauth, W.J. Resetarits, Jr. and H.M. Wilbur, Dept of Zoology, Duke Univ., Durham, NC 27706, USA.

Ecologists need to determine the frequency and nature of higher order interactions and to predict when such interactions will be important to understand community dynamics. I experimentally tested for higher order interactions in a freshwater food web by independently manipulating the presence and absence of two predators (the salamander Notophthalmus viridescens and the crayfish Cambarus bartonii) and their tadpole prey (Hyla chrysoscelis) in a series of artificial ponds. By destructively sampling selected ponds early in the larval period (days 5 and 6), I hoped to predict whether the predators would have an interactive effect on tadpole survival and growth on day 30. Early destructive samples adequately predicted subsequent influences of interactions on the survival, but not on the size of Hyla. Early samples predicted that the predators would interact to determine tadpole survival and size. The two predators did not act additively to determine tadpole abundance: more survived in the presence of both predators than was predicted. This higher order interaction was most likely caused by physical interference between the predators and predator avoidance by the tadpoles. Early samples correctly predicted higher order interactions would be seen on tadpole growth, but completely failed to predict their direction because the biological interactions changed over time. Early in their larval period, tadpoles behaviorally avoided predators, which caused slower growth, but later, tadpoles in predator treatments grew faster due to diminished intraspecific competition. These results suggest that higher order interactions may be important in nature. Short—term experiments may prove useful in predicting when higher order interactions will occur, but detailed models may be required to predict their outcome accurately.

The abundance, species richness, and evenness of the Costa Rican leaf-litter herpetofauna was estimated during the late wet season of 1985 by quantitative sampling of replicate plots at ten sites encompassing an elevation range of 3 to 1670 m. Species richness was positively correlated with leaf-litter depth, and negatively correlated with elevation. Herpetofaunal density also tended to increase with litter depth and decline with elevation. A strong positive correlation existed between species richness and herpetofaunal density. Evenness was highly variable and independent of both leaf-litter depth and elevation. Analysis of a subset of the data, representing an elevational transect from Tortuguero to the Braulio Carrillo National Park Extension, yielded similar results. Tropical leaf-litter reptiles and amphibians appear to be both more diverse and more abundant at lower elevations. Sites with deep leaf litter generally sustain dense and diverse reptile and amphibian populations. Local herpetofaunas typically consist of a few very common species along with a large number of comparatively rare species. REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS are a major constituent of the fauna inhabiting tropical forest litter. Studies of tropical leaf-litter herpetofaunas have emphasized patterns of abundance and distribution among geographic regions (Lloyd et al. 1968; Heyer & Berven 1973; Scott 1976, 1982; Inger 1980a, b; Heatwole 1982), vegetational zones (Brown & Alcala 1961, Heatwole & Sexton 1966, Heyer 1967), and elevational gradients (Brown & Alcala 1961, Scott 1976) as well as seasonal changes (Lieberman 1982, 1986). It has become generally accepted that leaf-litter reptiles and amphibians are more abundant in the New World Tropics than in Southeast Asia (Scott 1976, Inger 1980b, Duellman & Trueb 1986) although the exact reason remains a subject of debate (May 1980). Similarly, the general consensus is that the abundance of tropical leaf-litter herpetofaunas increases with increasing elevation, while species richness and equitability both decline (Brown & Alcala 1961, Scott 1976, Heatwole 1982, Duellman & Trueb 1986). Scott (1976) attributed this pattern to greater overall forest productivity at intermediate elevations, coupled with increased densities of the most common species at higher elevations. Before attempting to determine the mechanisms responsible for observed patterns of tropical leaf-litter herpetofaunal abundance and diversity, we must document the phenomenon conclusively. Previous quantitative studies have sampled few sites, have been unable to provide replicated samples (Brown & Alcala 1961), or may have confounded site and year effects by sampling different sites in different years (Scott 1976). We surveyed the Costa Rican leaf-litter herpetofauna by quantitatively sampling replicate plots at ten sites, ranging from 3 to 1670 m in elevation, during the late wet season of July-September 1985. Our sampling strategy permitted statistical analyses to determine the relationship between litter depth and elevation, and leaf-litter herpetofaunal richness, evenness and abundance. The results of our study contradict several of the generally accepted patterns of tropical leaf-litter herpetofaunal abundance and diversity.