Article (Scientific journals)
The importance of phenotypic diversity in conservation: Resilience of palmate newt morphotypes after fish removal in Larzac ponds (France)
Denoël, Mathieu; Winandy, Laurane
2015In Biological Conservation, 192, p. 402-408
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Keywords :
amphibian decline; facultative paedomorphosis; fish introduction; fish removal; invasive species; resilience; alien species; introduced species; amphibian conservation; conservation biology; landscape ecology; larzac; monitoring; intraspecific diversity; polyphenism; heterochrony; pond; management; palmate newt; Lissotriton helveticus; cartography; biodiversity loss
Abstract :
[en] Resilience of organisms after threat removal is an essential feature to justify conservation efforts. Amphibians are particularly threatened with a worldwide decline, showing a low resistance to invaders such as fish. Previous research has shown that they could recover after fish extirpation due to metamorphosed colonizers. However, not all amphibian phenotypes are able to persist to fish introduction and disperse. In many species of newts and salamanders, paedomorphs retain gills in the adult stage, which makes them fully aquatic. A proposed way to conserve this phenotype would be to remove introduced fish from their habitats. However, because paedomorphosis is usually not expressed in the presence of fish, it is unknown whether fish removal could allow the resilience of paedomorphs. This would be possible only if progenies of metamorphosed individuals could become paedomorphic in restored habitats. Through a quantitative survey in three types of ponds, including control ponds without fish, ponds in which fish were extirpated, and fish ponds, we determined abundances of paedomorphic and metamorphic palmate newts (Lissotriton helveticus). The results show that paedomorphosis resilience is possible and even highly frequent, as paedomorphs were found in 80% of ponds where fish disappeared. Abundances were similar between these ponds and control ponds whereas fish ponds had almost no newts, indicating a very low resistance to invaders. This shows that conserving common phenotypes can help to preserve endangered phenotypes, as paedomorphs were produced through the reproduction of metamorphs. There is thus hope of maintaining intraspecific biodiversity though conservation action involving threat removal.
Disciplines :
Aquatic sciences & oceanology
Environmental sciences & ecology
Author, co-author :
Denoël, Mathieu  ;  Université de Liège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Biologie du comportement - Ethologie et psychologie animale
Winandy, Laurane ;  Université de Liège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Biologie du comportement - Ethologie et psychologie animale
Language :
English
Title :
The importance of phenotypic diversity in conservation: Resilience of palmate newt morphotypes after fish removal in Larzac ponds (France)
Publication date :
December 2015
Journal title :
Biological Conservation
ISSN :
0006-3207
Publisher :
Elsevier Science, Oxford, United Kingdom
Volume :
192
Pages :
402-408
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funders :
F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique [BE]
ULiège FSR - Université de Liège. Fonds spéciaux pour la recherche [BE]
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