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Habitat patchiness drives spatial structure in morphological trait variation and co-variation in spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum)

Elizabeth T. Green, Anthony I. Dell, John A. Crawford, Elizabeth G. Biro, View ORCID ProfileDavid R. Daversa
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.15.153312
Elizabeth T. Green
1National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC), East Alton, IL 62024
2Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753
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Anthony I. Dell
1National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC), East Alton, IL 62024
3Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130
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John A. Crawford
1National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC), East Alton, IL 62024
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Elizabeth G. Biro
3Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130
4Tyson Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130
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David R. Daversa
1National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC), East Alton, IL 62024
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  • ORCID record for David R. Daversa
  • For correspondence: ddaversa@gmail.com
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Abstract

The influence of intraspecific trait variation in species interactions makes trait-based approaches critical to understanding eco-evolutionary processes. Given that species occupy habitats that are patchily distributed in space, advancement in trait-based ecology hinges on understanding how trait variation is spatially structured across the landscape. We sampled larval spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) across spatially discrete ponds to quantify spatial structure in morphology. Spatial structure explained 7-35% of total observed variation in the length and shape of salamander larvae, depending on the body segment measured (i.e., head, body, tail). Salamander tail morphology was more variable and exhibited more spatial structure than head or body morphology. Salamander mass was also highly variable, and was strongly correlated with total length. Analysis of allometry revealed that the slopes of mass-length relationships were similar across space, but the intercepts differed spatially. Preliminary evidence hints that newly constructed ponds are drivers of spatial differences in allometric intercepts. Pond construction may therefore bolster diversity in trait co-variation, and in so doing instil more adaptive potential of salamanders under current and future environmental change.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted June 16, 2020.
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Habitat patchiness drives spatial structure in morphological trait variation and co-variation in spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum)
Elizabeth T. Green, Anthony I. Dell, John A. Crawford, Elizabeth G. Biro, David R. Daversa
bioRxiv 2020.06.15.153312; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.15.153312
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Habitat patchiness drives spatial structure in morphological trait variation and co-variation in spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum)
Elizabeth T. Green, Anthony I. Dell, John A. Crawford, Elizabeth G. Biro, David R. Daversa
bioRxiv 2020.06.15.153312; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.15.153312

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