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Investigating the impacts of drought-related drying events following pond refill on the growth, survival, and postmetamorphic fitness of lithobates blairi tadpoles
Skerlec, Samantha Marie
Skerlec, Samantha Marie
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2023-05
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The incomplete recovery following drying events can have long-lasting impacts on
aquatic ecosystems through altered resource availability, changes to water quality and
temperature, microhabitat suitability, and community structure. Dynamic impacts of drying
events can have detrimental effects on numerous aquatic organisms, but amphibians are
particularly susceptible due to their reliance on aquatic environments for reproduction. This
study aims to understand how drying events affect amphibian larval communities that recolonize
a pond post-refill by investigating the impacts of incomplete recovery on their growth and
development. While similar studies have investigated larval amphibian responses to active
drying, few have directly assessed the carryover effects of drying events on organisms that
recolonize a previously dried pond. Using a 64-mesocosm array, we examined the effects of
drying (non-dry vs. dry-rewet) and tadpole density (10, 20, 40, or 80 individuals per tank) on
larval amphibian growth, development, and survivorship. We hypothesized that drying and
rewetting would decrease growth and development of tadpoles by reducing food resources, and
that high larval densities would decrease growth and development through competition. Our
results demonstrate strong effects of past drying on larval amphibian growth, time to
metamorphosis, and survivorship. Additionally, we observed carryover effects of larval
treatments on juvenile jumping performance, which was influenced by body mass at
metamorphosis. Larger juveniles were found to jump further distances on average than smaller
individuals, which has implications for the terrestrial fitness of these organisms, including
predator evasion, foraging, and mating success. These findings emphasize the importance of
drying events for amphibian survivorship and developmental plasticity, and that larval history
can determine post-metamorphic fitness.
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Thesis (M.S.)-- Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Biological Sciences
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Wichita State University
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© Copyright 2023 by Samantha M. Skerlec
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