Micro-habitat use within a guild of newt larvae (Trituridae) in an Alpine lake |
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Authors: | Milan Vogrin |
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Institution: | (1) Zg. Hajdina 83c, 2288 Hajdina, Slovenia |
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Abstract: | Population and ecological parameters such as numbers of larvae, microhabitat use, niche breadth and niche overlap of three
species of syntopic larval newts (Alpine newt Triturus alpestris, Italian crested newt T. carnifex, and common newt T. vulgaris) were studied for two years in a small pond at 1160 m a.s.l. in NE Slovenia. Differences in microhabitat partitioning among
larval newts were small. The largest niche breadth was estimated for larval T. alpestris, and the narrowest estimate was for larval T. carnifex in both years. Ecological differences seem to be very small and quite variable among sites and years. It appears that the
developmental stage and size of newt larvae are more important in explaining resource partitioning than the characteristics
of each species. Because of the absence of potential invertebrate predators and adult newts in the second half of the breeding
season, the injuries could only be caused by intra-and interspecific predation attempts. |
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Keywords: | Triturus spp newts larvae ecology microhabitat partitioning |
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