Sign in to use this feature.

Years

Between: -

Subjects

remove_circle_outline

Journals

Article Types

Countries / Regions

Search Results (2)

Search Parameters:
Keywords = Desmognathus amphileucus

Order results
Result details
Results per page
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
13 pages, 1157 KiB  
Article
Differences in Larval Microhabitat Between Two Cryptic, Sympatric Salamander Species (Desmognathus folkertsi and D. amphileucus) in Northeastern Georgia, USA
by Carlos D. Camp and Erick M. Fortner
Animals 2025, 15(10), 1479; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15101479 - 20 May 2025
Viewed by 362
Abstract
Sympatric species often exhibit habitat differences that promote coexistence. Two cryptic, sympatric salamander species, Desmognathus folkertsi and D. amphileucus, occupy streams across the Appalachian Mountains of northeastern Georgia, USA. Although frequently occurring together, the adults exhibit differences in microhabitat with D. folkertsi [...] Read more.
Sympatric species often exhibit habitat differences that promote coexistence. Two cryptic, sympatric salamander species, Desmognathus folkertsi and D. amphileucus, occupy streams across the Appalachian Mountains of northeastern Georgia, USA. Although frequently occurring together, the adults exhibit differences in microhabitat with D. folkertsi predominating in smaller streams and D. amphileucus more abundant in larger streams. Our purpose was to test for possible differences in larval habitat. Using a stream in which the two species coexist, we collected larvae from riffles, and biotic and abiotic variables associated with the stream and adjacent riparian zone were recorded. Because adults partially segregate by stream size, we noted the entry of a tributary that increased stream size and flow rate. Results showed a significant distribution of the two species upstream compared to downstream of the tributary, with no D. amphileucus found upstream; D. folkertsi was found throughout the study stream. We also found a significant difference between species in flow rate. We found no differences in any other variable that explained larval distribution patterns. We hypothesize that D. folkertsi nest in lower-flow riffles than D. amphileucus, resulting in the distribution of larvae, a pattern that may reflect selection on larval survival. Full article
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

7 pages, 924 KiB  
Article
Effect of Trematode Metacercarial Infection on Walking in Larval Salamanders in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, USA
by Carlos Camp, Alexia Vaca-Nava and Addison Bowen
Parasitologia 2024, 4(4), 375-381; https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia4040033 - 26 Nov 2024
Viewed by 715
Abstract
According to the Host Manipulation Hypothesis, parasites modify the phenotype of their host to enhance host–host transmission and thereby increase fitness. Metacercarial infection of some amphibians changes host behavior, including locomotion, and thereby enhances predation by the definitive host. To further test this [...] Read more.
According to the Host Manipulation Hypothesis, parasites modify the phenotype of their host to enhance host–host transmission and thereby increase fitness. Metacercarial infection of some amphibians changes host behavior, including locomotion, and thereby enhances predation by the definitive host. To further test this hypothesis, it is first necessary to determine whether a parasite actually modifies a host’s phenotype. In the southern Appalachian Mountains of the US, metacercariae of the trematode Metagonimoides oregonensis (Price, 1931) encyst in the musculature of its second intermediate host, the salamander Desmognathus amphileucus Bishop, 1941. Metacercarial infections of musculature in fish negatively affect host swimming performance. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that infection by M. oregonensis affects walking in the aquatic larvae of D. amphileucus. We compared this mode of locomotion between infected and uninfected larvae by placing them in 1 m troughs of water and allowing them to wander freely until they stopped. Non-parametric (Kaplan–Meier) survival analysis determined that infected salamanders stopped significantly sooner than uninfected ones. Because infected salamanders move less, the presence of this parasite may contribute to genetic divergence in these salamanders by slowing dispersal and concomitant gene flow. Our results suggest that macroparasites can potentially modify a host’s behavior with biological consequences beyond enhancement of parasite transmission. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop