An experimental study of population regulation in the salamander, Notophthalmus viridescens dorsalis (Urodela: Salamandridae).

Abstract

The roles of density-dependent larval survival and cannibalism of larvae as potential mechanisms of population regulation in the newt (Notophthalmus viridescens dorsalis) were evaluated in laboratory and field experiments. In laboratory containers, adults cannibalized larvae and large larvae cannibalized smaller larvae. In artificial ponds, larval survival did not depend on initial larval density. No cannibalism could be demonstrated in the complex environment, although the experiment was powerful enough to detect an ecologically relevant difference in survival. Adult growth was negatively correlated with the final biomass of larval newts, suggesting that the two life stages competed for resources. Larval growth rates were negatively correlated with final larval density, suggesting that larvae competed with each other. The proportion of larvae that became sexually mature at age 7 months (paedomorphs and adults that skipped the eft stage) varied inversely with larval density. Therefore, the potential regulatory mechanisms identified in this study are competition within and between life stages.