Abstract
Many amphibians possess noxious or toxic substances for self defense. These compounds have been characterized largely as chemical defenses, but may promote ecological and evolutionary processes. The California newt, Tarichatorosa, possesses a potent neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin (TTX), which serves as a chemical defense, chemical cue to conspecifics, and selection pressure that has selected for evolved resistance in a predator. However, the potential effects of TTX upon the broader community and on behavior, in general, have been overlooked. Field assays conducted during the newt breeding season indicate that the macroinvertebrate community responds to adult newt chemical cues by altering foraging behavior. In these assays, significantly fewer macroinvertebrates were found in experimental areas with enclosed newts relative to enclosures with a non-predatory amphibian. Laboratory bioassays showed that dragonfly nymphs (Anax junius) reduced predatory behavior and moved less in the presence of adult newt chemical cues. When exposed to TTX, nymph mean angular velocities were reduced four fold and mean velocity magnitude was reduced threefold relative to controls. Overall, these results support the hypothesis that chemical stimuli from predators, and TTX specifically, can shape species interactions at lower trophic levels and potentially affect community organization.
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