Abstract
Notophthalmus viridescens (Red-spotted Newt) collected from 3 low-pH ponds (ca. 4.8) and 3 high-pH ponds (ca. 8.1) in Vermont varied in pH tolerance and water preference. While newts from all ponds survived in pH values as low as 4.4, the mean 10-day survival of newts in pH = 3.2 was 69% for newts from the low-pH Green Mountain ponds compared to 33% for newts from the high-pH Taconic Mountain ponds. Taconic Mountain newts selected water from Taconic ponds 73% of the time, while Green Mountain newts exhibited no preference for pond water from either mountain range. In order to isolate the effect of pH on water choice, we conducted an experiment in which newts chose between reconstituted soft water (RSW) that had been adjusted to either high pH (8.0) or low pH (4.5). Taconic Mountain newts selected high-pH RSW 72% of the time. Although Green Mountain newts exhibited no preference for pond water having high or low pH, they selected the high-pH RSW 70% of the time. These differences in pH tolerance and water preference between Green and Taconic Mountain newts may represent local adaptation shaping population distribution and divergence.
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