The role of Spadefoot Toad tadpoles in wetland trophic structure as influenced by environmental and morphological factors

Abstract

Larval amphibians reach high densities in playa wetlands in the Southern Great Plains (SGP), USA, and thus may influence the entire structure and function of these ecosystems. We investigated whether both carnivorous and omnivorous morphotypes of Spadefoot Toad tadpoles (New Mexico Spadefoot, Spea multiplicata (Cope, 1863), and Plains Spadefoot, Spea bombifrons (Cope, 1863)) would exhibit a macrophagous feeding behavior that would allow them to occupy several trophic levels in playas. We also compared tadpole diets and foregut widths as influenced by the land use surrounding playas (cultivated versus grassland watersheds), year (dry versus wet year), and body size (snout-to-vent length). Tadpole diets were dominated by detritus and diatoms and tadpole foreguts increased with body size. Generally, more arthropods and less cyanobacteria were found in Spea tadpole diets as tadpoles grew larger, suggesting they influence different trophic levels with age. Foreguts were wider in carnivores than omnivores, suggesting carnivores had increased ability to ingest larger prey. Also, omnivores had wider foreguts in cropland than grassland playas, suggesting they ingest larger food items in cropland playas. From estimates of the amounts of invertebrates, detritus, and algae consumed by Spea tadpoles, we demonstrate that these larvae influence the entire trophic structure of wetland ecosystems.