Bromeliad selection by two salamander species in a harsh environment.

Bromeliad phytotelmata are frequently used by several Neotropical amphibian taxa, possibly due to their high humidity, microclimatic stability, and role as a refuge from predators. Indeed, the ability of phytotelmata to buffer against adverse environmental conditions may be instrumental in allowing...

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Autores principales:	Gustavo Ruano-Fajardo, Sean M Rovito, Richard J Ladle
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2014
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/66ff386cd907470ca8f2f94ae95d67de
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:66ff386cd907470ca8f2f94ae95d67de2021-11-18T08:17:28ZBromeliad selection by two salamander species in a harsh environment.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0098474https://doaj.org/article/66ff386cd907470ca8f2f94ae95d67de2014-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/24892414/?tool=EBIhttps://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203Bromeliad phytotelmata are frequently used by several Neotropical amphibian taxa, possibly due to their high humidity, microclimatic stability, and role as a refuge from predators. Indeed, the ability of phytotelmata to buffer against adverse environmental conditions may be instrumental in allowing some amphibian species to survive during periods of environmental change or to colonize sub-optimal habitats. Association between bromeliad traits and salamanders has not been studied at a fine scale, despite the intimate association of many salamander species with bromeliads. Here, we identify microhabitat characteristics of epiphytic bromeliads used by two species of the Bolitoglossa morio group (B. morio and B. pacaya) in forest disturbed by volcanic activity in Guatemala. Specifically, we measured multiple variables for bromeliads (height and position in tree, phytotelma water temperature and pH, canopy cover, phytotelma size, leaf size, and tree diameter at breast height), as well as salamander size. We employed a DNA barcoding approach to identify salamanders. We found that B. morio and B. pacaya occurred in microsympatry in bromeliads and that phytotelmata size and temperature of bromeliad microhabitat were the most important factors associated with the presence of salamanders. Moreover, phytotelmata with higher pH contained larger salamanders, suggesting that larger salamanders or aggregated individuals might modify pH. These results show that bromeliad selection is nonrandom with respect to microhabitat characteristics, and provide insight into the relationship between salamanders and this unique arboreal environment.Gustavo Ruano-FajardoSean M RovitoRichard J LadlePublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 9, Iss 6, p e98474 (2014)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Gustavo Ruano-Fajardo Sean M Rovito Richard J Ladle Bromeliad selection by two salamander species in a harsh environment.
description	Bromeliad phytotelmata are frequently used by several Neotropical amphibian taxa, possibly due to their high humidity, microclimatic stability, and role as a refuge from predators. Indeed, the ability of phytotelmata to buffer against adverse environmental conditions may be instrumental in allowing some amphibian species to survive during periods of environmental change or to colonize sub-optimal habitats. Association between bromeliad traits and salamanders has not been studied at a fine scale, despite the intimate association of many salamander species with bromeliads. Here, we identify microhabitat characteristics of epiphytic bromeliads used by two species of the Bolitoglossa morio group (B. morio and B. pacaya) in forest disturbed by volcanic activity in Guatemala. Specifically, we measured multiple variables for bromeliads (height and position in tree, phytotelma water temperature and pH, canopy cover, phytotelma size, leaf size, and tree diameter at breast height), as well as salamander size. We employed a DNA barcoding approach to identify salamanders. We found that B. morio and B. pacaya occurred in microsympatry in bromeliads and that phytotelmata size and temperature of bromeliad microhabitat were the most important factors associated with the presence of salamanders. Moreover, phytotelmata with higher pH contained larger salamanders, suggesting that larger salamanders or aggregated individuals might modify pH. These results show that bromeliad selection is nonrandom with respect to microhabitat characteristics, and provide insight into the relationship between salamanders and this unique arboreal environment.
format	article
author	Gustavo Ruano-Fajardo Sean M Rovito Richard J Ladle
author_facet	Gustavo Ruano-Fajardo Sean M Rovito Richard J Ladle
author_sort	Gustavo Ruano-Fajardo
title	Bromeliad selection by two salamander species in a harsh environment.
title_short	Bromeliad selection by two salamander species in a harsh environment.
title_full	Bromeliad selection by two salamander species in a harsh environment.
title_fullStr	Bromeliad selection by two salamander species in a harsh environment.
title_full_unstemmed	Bromeliad selection by two salamander species in a harsh environment.
title_sort	bromeliad selection by two salamander species in a harsh environment.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2014
url	https://doaj.org/article/66ff386cd907470ca8f2f94ae95d67de
work_keys_str_mv	AT gustavoruanofajardo bromeliadselectionbytwosalamanderspeciesinaharshenvironment AT seanmrovito bromeliadselectionbytwosalamanderspeciesinaharshenvironment AT richardjladle bromeliadselectionbytwosalamanderspeciesinaharshenvironment
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Bromeliad selection by two salamander species in a harsh environment.

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