Newt life after fish introduction: extirpation of paedomorphosis in a mountain fish lake and newt use of satellite pools.

ABSTRACT: Fish introduction is one of the main causes of amphibian decline worldwide. It affects particularly rare aquatic phenotypes such as paedomorphs, which retain gills during the adult stage. In this context, we determined whether small wetlands, such as pools surrounding fished and fishless lakes, could sustain paedomorphic and metamorphic newts. To this end, we surveyed lakes known historically to sustain Alpine newts Ichthyosaura alpestris as well as 35 nearby pools. On the basis of the published records, the only known population exhibiting paedomorphosis in the Swiss Alps was found to be extirpated by salmonid introductions. However, the metamorphs persisted in peripheral pools, paedomorphosis was discovered at a new locality, and overwintering larvae were still present in one of t

SUBMITTER: Denoel M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5804127 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature