The diet of coexisting species of amphibians in Canadian jack pine forests
Diets of adults of amphibian species coexisting in the boreal forest are poorly understood. We quantified and compared the diets of adult amphibians from four jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forests in east-central Canada. Results showed that American toads (Bufo americanus) and northern redback salaman...
Guardado en:
| Autores principales: | , , |
|---|---|
| Formato: | JOUR |
| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_02680130_v10_n2_p63_Bellocq |
| Aporte de: |
| Sumario: | Diets of adults of amphibian species coexisting in the boreal forest are poorly understood. We quantified and compared the diets of adult amphibians from four jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forests in east-central Canada. Results showed that American toads (Bufo americanus) and northern redback salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) were predominantly ant-eaters; blue-spotted salamanders (Ambystoma laterale) fed mainly on snails, beetles, and insect larvae; spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) took primarily spiders and wasps; and wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) took a variety of alternative prey and had the highest dietary diversity. Diets of these amphibians differed significantly among the species in all study sites. Discriminant analyses showed species separation based on food type, the variable representing the proportion of ants in stomach contents being the major contributor to the discriminant functions in all assemblages. |
|---|