PARENT SESSION
Contributed Oral Session 143: Predator - Prey Ecology: Intraguild Predation and Community Dynamics
Thursday, August 11, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM, Meeting Room 522 A, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Intraguild predation across phyla: Interactions between red-backed salamanders and centipedes.
Wang, H.*,1, Jaeger, Robert1, 1 Department of Biology, Lafayette, LA, USA
ABSTRACT- Intraguild predation (IGP) is the killing and eating of a species by a potential competitor. This type of interaction can have potentially important effects on population dynamics and community structures because, by consuming the intraguild prey (IG prey), the intraguild predator (IG predator) decreases potential competition, as well as directly benefiting by nutrient gains. We are conducting a study of IGP interactions between the red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus (Caudata: Plethodontidae), and the centipedes Scolopocryptops nigridius and S. sexspinosus (Scolopendromorpha: Scolopocryptopidae). We are performing field experiments using 200 cover boards at Mountain Lake Biological Station in Virginia, USA. The densities of centipedes under the cover boards are manipulated (increased and decreased) and corresponding changes in the densities of juveniles of P. cinereus are monitored. Another treatment for the cover boards is an unmanipulated control. Standard measurements (SVL and mass) are recorded for juveniles of P. cinereus under the cover boards. In addition, we are using mesocosms to examine the interactions between red-backed salamanders and centipedes in a more controlled environment. Preliminary results suggest that juvenile salamanders appear later in autumn under cover boards with increased centipede density, but their mean density is not significantly different from that of the control treatment. The mesocosm experiment suggests that juvenile P. cinereus experience lower mean growth rate in the presence of centipedes, apparently due to interspecific competition, but no difference in survival rate compared to the control.
Key words: intraguild predation, species interaction, salamanders, centipedes