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Dimitrie_2021_Dissertation.pdf (1.68 MB)

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Effects of Habitat Characteristics on Amphibian Use of Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments

Dimitrie, David Anthony
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1623333871708777

Abstract Details

2021, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Biology.
Habitat characteristics can affect how organisms use environments. Individuals are expected to have evolved the ability assess habitat quality to maximize their fitness. I investigated the effects of habitat characteristics on aquatic and terrestrial environment use in multiple amphibian life-stages. In Chapter 1, I investigated how female breeding habitat selection is influenced by competitors and how this affects offspring performance. Female eastern gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor) used pools without larval competitors more than pools with green frog (Rana clamitans) or bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) tadpoles. Treefrog tadpoles developed faster and grew larger without heterospecifics, indicating larval performance matched female preference. Males may use habitat quality cues differently. In Chapter 2, I evaluated male use of these same habitats and the male quality as potential mates for females using recordings of male advertisement calls. Males used pools with heterospecifics the same as pools without, and the advertisements of males at all habitat types were similar. Thus, while females avoided pools with heterospecifics, males did not. In Chapter 3, I tested if male treefrogs using fringe habitats differ from residents at an adjacent core pond by comparing the calls of males in both habitats. I also evaluated how fringe males changed their calls at the core pond. Fringe males produced more yet shorter calls than males in the core habitat, but called at a similar effort. When fringe males were moved to the core habitat, they adjusted their calls to match the core males. Finally, in Chapter 4, I investigated how the terrestrial environment affects juvenile development. In collaboration with David Burke at the Holden Arboretum, I tested how forest acidification affects the American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) and its interaction with the invertebrate community. Toads tended to grow larger in elevated soil pH, although survival and diet were not affected by pH. I found no effect of pH on the invertebrate community or forest floor trophic dynamics. My studies found that biotic and abiotic habitat characteristics can affect amphibian development and male and female use of breeding habitats in complex ways. These effects have implications for individual fitness, population dynamics, and community assembly.
Michael Benard (Advisor)
Karen Abbott (Committee Member)
Ryan Martin (Committee Member)
Heath Demaree (Committee Member)
Yolanda Fortenberry (Committee Chair)
144 p.
Ecology
American toad; amphibians; Anaxyrus americanus; anurans; eastern gray treefrog; ecology; frog call; habitat selection; Hyla versicolor; preference-performance theory; oviposition site selection

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Dimitrie, D. A. (2021). Effects of Habitat Characteristics on Amphibian Use of Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1623333871708777

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Dimitrie, David. Effects of Habitat Characteristics on Amphibian Use of Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments . 2021. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1623333871708777.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Dimitrie, David. "Effects of Habitat Characteristics on Amphibian Use of Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments ." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1623333871708777

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1623333871708777
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This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.