ENWC424 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Polyphenism, Oophagy, Mole Salamander
2 May 2018
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ENWC424 Lecture 20 Foraging Ecology
• Diets
o Diets associated with morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations
o Allow an animal to locate identify, capture, consume and digest
o Generalist
▪ Feed on wide variety of prey items
▪ Large mouths and body size
o Specialist
▪ Limited to one or two prey items
▪ Specializations for feeding
o Most herps are carnivorous/insectivorous
o A few are omnivores
o Very few are strictly herbivores
▪ No amphibians except tadpoles
▪ No snakes
• Carnivory
o Most herps restricted to kinds of prey
o Prey size related to predator body size and feeding structures
▪ Small herps = invertebrates
▪ Large herps = vertebrates
▪ Small prey
• Narrow mouths, small heads
▪ Large prey
• Wide mouths, large heads
• Cannibalism
o Opportunistic
o Benefits
▪ Energy intake
▪ Less competition
o Costs
▪ Could eat a relative
▪ Parasites or disease
o Widespread in amphibians
▪ Larvae – Cannibalistic Polyphenism
• High density (e.g. Ambystoma)
• Accidental feeding (e.g. Spea)
▪ Oophagy
• Consumption of eggs
• Carnivore Specialists
o Examples: Hawksbill Sea turtle = Sponges
o Leatherback Sea turtle = Jellyfish
o Sea snakes = Eels
• Herbivory
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