Research Starter Grant: The Morphological Consequences of Competition in Plethodon Salamanders

近亲物种之间的竞争被认为是驱动物种分布的重要因素。尽管多齿螈属的蝾螈之间的竞争似乎很常见，但竞争对形态学的影响却鲜为人知。在这个项目中，关于形态变化的假设将在两个特征良好的物种对中进行测试。将使用几种方法来量化形态学，包括线性距离测量和基于地标的几何形态测量方法。对于P. jordani和P. teyahalee，假设形态差异在烟山比在香脂山更为极端。这一假设是基于对两个山脉中这些物种的生态和行为相互作用的了解。对于P. cinereus和P. shenandoah，假设一个已灭绝的P. shenandoah种群和附近的P. cinereus种群在形态上比两种物种共存的其他地区的种群更相似。这一假设是基于对行为和攻击性相互作用的了解。这个项目的结果将帮助我们了解种间竞争如何影响多齿兽的形态变异，这对生物如何与环境相互作用具有重要意义。在更大的范围内，这个项目的结果将更好地理解竞争作为群落聚集背后驱动力的相对重要性，并帮助我们理解竞争对生物地理分布的影响。

Competition among closely related species is thought to be an important factor driving species distributions. Though competition among salamanders in the genus Plethodon appears to be common, the consequences of competition on morphology are less well understood. In this project, hypotheses about morphological change will be tested in two well-characterized species pairs. Several methods will be used to quantify morphology, including linear distance measurements and landmark-based geometric morphometric methods. For P. jordani and P. teyahalee, it is hypothesized that morphological differences are more extreme in the Smoky Mountains than in the Balsam Mountains. This hypothesis is based on knowledge of ecological and behavioral interactions of these species in the two mountain ranges. For P. cinereus and P. shenandoah, it is hypothesized that an extinct population of P. shenandoah and a nearby population of P. cinereus are more morphologically similar than populations in other regions where both species coexist. This hypothesis is based on knowledge of behavioral and aggressive interactions. Results from this project will help us understand how interspecific competition affects morphological variability in Plethodon, which has important consequences for how organisms interact with their environment. On a larger scale, results from this project will provide a better understanding of the relative importance of competition as a driving force behind community assemblages, and help us understand the influence of competition on the geographic distribution of organisms.