Answer to Question #143018 in Zoology for RamC

Question

Discuss the competition for food resources amongst Amphibia

Answer 1

Competition for food resources among Amphibian

Competition is an interaction between species where the adaptation and fitness of one species are affected by the presence of another. Amphibians exhibit competition in their ecosystems like any other living organism. Amphibian larvae are common in their environments and therefore high conservation and protection are required for their survival during competition of food resources in the ecosystem (Steinwascher, 1978).

           Competition in the ecosystem can be divided into various groups. The competition between members of the same species is known as intraspecific completion while interspecific is the competition of the organisms of the same species in the ecosystem as competition can be either direct or indirect (Tilman,1982)

Tadpoles exhibit interspecific competition resulting in different growth rates as suggested in the research (Wilbur, et al,1973). The largest tadpoles successfully compete for the food resources with others in the ecosystem and therefore better survival compared to the smaller ones. The smaller tadpole's growth rate is slowed or stunted due to decreased food resources in the aquatic ecosystem. This eventually brings dramatic effects between populations of different amphibian species.

In some Amphibians species, growth dispensation can be reversed through the elimination of the interference and exploitative competition in the ecosystem (Koskella & Jobling, 2005). Exploitative competition and interference vividly affect amphibian’s growth and development. There is a need to raise amphibian larvae in breeding programs to provide aquatic sustainability hence avoiding the adverse effects of competition.

References

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Faragher SG, Jaeger RG. 1998. Tadpole bullies: examining mechanisms of competition in a

community of larval anurans. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 76(1): 144‐153.

Gill FB, Wolf LL. 1975. Economics of feeding territoriality of the golden‐winged sunbird.

Ecology, 56: 333‐345.

Jobling M, Koskela J. 2005. Inter‐individual variations in feeding and growth in rainbow trout

during restricted feeding and in a subsequent period of compensatory growth Journal

of Fish Biology, 49(4): 658‐667.