title: Generalisation within specialization: inter-individual diet variation in the only specialized salamander in the world.
abstract: Specialization is typically inferred at population and species level but in the last decade many authors highlighted this trait at the individual level, finding that generalist populations can be composed by both generalist and specialist individual. Despite hundreds of reported cases of individual specialization there is a complete lack of information on inter-individual diet variation in specialist species. We studied the diet of the Italian endemic Spectacled Salamander (Salamandrina perspicillata), in a temperate forest ecosystem, to disclose the realised trophic niche, prey selection strategy in function of phenotypic variation and inter-individual diet variation. Our results showed that Salamandrina is highly specialized on Collembola and the more specialized individuals are the better performing ones. Analyses of inter-individual diet variation showed that a subset of animals exhibited a broader trophic niche, adopting different foraging strategies. Our findings reflects the optimal foraging theory both at population and individual level, since animals in better physiological conditions are able to exploit the most profitable prey, suggesting that the two coexisting strategies are not equivalent. At last this species, feeding on decomposers of litter detritus, could play a key role determining litter retention rate, nutrient cycle and carbon sequestration.
authors: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Biologia Agroambientale e Forestale (CNR-IBAF), Area di Ricerca Roma 1, Via Salaria km 29, 300-00015. Monterotondo (RM) (Italy).|Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e della Vita, Università di Genova, Corso Europa 26, I-16132. Genova (Italy).
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Costa
authors: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Biologia Agroambientale e Forestale (CNR-IBAF), Area di Ricerca Roma 1, Via Salaria km 29, 300-00015. Monterotondo (RM) (Italy).|Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e della Vita, Università di Genova, Corso Europa 26, I-16132. Genova (Italy).
authors: Sebastiano
authors: S
authors: Salvidio
authors: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Biologia Agroambientale e Forestale (CNR-IBAF), Area di Ricerca Roma 1, Via Salaria km 29, 300-00015. Monterotondo (RM) (Italy).|Corpo Forestale dello Stato, Ufficio Territoriale Biodiversità di Castel di Sangro, Via Sangro, 45-67031. Castel di Sangro (AQ) (Italy).
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Posillico
authors: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Biologia Agroambientale e Forestale (CNR-IBAF), Area di Ricerca Roma 1, Via Salaria km 29, 300-00015. Monterotondo (RM) (Italy).
authors: Giorgio
authors: G
authors: Matteucci
authors: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Biologia Agroambientale e Forestale (CNR-IBAF), Area di Ricerca Roma 1, Via Salaria km 29, 300-00015. Monterotondo (RM) (Italy).
authors: Bruno
authors: B
authors: De Cinti
authors: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Biologia Agroambientale e Forestale (CNR-IBAF), Area di Ricerca Roma 1, Via Salaria km 29, 300-00015. Monterotondo (RM) (Italy).
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Romano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D017753:Ecosystem; D011235:Predatory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D012621:Seasons; D014562:Caudata / Q000502:physiology*