title: Diet diversity and clutch size of aquatic and terrestrial salamanders.
abstract: Terrestrial species of salamanders generally have a higher diversity of prey in their stomachs and produce smaller and less frequent clutches than do species living in wetter habitats. This may be a consequence of differences in prey availability in the two types of habitats. Prey frequently fluctuate in availability in terrestrial areas as a result of fluctuations in rainfall and the inability of salamanders to forage efficiently during dry periods; the salamanders respond with a generalist diet and relatively K-selected reproductive tactics. In wetter habitats, prey fluctuations are probably dampened due to more constant conditions of moisture; salamanders respond with a more specialized diet and relatively r-selected reproductive tactics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Albany, 12222, Albany, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Jaeger