Adaptive significance of polyphenisms

Studying the fitness of alternative phenotypes consists at determining how adaptive are variants in populations and thus how these phenotypes can persist, disappear or form new species in ecosystems. Heterochronic polyphenisms (facultative paedomorphosis: retention of larval traits at the adult stage versus metamorphosis - cannibalism: large head and teeth versus typical development) are particularly interesting models to explore these questions because large morphological and physiological changes can be produced without deep genetic modifications.

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Proximate causes

	Drying Density Food resources Body condition

Developmental pathways

	Progenesis - Neoteny Sexual size dimorphism Metamorphosis rate

Ecological modelling of spatial distributions

	Landscape ecology Biogeography "Hotspots"

Resource partitioning at the scale of the breeding site

	Trophic specialisations Predatory performance Microhabitat use Temporal variation

Prey - Predator interactions

	Effect of fish introductions Cannibalism Population regulation

Reproductive success

	Mating tactics Fitness Sexual isolation

Target species : Mesotriton alpestris - Lissotriton helveticus - Lissotriton vulgaris - Ambystoma tigrinum