CHARACTER DISPLACEMENT AS THE “BEST OF A BAD SITUATION”: FITNESS TRADE-OFFS RESULTING FROM SELECTION TO MINIMIZE RESOURCE AND MATE COMPETITION

Ecological Character Displacement in Non-Congeneric Frogs

Character displacement is phenotypic divergence driven by competition (ecological character displacement) or reproductive interference (reproductive character displacement). Although previous studies have examined these phenomena separately, recent evidence suggests that reproductive interference can drive both reproductive and ecological character displacement, in that certain traits are related to both competition and reproduction. Thus, to evaluate the effect of competition, the effect of reproductive interference must be excluded. Here, we analysed ecological character displacement between non-congeneric frogs, which show little reproductive interference. Odorrana amamiensis inhabits the Amami and Tokunoshima Islands, Japan, whereas its non-congeneric competitor Babina subaspera inhabits the Amami Island. We tested three of the Schluter (2000) criteria for ecological character displacement: phenotypic changes in O. amamiensis between the two islands, phenotypic change related to prey preference, prey availability between the two islands. We demonstrated that the three criteria in Schluter (2000) were likely to be satisfied, indicating the occurrence of ecological character displacement in non-congeners without reproductive interference. Thus, we conclude that competition is potentially the main driver of this phenotypic divergence, and that non-congeners may be a suitable model for evaluating ecological character displacement in a variety of organisms, as the influence of reproductive interference can be excluded.