RESOURCE QUALITY AFFECTS THE AGONISTIC BEHAVIOR OF TERRITORIAL SALAMANDERS

Previous studies suggest that territories of red-backed salamanders, Plethodon cinereus, function as exclusive feeding areas, because prey are limited in availability during rainless periods. To test this idea, males were paired in laboratory chambers under three feeding conditions: (1) termites, a high-quality food resource, (2) ants, a low-quality resource and (3) ants plus termites. Termites are a superior food because they pass through the digestive tract significantly faster and yield significantly higher digestion efficiencies than do ants. Both territorial residents and intruders showed significantly more aggressive behaviour when higher-quality food had previously been fed to the resident than when lower-quality food had been fed to the resident. These data provide evidence that P. cinereus defends feeding territories and that the quality of a territory may be a function of the value of available food resources.