DOI: 10.5061/dryad.73n5tb342
title: Data from: Ecosystem effects of intraspecific variation in a color polymorphic amphibian

description: An emerging consensus suggests that evolved intraspecific variation can be
 ecologically important. However, evidence that evolved trait variation
 within vertebrates can influence fundamental ecosystem-level processes
 remains sparse. In this study we sought to assess the potential for
 evolved variation in the Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) to
 affect aquatic ecosystem properties. Spotted Salamanders exhibit a
 conspicuous polymorphism in the color of egg masses—some egg masses are
 clear, others are white. We assessed the potential for morph frequency
 variation in the Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) to influence
 fundamental physiochemical and ecosystem properties: dissolved organic
 carbon, conductivity, acidity, and primary production with a mesocosm
 experiment. By manipulating morph frequency across a range of larvae
 densities, we were able to show that density and morph variation are
 ecologically relevant. However, the effects of density and morph differed.
 Population density reduced dissolved organic carbon and increased primary
 production while mesocosms stocked with the white morph tended to have
 higher dissolved organic carbon and conductivity. Thus, while an adaptive
 significance of jelly coloration remains hypothetical, our results show
 that morphs differentially influence key ecosystem properties–dissolved
 organic carbon and conductivity.
description: Data were generated from a two-stage experiment. Stage one was a
 common garden-rearing experiment used to generate hatchling salamander
 larvae later used in a mesocosm experiment. The experiment was conducted
 in Boone, North Carolina, USA in spring and summer 2022.
 Detailed methods are reported in the manuscript and the
 electronic supplementary materials.
description: **1. Title: Ecosystem effects of intraspecific variation in a color
 polymorphic amphibian** **2. Dryad link:
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.73n5tb342](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.73n5tb342)** **3. Author Information** Name: Sean T. Giery Institution: Ohio University Address: Athens, Ohio, USA Email: mailto: [giery@ohio.edu](mailto:giery@ohio.edu) Name: Jon M. Davenport Institution: Appalachian State University Address: Boone, NC, USA Email: [davenportjm@appstate.edu](mailto:davenportjm@appstate.edu) **4. Data: The dataset consists of three data files: common_garden.csv, mesocosm_data.csv, and metamorph_data.csv. Description of the data and file structure is below:** **common_garden.csv: Each row contains data for a single egg mass in the common garden** row: Just a placeholder to order rows. block: Experimental blocks A - F are the shallow tubs used to house sets of egg masses during development. em: Egg mass identity within each block. morph: The color of the egg mass: white or clear. total.eggs: The number of eggs within each individual egg mass. survive: The number of hatchlings per egg mass. dev_mean: The average developmental stage of five embryos after 18 days in the common garden. Developmental stage was based on Harrison. **mesocosm_data.csv: Each row contains data for a single sampling date** ID: Just a placeholder to order rows. block: Experimental blocks A - F are the shallow tubs used to house sets of egg masses during development. tank: An identifier for each replicate mesocosm. label: An identifier for each replicate mesocosm including the block and replicate number. treatment: The combination of stocking density and color morph treatments for each mesocosm. morph: The color of the egg mass: white or clear, that the larvae were derived from. density: The stocking density of each mesocosm. sample: The date that the sample was taken. rfu: Relative fluorescence unit (RFU). ph: Acidity measure. ph_i: Acidity measure at the start of the experiment. cond: Conductivity measure in microsiemens. cond_i: Conductivity in microsiemens measured at the start of the experiment. algae_mg: Algae drymass in milligrams. doy: Day of year from 1-365 in 2022. doc: Dissolved organic carbon in mg carbon per liter. doc_i: Dissolved organic carbon in mg carbon per liter measured at the start of the experiment. **metamorph_data.csv: Each row contains data for an individual salamander collected at metamorphosis** treatment: The combination of stocking density and color morph treatments for each mesocosm. label: An identifier foreach replicate mesocosm including the block and replicate number. block: Experimental blocks A - F are the shallow tubs used to house sets of egg masses during development. morph: The color of the egg mass: white or clear, that the larvae were derived from. density: The stocking density of each mesocosm. mass: Wet mass of newly metamorphosed salamanders in milligrams. svl: Body length of newly metamorphosed salamanders in millimeters. doy: Day of year from 1-365 in 2022. **5. Code/Software** Data were analyzed in R. Packages used include: tidyverse, effects, lme4, lmerTest, emmeans, ggpubr, sjstats, lme4, effectsize.