Jean-Claude Ruwet

Sexual compatibility between two heterochronic morphs in the Alpine newt, Triturus alpestris

Paedomorphosis, in which individuals retain ancestral characteristics in the adult stage, is widespread in newts and salamanders and is suspected to play an important role in evolution. In some species, paedomorphosis is facultative with some individuals forgoing metamorphosis. Optimality models have been proposed to explain the maintenance of this polymorphism, but require the integration of reproductive patterns into the models. We investigated the frequencies of inbreeding and outbreeding in two syntopic heterochronic morphs of the Alpine newt. The two morphs are sexually compatible: encounters between and within morphs were equally successful in terms of spermatophore transfer. Behavioural observations were in agreement with the sexual compatibility observed. Nevertheless, paedomorphic males displayed to females less frequently than metamorphic males. The two morphs differ largely on the basis of sexual secondary characteristics, but the majority of these traits did not affect mating success. Because of the large flow of genes between the two heterochronic morphs and because of the absence of spatial and temporal isolation, these results do not support sympatric speciation models, but are in favour of the maintenance of polymorphism in natural populations.