Benefits of Eating Conspecifics: Effects of Background Diet on Survival and Metamorphosis in the Cuban Treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis)

Effects of temperature and food quality on anuran larval growth and metamorphosis

“…In fact, the large difference reported (24–96 days) suggests that either the range included individuals with abnormally fast or slow development, or some of the food types had very low digestibility for tadpoles, thus confounding diet quality with food quantity. More refined experiments revealed that increase in protein content in the diet had no strong effect on developmental time (Crump 1990; Babbitt & Meshaka 2000). In conclusion, there is no evidence that an acceleration of growth mediated by food quality could result in faster larval development.…”

The combined effects of food supply and larval density on survival, growth and metamorphosis of Chinese tiger frog (Hoplobatrachus rugulosa) tadpoles

“…Metamorphosis time also is a critical parameter, as it can determine whether an individual in nature has the opportunity to migrate into the terrestrial habitat prior to habitat drying, and this is especially true for the amphibian species where females lay eggs in ephemeral aquatic habitats (Babbitt and Meshaka, 2000;Browne and Zippel, 2007;Ryan and Winne, 2001). Fast development of tadpoles and thus the shortened larval period also provide a survivorship advantage by minimizing their exposure to predation (Newman, 1992).…”

Time to feed: How diet, competition, and experience may influence feeding behaviour and cannibalism in wood frog tadpoles Lithobates sylvaticus

“…Collins and Cheek, 1983;Walls, 1998;Wildy et al, 2001). Babbitt and Meshaka (2000) suggest that cannibalism among free-feeding tadpoles is an adaptation to low food quality and/or food abundance rather than one of pond drying, due to the observation of prolonged larval development among tadpoles fed a high-quality diet and conspecific tissues. Individuals engaged in cannibalism are often older tadpoles that attack eggs and newly hatched larvae (Petranka and Thomas, 1995).…”

“…Tadpoles often develop in wetlands of unknown duration and must be capable of rapidly adjusting to fluctuating conditions (Audo et al, 1995;Bleakney, 1958;Michel, 2012;Relyea, 2002Relyea, , 2004Wellborn et al, 1996). Such ephemeral habitats are inherently unpredictable in terms of food quality and availability, population density, environmental conditions, and community composition (Babbitt and Meshaka, 2000;Bleakney, 1958;Newman, 1987;Wellborn et al, 1996;Wilbur, 1980). Simply put, the potential combinations of hazards reducing tadpole survival in such habitats are numerous.…”

“…Cannibalism represents a highly profitable foraging strategy because conspecific tissues contain all essential nutrients, presumably in the appropriate proportions for growth and development (Greenstone, 1979;Meffe and Crump, 1987;Wildy et al, 1998). Such a diet can improve growth, development, and/or survivorship of individuals experiencing dietary stress resulting from reductions in quality and/or quantity of dietary resources (Babbitt and Meshaka, 2000;Fox, 1975;Meffe and Crump, 1987). Conversely, cannibals put themselves at risk of retaliation from their putative victims (McAdie and Keeling, 2000;Wildy et al, 2001); they may increase their risk of contracting disease (Bolkner et al, 2008;Parris et al, 2005;Williams and Hernández, 2006), and can reduce their fitness by killing their kin (Fox, 1975;Wildy et al, 1998).…”