Escape behaviour and ultimate causes of specific induced defences in an anuran tadpole

Teplitsky, Céline; Plénet, Sandrine; Léna, Jean‐Paul; Mermet, Nicolas; Malet, Emmanuel; Joly, Pierre

doi:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2004.00790.x

Cited by 106 publications

(158 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(106 reference statements)

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“…Previous studies have shown that enhanced burst swimming performance of tadpoles is accompanied by changes in tadpole morphology [69 -71], and that predator-induced change in morphology rather than increased locomotor performance is the mechanism by which tadpoles increase their chances of survival in a predator environment [39,[70][71][72][73]. Here, however, we show that tadpoles can have faster escape responses without changing their morphology (which suggests that improved locomotor performance may be associated with physiological changes), and that changes in locomotor performance rather than changes in morphology are correlated with survival time in predation trials.…”

Section: Discussion (A) Independent Effects Of Uv-bmentioning

confidence: 99%

A small increase in UV-B increases the susceptibility of tadpoles to predation

2011

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Increased ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation as a consequence of ozone depletion is one of the many potential drivers of ongoing global amphibian declines. Both alone and in combination with other environmental stressors, UV-B is known to have detrimental effects on the early life stages of amphibians, but our understanding of the fitness consequences of these effects remains superficial. We examined the independent and interactive effects of UV-B and predatory chemical cues (PCC) on a suite of traits of Limnodynastes peronii embryos and tadpoles, and assessed tadpole survival time in a predator environment to evaluate the potential fitness consequences. Exposure to a 3 to 6 per cent increase in UV-B, which is comparable to changes in terrestrial UV-B associated with ozone depletion, had no effect on any of the traits measured, except survival time in a predator environment, which was reduced by 22 to 28 per cent. Exposure to PCC caused tadpoles to hatch earlier, have reduced hatching success, have improved locomotor performance and survive for longer in a predator environment, but had no effect on tadpole survival, behaviour or morphology. Simultaneous exposure to UV-B and PCC resulted in no interactive effects. These findings demonstrate that increased UV-B has the potential to reduce tadpole fitness, while exposure to PCCs improves their fitness.

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Section: Discussion (A) Independent Effects Of Uv-bmentioning

confidence: 99%

A small increase in UV-B increases the susceptibility of tadpoles to predation

2011

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“…The functional consequences of variation in tail shape are not fully understood. Relationships between tail depth and swimming speed or acceleration can be positive Leimberger 1997, Dayton et al 2005), but are usually negative or absent (Van Buskirk and McCollum 2000a, b, Richardson 2002, Teplitsky et al 2005, Eidietis 2006, Johnson et al 2008. On the other hand, a large and conspicuous tail fin attracts predator attacks away from the vulnerable head/body region, so the deep tail may improve predator escape by functioning as a lure .…”

Section: Relationships Between Morphology and Habitat Gradientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Amphibian larvae are partially protected from predation by a suite of traits that includes a deep tail fin and tail muscle (McCollum and Van Buskirk 1996, Van Buskirk and McCollum 2000a, Van Buskirk and Schmidt 2000, McIntyre et al 2004, Teplitsky et al 2005). The functional consequences of variation in tail shape are not fully understood.…”

Section: Relationships Between Morphology and Habitat Gradientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural variation in morphology of larval amphibians: Phenotypic plasticity in nature?

Buskirk

2009

Ecological Monographs

102

107

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Phenotypic plasticity has been studied intensively in experimental settings but infrequently in nature, and therefore the relevance of experimental findings is poorly known. This is especially true for morphological plasticity in amphibian larvae induced by predators and competitors. This paper describes a seven-year survey of head and tail shape in eight species of anuran and newt larvae in northern Switzerland, involving 6824 individual larvae and 59 ponds. I tested relationships between geometric measures of size and shape and five habitat gradients: pond permanence, cover by forest canopy and aquatic vegetation, and the densities of predators and competitors. Responses to competitors and predators were often similar to those reported in experiments. High competitor density was associated with small size and a large head in newt larvae, a long or deep head/body in anuran larvae, and a short or shallow tail in newts and some tadpoles. High predator density was correlated with a deep tail fin and tail muscle in many species. In anurans, the change in shape between low-and highpredator ponds in nature closely paralleled the plastic response to nonlethal predators in mesocosm experiments. The survey revealed many previously undescribed relationships between morphology and the other habitat features. Several species had relatively large tails in ponds that were shaded or thickly vegetated. Associations between year-to-year changes in shape and habitat within ponds implicated phenotypic plasticity rather than genetic population divergence, at least in anurans. These results inspire confidence in the relevance of experiments and highlight many new patterns that will merit further study. Abstract. Phenotypic plasticity has been studied intensively in experimental settings but infrequently in nature, and therefore the relevance of experimental findings is poorly known. This is especially true for morphological plasticity in amphibian larvae induced by predators and competitors. This paper describes a seven-year survey of head and tail shape in eight species of anuran and newt larvae in northern Switzerland, involving 6824 individual larvae and 59 ponds. I tested relationships between geometric measures of size and shape and five habitat gradients: pond permanence, cover by forest canopy and aquatic vegetation, and the densities of predators and competitors. Responses to competitors and predators were often similar to those reported in experiments. High competitor density was associated with small size and a large head in newt larvae, a long or deep head/body in anuran larvae, and a short or shallow tail in newts and some tadpoles. High predator density was correlated with a deep tail fin and tail muscle in many species. In anurans, the change in shape between low-and highpredator ponds in nature closely paralleled the plastic response to nonlethal predators in mesocosm experiments. The survey revealed many previously undescribed relationships between morphology and the other habitat features. Several species h...

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“…The fact that larger intact tails are associated with higher swimming speed had already been documented ( VAN BUSKIRK & MCCOLLUM 2000b, TEPLITSKY et al 2005, ARENDT 2010. After accounting for body length, our results showed that intact tails of B. gargarizans tadpoles were significantly smaller than of R. zhenhaiensis tadpoles (Table I).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to some studies, larger tails not only improve the swimming performance of tadpoles, but they also help tadpoles to escape from aquatic predators by allowing them to turn suddenly and burst their speed (SMITH & VAN BUSKIRK 1995, VAN BUSKIRK & MCCOLLUM 2000b, TEPLITSKY et al 2005, ARENDT 2010. However, other studies have shown that tadpoles usually do not have a chance to generate defensive responses (ZOTTOLI et al 2001) or increase their swimming speed before being attacked by an aquatic predator ( VAN BUSKIRK & MCCOLLUM 2000a, LUQUET et al 2011.…”

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confidence: 99%