Foam Nests Provide Context-Dependent Thermal Insulation to Embryos of Three Leptodactylid Frogs

Méndez-Narváez, Javier; Flechas, Sandra V.; Amézquita, Adolfo

doi:10.1086/680383

Cited by 24 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Embryos of several reptile groups are able to display active thermotaxis within the egg (Du et al, 2011; Li et al, 2013; Zhao et al, 2013), but thermoregulatory opportunities in the wild are limited for most species (Cordero, Telemeco, & Gangloff, 2018; Telemeco et al, 2016; but see Ye et al, 2019). Temperature regimes in amphibian embryos are attributed mainly to the oviposition site chosen by reproductive adults (Méndez‐Narváez et al, 2015). We do not know whether amphibian embryos per se are capable of either displaying thermotaxis or whether they actively thermoregulate in the manner of some reptile embryos.…”

Section: Ontogenymentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal adaptation revisited: How conserved are thermal traits of reptiles and amphibians?

et al. 2020

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Ectothermic animals, such as amphibians and reptiles, are particularly sensitive to rapidly warming global temperatures. One response in these organisms may be to evolve aspects of their thermal physiology. If this response is adaptive and can occur on the appropriate time scale, it may facilitate population or species persistence in the changed environments. However, thermal physiological traits have classically been thought to evolve too slowly to keep pace with environmental change in longer‐lived vertebrates. Even as empirical work of the mid‐20th century offers mixed support for conservatism in thermal physiological traits, the generalization of low evolutionary potential in thermal traits is commonly invoked. Here, we revisit this hypothesis to better understand the mechanisms guiding the timing and patterns of physiological evolution. Characterizing the potential interactions among evolution, plasticity, behavior, and ontogenetic shifts in thermal physiology is critical for accurate prediction of how organisms will respond to our rapidly warming world. Recent work provides evidence that thermal physiological traits are not as evolutionarily rigid as once believed, with many examples of divergence in several aspects of thermal physiology at multiple phylogenetic scales. However, slow rates of evolution are often still observed, particularly at the warm end of the thermal performance curve. Furthermore, the context‐specificity of many responses makes broad generalizations about the potential evolvability of traits tenuous. We outline potential factors and considerations that require closer scrutiny to understand and predict reptile and amphibian evolutionary responses to climate change, particularly regarding the underlying genetic architecture facilitating or limiting thermal evolution.

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Section: Ontogenymentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal adaptation revisited: How conserved are thermal traits of reptiles and amphibians?

et al. 2020

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“…Anurans in the families Leptodactylidae and Rhacophoridae produce foam nests during oviposition. These nests provide an extra layer of protection for embryos and earlystage tadpoles by providing insulation from desiccation and temperature fluctuations (Engystomops pustulosus, Dobkin and Gettinger 1985; Dalgetty and Kennedy 2010; Rhacophorus viridis, Tanaka and Nishihira 1987; Rhacophorus arboreus Kusano et al 2006; Physalaemus fischeri, Leptodactylus fuscus, and Leptodactylus knudseni, Méndez-Narváez et al 2015,). Moreover, by eating the material that forms the foam nest, tadpoles gain nutritional benefits and grow more than when reared outside of the foam nest (Tanaka and Nishihira 1987;Kusano et al 2006).…”

Section: Anuransmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developments in Amphibian Parental Care Research: History, Present Advances, and Future Perspectives

Schulte

Ringler

Rojas

et al. 2020

Herpetological Monographs

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Despite rising interest among scientists for over two centuries, parental care behavior has not been as thoroughly studied in amphibians as it has in other taxa. The first reports of amphibian parental care date from the early 18th century, when Maria Sibylla Merian went on a field expedition in Suriname and reported frog metamorphs emerging from their mother's dorsal skin. Reports of this and other parental behaviors in amphibians remained descriptive for decades, often as side notes during expeditions with another purpose. However, since the 1980s, experimental approaches have proliferated, providing detailed knowledge about the adaptive value of observed behaviors. Today, we recognize more than 30 types of parental care in amphibians, but most studies focus on just a few families and have favored anurans over urodeles and caecilians. Here, we provide a synthesis of the last three centuries of parental care research in the three orders comprising the amphibians. We draw attention to the progress from the very first descriptions to the most recent experimental studies, and highlight the importance of natural history observations as a source of new hypotheses and necessary context to interpret experimental findings. We encourage amphibian parental care researchers to diversify their study systems to allow for a more comprehensive perspective of the behaviors that amphibians exhibit. Finally, we uncover knowledge gaps and suggest new avenues of research using a variety of disciplines and approaches that will allow us to better understand the function and evolution of parental care behaviors in this diverse group of animals.

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“…It is known that the temperatures of amphibian oviposition sites can be dependent on factors such as time of day, the duration of solar radiation, the presence of clouds and shadows made by vegetation onto the nests, soil characteristics and morphology of the nests (Wells 2007). Méndez-Narváez et al (2015) have furthermore shown that for the leptodactylids Physalaemus fischeri (Boulenger, 1890), Leptodactylus fuscus (Schneider, 1799), and Leptodactylus knudseni (Heyer, 1972) foam nests reduce temperature fluctuations within the nests when compared with surrounding temperatures, and that foam nests placed onto water do protect the nest less from temperature fluctuations than more terrestrial nests. The nests made by P. cuvieri showed a low area/volume ratio (0.23 ± 0.05 cm -1 ) when compared to a nest not placed into a depression in the ground, which means that, on average, nests showed a volume five times greater than their opening area, resulting in a very small area for heat exchange between the foam and the surrounding air.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of abiotic factors associated with foam nests of Cuvier’s foam froglet (Physalaemus cuvieri) in southeastern Brazil

Rodrigues¹,

Silva²,

Klein³

et al. 2020

NBC

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Climate change may have significant impacts on amphibian diversity due to alterations in microhabitat conditions where these species occurs. Understanding the abiotic factors associated with a species’ microhabitat are therefore necessary to evaluate the impact they may suffer. Amphibians are exposed to changing microhabitat conditions at multiple life stages, since reproduction and larval development of most species depend on water, whereas adults frequently depend on terrestrial habitats. Physalaemus cuvieri is a Neotropical frog that uses foam nests for reproduction that may provide some protection for tadpoles against temperature and humidity fluctuations. Herein, foam nests of P. cuvieri were studied within vegetation around a pond, with the aim of analyzing the morphometric (depth, area and volume) relationships of foam nests with abiotic factors (humidity, temperature). Humidity 2 cm above the nests was significantly greater than 2 m from the nests. Temperature, measured at different depths of the nests, was significantly reduced by up to 10 °C when compared to atmospheric air temperatures above the nests. We conclude that foam nests facilitate a protective environment for eggs by regulating temperature and humidity to acceptable levels.

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Foam Nests Provide Context-Dependent Thermal Insulation to Embryos of Three Leptodactylid Frogs

Cited by 24 publications

References 31 publications

Thermal adaptation revisited: How conserved are thermal traits of reptiles and amphibians?

Thermal adaptation revisited: How conserved are thermal traits of reptiles and amphibians?

Developments in Amphibian Parental Care Research: History, Present Advances, and Future Perspectives

Analysis of abiotic factors associated with foam nests of Cuvier’s foam froglet (Physalaemus cuvieri) in southeastern Brazil

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