Tadpoles in the superfamily Dendrobatoidea (families Aromobatidae and Dendrobatidae), housed in zoological collections or illustrated in publications, were studied. For the most part, tadpoles of species within the family Aromobatidae, the subfamilies Colostethinae and Hyloxalinae (of the family Dendrobatidae), and those of the genus Phyllobates, Dendrobatinae (Dendrobatidae) have slender anter...

Predator-induced phenotypic plasticity is the ability of prey to adapt to their native predator. However, owing to environmental changes, encounters with unknown predators are inevitable. Therefore, study of prey and non-native predator interaction will reveal the primary stages of adaptive strategies in prey-predator interactions in the context of evolutionary processes. Here, Xenopus tadpoles...

A series of 27 analogs of the general anesthetic propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) were examined for general anesthetic activity in Xenopus laevis tadpoles and for the ability to produce enhancement of submaximal GABA responses and/or direct activation at recombinant GABA(A) receptors. Fourteen of the propofol analogs produced loss of righting reflex in the tadpoles, whereas 13 were inactive as ...

Nuclei from a monolayer of cultured epithelial cells have been transplanted singly to enucleated unfertilized eggs of Xenopus laevis. About three-quarters of the injected eggs failed to cleave or cleaved abortively. Most of the remainder formed partial blastulae. Less than 1 % reached postneurula stages of development. Nuclei from first-transfer blastulae were used for serial transplantation. T...

Understanding the external stimuli and natural contexts that elicit complex behaviours, such as parental care, is key in linking behavioural mechanisms to their real-life function. Poison frogs provide obligate parental care by shuttling their tadpoles from terrestrial clutches to aquatic nurseries, but little is known about the proximate mechanisms that control these behaviours. In this study,...

Amphibians are undergoing large population declines in many regions around the world. As environmental pollution from both agricultural and urban sources has been implicated in such declines, there is a need for a biomonitoring approach to study potential impacts on this vulnerable class of organism. This study assessed the use of infrared (IR) spectroscopy as a tool to detect changes in severa...

Pesticides are broadly used for pest control in agriculture despite possible negative impacts they may pose to the environment. Thus, we examined the DNA damage caused by five herbicides commonly used in southern Ontario (Canada). Erythrocytes from Rana catesbeiana (bullfrog) tadpoles were evaluated for DNA damage following exposure to selected herbicides, using the alkaline single-cell gel DNA...

The mere presence of predators often decreases the growth rate of prey individuals, which devote energy and time to predator avoidance mechanisms. However, if time constraints are present, the prey individuals might be forced to neglect predators in order to grow faster. Amphibian larvae lower their activity when exposed to predators, which increases their survival probability but lowers their ...

For more than 20 years, conservationists have agreed that amphibian populations around the world are declining. Results obtained through laboratory or mesocosm studies and measurement of contaminant concentrations in areas experiencing declines have supported a role of contaminants in these declines. The current study examines the effects of contaminant exposure to amphibians in situ in areas a...

Abstract Pollen is a nutritive resource, but its role in aquatic food webs little studied. Successful pollen acquisition may require behavioral adaptations for tadpoles with certain morphologies; however, coats are hard to break enable content assimilation. We investigated the consumption of by from three ecomorphotypes adapted feed on surface (neustonic), water column (nektonic) and bottom (be...