scholarly journals Presence of an alien turtle accelerates hatching of common frog (Rana temporaria) tadpoles

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magda Vodrážková ◽  
Irena Šetlíková ◽  
Josef Navrátil ◽  
Michal Berec
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Rana Temporaria ◽  
Trachemys Scripta ◽  
Common Frog ◽  
Trachemys Scripta Elegans ◽  
Hatching Time ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Lower Stage ◽  
Frog Rana Temporaria ◽  
Phases Of Development

The presence of a predator affects prey populations either by direct predation or by modifying various parts of their life history. We investigated whether the hatching time, developmental stage, and body size at hatching of common frog (Rana temporaria) embryos would be altered in the presence of a red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) as a predator. The presence of a predator affected all factors examined. We found that in the absence of the slider, the embryos hatched in 12 days, while hatching was accelerated by two days when sliders were present. At the same time, the embryos hatched smaller and at a lower stage of development with the slider than without it. Our study extends the range of predators studied, including the effect on different phases of development of potential amphibian prey.

Flatworms (Schmidtea nova) prey upon embryos of the common frog (Rana temporaria) and induce minor developmental acceleration

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ori Segev ◽  
Ariel Rodríguez ◽  
Susanne Hauswaldt ◽  
Karen Hugemann ◽  
Miguel Vences
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Plasticity ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Rana Temporaria ◽  
Common Frog ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Hatching Time ◽  
Risk Of Predation ◽  
Frog Rana Temporaria ◽  
Indirect Cues

Amphibians vary in the degree of pre-metamorphic developmental plasticity in response to risk of predation. Changes in hatching time and development rate can increase egg or tadpole survival respectively by shortening the duration of the more vulnerable stages. The intensity of predator induced developmental response and its direction, i.e. delayed, accelerated, or none, varies considerably between amphibian and predator species. We surveyed freshly deposited clutches of the European common frog Rana temporaria in a population in Braunschweig, Germany and found that 62% (N = 20) of the clutches contained planarians (Schmidtea nova), with an average of 3.94 ± 0.79 and a maximum of 13 planarians per clutch. A laboratory predation experiment confirmed that this planaria preys on R. temporaria eggs and early embryos. We further exposed freshly laid egg masses to either free, caged, or no planarians treatments using floating containers within a breeding pond where the two species co-occur. After 10 days exposure, embryos showed developmental stages 14-25 along the Gosner scale with statistically significant positive effects of both predator treatments. The observed effect was rather slight as predator-exposed individuals showed an increase by a single Gosner stage relative to those raised without planarians. The detected trend suggests that direct and indirect cues from flatworms, rarely considered as anuran predators, might induce a developmental response in R. temporaria early developmental stages.

Predation-induced effects on hatchling morphology in the common frog (Rana temporaria)

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (5) ◽  
pp. 926-930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anssi Laurila ◽  
Pierre-André Crochet ◽  
Juha Merilä
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Rana Temporaria ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Common Frog ◽  
Amphibian Larvae ◽  
Frog Rana Temporaria ◽  
The Common

As mortality due to predation is often high at early independent life stages in many animals, it can be expected that predation-induced modifications of early life history and morphology will be common when predation risk varies spatially or temporally. However, studies of such effects are still rare. Predation-induced changes in life history and morphology have often been described in amphibian larvae, but the focus has been on older larvae and little is known about responses of hatchlings or very young larvae. We examined whether predator presence influenced timing of hatching and hatchling morphology in the common frog, Rana temporaria. In a paired design, eggs from 10 clutches were allowed to develop from fertilization to hatching, with or without the nonlethal presence of a larva of the large diving beetle Dytiscus marginalis. We found no evidence that predator presence affected timing of hatching. However, hatchlings raised in the presence of the predator had relatively shorter bodies and deeper tail fins than their full-sibs raised in the absence of the predator, indicating that predation induces morphological responses in R. temporaria hatchlings. This is one of the very few studies showing that predators, or chemical cues released during a predation event, can induce a plastic morphological changes in vertebrates at very early life stages.

scholarly journals The Ecology and Life History of the Common Frog (Rana temporaria temporaria)

Copeia ◽  
1962 ◽  
Vol 1962 (3) ◽  
pp. 667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard G. Zweifel ◽  
R. Maxwell Savage
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Rana Temporaria ◽  
Common Frog ◽  
Frog Rana Temporaria ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Common

The First Record of Tesselated Snake, Natrix tesselata Laurenti, 1768 in the Central Chernozem Territory of Russia and Some Other Results of the Herpetological Research in the Upper Don

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-194
Author(s):  
Georgy A. Lada ◽  
V. Y. Nedosekin
Keyword(s):  
Rana Temporaria ◽  
First Record ◽  
Isolated Population ◽  
Common Frog ◽  
Northern Border ◽  
Frog Rana Temporaria ◽  
Bombina Bombina ◽  
Central Chernozem

A small isolated population of tesselated snake, Natrix tesselata was found in the Upper Don (Lipetsk Region, Russia). It is the first record of this species in the Central Chernozem Territory of Russia, which is separated from the northern border of the main range by the distance of about 200 km. An isolated population of common frog, Rana temporaria and phenetically peculiar population of fire-bellied toad, Bombina bombina are found here too. Faunistic aspect of new herpetological records is discussed.

Small woods positively influence the occurrence and abundance of the common frog (Rana temporaria) in a traditional farming landscape

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Boissinot ◽  
Pierre Grillet ◽  
Aurélien Besnard ◽  
Olivier Lourdais
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Rana Temporaria ◽  
Common Frog ◽  
Traditional Farming ◽  
Critical Determinant ◽  
Southern Margin ◽  
Frog Species ◽  
Frog Rana Temporaria ◽  
The Common ◽  
Extensive Farming

Traditional farming landscape in western Europe is made of a complex mosaic of pastures, cultures, ponds and hedgerows connected with woods. Previous observations in the common frog species suggest that lowland populations are closely associated to wood cover and our aim was to test the validity of this assumption. We studied common frog occurrence and abundance in western central France (Deux-Sèvres department) close to the southern margin of lowland distribution. Our results pointed out that the proportion of woods surface around sampled areas (1 ha) was a critical determinant of common frog presence and abundance. Extensive farming, which maintains a mosaic of small woods, may provide a robust conservation tool for this species.

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