Predator Cues during the Egg Stage Affect Larval Development in the Gray Treefrog, Hyla versicolor (Anura: Hylidae)
The presence of predators can induce changes in the morphology and behavior of the potential prey. In this study, we examined the effects of different predator-induced changes in water chemistry experienced during the egg stage on larval development in the Gray Treefrog, Hyla versicolor. The potential predators of amphibian eggs and tadpoles used in this study included larval odonates, crawfish, and leeches. Tadpoles from eggs exposed to leech-induced changes in water chemistry were consistently smaller throughout their larval development than the tadpoles in the control and other potential predator treatments. Size at metamorphosis did not differ significantly among treatments, but the tadpoles in the leech treatment were significantly older at metamorphosis than tadpoles in the other treatments. These results highlight some of the potential fitness consequences for larval H. versicolor that received predator cues during the egg stage.Abstract
Diagrammatic representation of the experimental design
Variation among predator treatments in tadpole body length after 20 (1) and 60 (2) days of development and in snout–vent length at metamorphosis (3). Control = dashed line, crawfish = dotted line, leech = dashed and dotted line, and odonate = solid line. Vertical bars = ± 1 SE
Contributor Notes
(MJS, MP, KS) Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211; and (MMD) Department of Zoology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, 6009. Present address: (MJS) Arthur Rylah Institute, 123 Brown Street (P.O. Box 137), Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia, 3084. E-mail: (MJS) michael.smith@dse.vic.gov.au Send reprint requests to MJS.