期刊论文详细信息
PeerJ
Urban plums and toads: do fleshy fruits affect the post-metamorphic growth of amphibians?
article
Mikołaj Kaczmarski1  Piotr Tryjanowski1  Anna Maria Kubicka1 
[1] Department of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences
关键词: Anura;    Prunus cerasifera;    Bufotes viridis;    Development dynamics;    Fruit trees;   
DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.6337
学科分类:社会科学、人文和艺术(综合)
来源: Inra
PDF
【 摘 要 】

Background The main aim of the study was to analyse the influence of fleshy fruits (plums) on the post-metamorphic growth and feeding behaviour of the green toad Bufotes viridis. We tested the following two hypotheses: (1) juveniles of the green toad are characterised by faster growth in conditions involving fallen plums Prunus cerasifera due to the associated presence of more varied food such as invertebrates; (2) green toads exhibit more active feeding behaviour in the presence of fleshy fruits. Methods A total of 120 fresh metamorphs of the green toad were randomly assigned to one of four groups: two experimental groups with fleshy plums and two other groups as controls (without fruits). Each group was kept in an enclosure to which wild invertebrates had free access. Each individual toad was measured for snout-vent length (mm) and body mass (g) every other day for 30 days. In order to determine whether fallen plums influence the feeding behaviour of toads, the number of active and hidden (under an artificial shelter) individuals was also noted. Results The results showed that green toads from both enclosures with plums were characterised by more rapid growth than individuals from the control treatments. Simultaneously, in the enclosure with fleshy fruits, greater species richness of wild invertebrates was observed. No differences in active feeding behaviour were noted between control groups and groups with plums. Discussion Fleshy fruits, upon falling, attract many types of invertebrates; thus they may represent good dietary supplements for fresh amphibian metamorphs. Therefore, the presence of fruit trees close to a breeding site might influences the post-metamorphic growth of amphibians, but not their feeding behaviour. The presence of insects associated with fallen fruit seems to favour the occurrence of amphibian populations, which is particularly important, since, due to political and social pressure, numbers of fruit trees are currently being reduced. To our knowledge, no previous study has investigated the potential influence of the presence of fruit trees on the growth and behaviour of anurans.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   

【 预 览 】
附件列表
Files Size Format View
RO202307100011046ZK.pdf 1710KB PDF download
  文献评价指标  
  下载次数:5次 浏览次数:5次