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Effects of Temperature on Growth, Development, and Color Polymorphism in the Ornate Chorus Frog Pseudacris ornata

1988; American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists; Volume: 1988; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/1445724

1938-5110

Gail A. Harkey, Raymond D. Semlitsch,

Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology

We studied the effects of five temperature treatments (10 C, 15 C, 20 C, 25 C, 30 C) on larval development, growth, and color polymorphism of Pseudacris ornata in the laboratory. Body mass and developmental stage on day 32 increased with increasing temperature to 25 C, then decreased at 30 C. Mass at metamorphosis and time to metamorphosis decreased with increasing temperature treatments. Fewer deformities and greater average survival were found at intermediate temperature treatments of 20 C and 25 C than at the two extremes of 10 C and 30 C. No larvae metamorphosed from the 10 C treatment after 111 d and individuals only reached Gosner stage 30. Copper, brown, and gray metamorphs were produced from brown and gray parents; green morphs were not present. The proportion of brown metamorphs increased with increasing temperatures, but there was no change in gray metamorphs with temperature. The copper color morph was not observed at metamorphosis, but was distinguishable several weeks after metamorphosis. Alteration of temperature in the larval environment may explain some of the temporal and spatial variation in: 1) time to metamorphosis; 2) size at metamorphosis; and 3) relative frequency of color morphs in natural populations of P. ornata and amphibians, in general.