Effects of larval foam-making and prolonged terrestriality on morphology, nitrogen excretion and development to metamorphosis in a Leptodactylid frog.

ABSTRACT: At ontogenetic transitions, animals often exhibit plastic variation in development, behavior and physiology in response to environmental conditions. Most terrestrial-breeding frogs have aquatic larval periods. Some species can extend their initial terrestrial period, as either a plastic embryonic response to balance trade-offs across environments or an enforced wait for rain that allows larvae to access aquatic habitats. Terrestrial larvae of the foam-nesting frog, Leptodactylus fragilis, can arrest development, make their own nest foam to prevent dehydration, and synthesize urea to avoid ammonia toxicity. These plastic responses enable survival during unpredictably long periods in underground nest chambers, waiting for floods to enable exit and continued development in water. Howev

SUBMITTER: Mendez-Narvaez J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11871897 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature