Urban plums and toads: do fleshy fruits affect the post-metamorphic growth of amphibians?

ABSTRACT:

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 fre

SUBMITTER: Kaczmarski M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6359899 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature