Heat-Induced Hatching of Red-Eyed Treefrog Embryos: Hydration and Clutch Structure Increase Behavioral Thermal Tolerance.

ABSTRACT: Climate change is increasing both environmental temperatures and droughts. Many ectotherms respond behaviorally to heat, thereby avoiding damage from extreme temperatures. Within species, thermal tolerance varies with factors such as hydration as well as ontogenetic stage. Many tropical anurans lay terrestrial eggs, relying on environmental moisture for embryonic development. These eggs are vulnerable to dehydration, and embryos of some species can hatch prematurely to escape from drying eggs. Warmer temperatures can accelerate development and thus hatching, but excess heat can kill embryos. Thus, we hypothesize that embryos may show a behavioral thermal tolerance limit, hatching prematurely to avoid potentially lethal warming. If so, because warming and drying are often associated, we hyp

SUBMITTER: Guevara-Molina EC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9555205 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature