Nolan Nadine, Hayward Matt, Callen Alex, Klop-Toker Kaya
Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan New South Wales Australia.
Centre for African Conservation Ecology Nelson Mandela University Gqeberha South Africa.
Ecol Evol. 2025 Jan 9;15(1):e70829. doi: 10.1002/ece3.70829. eCollection 2025 Jan.
Amphibians are among the most threatened vertebrate taxa globally. Their global decline necessitates effective conservation actions to bolster populations across both the larval and adult stages. Constructing man-made ponds is one action proven to enhance reproduction in pond-breeding amphibians. However, to achieve successful conservation outcomes, extensive knowledge about the ecology and behavior of the target species is required. In this study, we investigated how different hydroperiod regimes impacted the growth and development of tadpoles. Over a 28-week period, tadpoles were exposed to three hydroperiod treatments: constant high, declining, and constant low water levels. Weekly measurements of snout-vent length, body mass, and Gosner stage were taken to assess treatment-related changes. To determine whether different treatments affected locomotor performance, jump tests were conducted 3 weeks post-metamorphosis. Individuals exhibited limited developmental plasticity in response to declining water, with a mean time to metamorphosis of 85.1 days ± 12.1. Comparatively, when tadpoles were exposed to low water volumes, they were able to speed up development and reduce time to metamorphosis, with a mean time of 63.7 days ± 10.3. The speeding up of development had an apparent consequence for . We found support for trade-offs between rapid development and reduced morphometric measurements postmetamorphosis which resulted in reduced locomotive ability. Individuals from constant low water treatments exhibited an average total jumping distance of 171 cm ± 13.6 over 10 consecutive jumps, compared with 236 cm ± 17.3 in constant high and 210 cm ± 14.8 in declining treatments. Rapid larval development aids tadpoles in escaping suboptimal aquatic conditions, but its effects on locomotion may impact foraging efficiency and predator escape ability. Understanding developmental plasticity in threatened amphibians, especially in response to hydroperiod variations, is crucial for conservation programs, particularly under future climate change scenarios predicting increased drought and reduced hydroperiods in aquatic environments.
两栖动物是全球受威胁最严重的脊椎动物类群之一。它们在全球范围内的数量减少，需要采取有效的保护行动来增加幼体和成体阶段的种群数量。建造人工池塘是一项已被证明能促进在池塘繁殖的两栖动物繁殖的行动。然而，为了取得成功的保护成果，需要对目标物种的生态和行为有广泛的了解。在本研究中，我们调查了不同的水文周期模式如何影响蝌蚪的生长和发育。在28周的时间里，蝌蚪接受了三种水文周期处理：持续高水位、水位下降和持续低水位。每周测量吻肛长度、体重和戈斯纳发育阶段，以评估与处理相关的变化。为了确定不同处理是否影响运动性能，在变态后3周进行跳跃测试。个体对水位下降的发育可塑性有限，平均变态时间为85.1天±12.1天。相比之下，当蝌蚪暴露在低水量环境中时，它们能够加快发育并缩短变态时间，平均时间为63.7天±10.3天。发育加速产生了明显的后果。我们发现快速发育与变态后形态测量值降低之间存在权衡，这导致运动能力下降。持续低水位处理的个体在连续10次跳跃中的平均总跳跃距离为171厘米±13.6厘米，而持续高水位处理的为236厘米±17.3厘米，水位下降处理的为210厘米±14.8厘米。幼体快速发育有助于蝌蚪逃离次优水生环境，但其对运动的影响可能会影响觅食效率和躲避捕食者的能力。了解受威胁两栖动物的发育可塑性，尤其是对水文周期变化的反应，对于保护计划至关重要，特别是在未来气候变化情景预测水生环境干旱加剧和水文周期缩短的情况下。
