| the lung-eardrum pathway in three treefrog and four dendrobatid frog species: some properties of sound transmission. | frequency-response curves of the tympanum and lateral body wall (lung area) were measured by laser doppler vibrometry in three treefrog (smilisca baudini, hyla cinerea, osteopilus septentrionalis) and four dendrobatid frog (dendrobates tinctorius, d. histrionicus, epipedobates tricolor, e. azureiventris) species. the high-frequency cut-off of the body wall response was always lower than that of the tympanum. the best response frequencies of the lateral body wall were lower than those of the tymp ... | 1994 | 7964416 |
| basidioboliasis in anurans in florida. | members of the genus basidiobolus, a saprophytic fungus, have been associated with the digestive tracts of a wide variety of amphibians and reptiles. to elucidate the relationship of basidiobolus sp. with amphibians in central florida (usa), we document the occurrence of the fungus in the digestive tracts of bufo terrestris, buffo quercicus, hyla femoralis, hyla cinerea, hyla gratiosa, hyla squirella, osteopilus septentrionalis, and rana utricularia. species that occupy terrestrial habitats (b. ... | 2002 | 12038150 |
| origin of invasive florida frogs traced to cuba. | two of the earliest examples of successful invasive amphibians are the greenhouse frog (eleutherodactylus planirostris) and the cuban treefrog (osteopilus septentrionalis) in florida. although both are generally assumed to be recent introductions, they are widespread on caribbean islands and also have been proposed as natural colonizers. we obtained nucleotide sequence data for both species and their closest relatives in their native and introduced ranges. phylogenetic analyses trace the origin ... | 2011 | 21270024 |
| the fungicide chlorothalonil is nonlinearly associated with corticosterone levels, immunity, and mortality in amphibians. | background: contaminants have been implicated in declines of amphibians, a taxon with vital systems similar to those of humans. however, many chemicals have not been thoroughly tested on amphibians or do not directly kill them.objective: our goal in this study was to quantify amphibian responses to chlorothalonil, the most commonly used synthetic fungicide in the united states.methods: we reared rana sphenocephala (southern leopard frog) and osteopilus septentrionalis (cuban treefrog) in outdoor ... | 2011 | 21463979 |
| transition of chytrid fungus infection from mouthparts to hind limbs during amphibian metamorphosis. | the chytrid fungus, batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (bd), is implicated in worldwide amphibian declines. bd has been shown to qualitatively transition from the mouthparts of tadpoles to the hindlimbs during metamorphosis, but we lack evidence of consistency in the timing of this transition across amphibian species. we also do not have predictive functions for the abundance of bd in mouthparts and limbs as tadpoles develop or for the relationship between keratin and bd abundance. hence, researcher ... | 2015 | 25384612 |
| nonmonotonic and monotonic effects of pesticides on the pathogenic fungus batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in culture and on tadpoles. | pesticides and the pathogenic fungus batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (bd) co-occur and are implicated in the global decline of amphibians, a highly threatened taxon. here, we investigated the effects of ecologically relevant concentrations of chlorothalonil and atrazine, two of the most commonly used, immunomodulatory pesticides in the united states, on tadpole (osteopilus septentrionalis) survival and bd growth. tadpole survival was unaffected by the pesticides but was reduced by bd. atrazine mo ... | 2013 | 23777241 |
| host resistance and tolerance of parasitic gut worms depend on resource availability. | resource availability can significantly alter host-parasite dynamics. abundant food can provide more resources for hosts to resist infections, but also increase host tolerance of infections by reducing competition between hosts and parasites for food. whether abundant food favors host resistance or tolerance (or both) might depend on the type of resource that the parasite exploits (e.g., host tissue vs. food), which can vary based on the stage of infection. in our study, we evaluated how low and ... | 2017 | 28138818 |
| the herbicide atrazine induces hyperactivity and compromises tadpole detection of predator chemical cues. | the ability to detect chemical cues is often critical for freshwater organisms to avoid predation and find food and mates. in particular, reduced activity and avoidance of chemical cues signaling predation risk are generally adaptive behaviors that reduce prey encounter rates with predators. the present study examined the effects of the common herbicide atrazine on the ability of cuban tree frog (osteopilus septentrionalis) tadpoles to detect and respond to chemical cues from larval dragonfly (l ... | 2016 | 26799769 |
| acquired and introduced macroparasites of the invasive cuban treefrog, osteopilus septentrionalis. | because shifts in host-parasite relationships can alter host populations, attention should be given to the parasites that introduced species take with them or acquire in their introduced range. the cuban treefrog, osteopilus septentrionalis, is a successful invasive species in florida with its parasites in the native range being well-documented, but there is a void in the literature regarding what parasites were lost or introduced in its expansion. we necropsied 330 o. septentrionalis from tampa ... | 2015 | 26759792 |
| a pesticide paradox: fungicides indirectly increase fungal infections. | there are many examples where the use of chemicals have had profound unintended consequences, such as fertilizers reducing crop yields (paradox of enrichment) and insecticides increasing insect pests (by reducing natural biocontrol). recently, the application of agrochemicals, such as agricultural disinfectants and fungicides, has been explored as an approach to curb the pathogenic fungus, batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (bd), which is associated with worldwide amphibian declines. however, the lo ... | 2017 | 28763165 |
| do parasitic trematode cercariae demonstrate a preference for susceptible host species? | many parasites are motile and exhibit behavioural preferences for certain host species. because hosts can vary in their susceptibility to infections, parasites might benefit from preferentially detecting and infecting the most susceptible host, but this mechanistic hypothesis for host-choice has rarely been tested. we evaluated whether cercariae (larval trematode parasites) prefer the most susceptible host species by simultaneously presenting cercariae with four species of tadpole hosts. cercari ... | 2012 | 23272084 |
| the weak link: do muscle properties determine locomotor performance in frogs? | muscles power movement, yet the conceptual link between muscle performance and locomotor performance is poorly developed. frog jumping provides an ideal system to probe the relationship between muscle capacity and locomotor performance, because a jump is a single discrete event and mechanical power output is a critical determinant of jump distance. we tested the hypothesis that interspecific variation in jump performance could be explained by variability in available muscle power. we used force ... | 2011 | 21502120 |
| an efficient and inexpensive method for measuring long-term thermoregulatory behavior. | thermoregulatory ability and behavior influence organismal responses to their environment. by measuring thermal preferences, researchers can better understand the effects that temperature tolerances have on ecological and physiological responses to both biotic and abiotic stressors. however, because of funding limitations and confounders, measuring thermoregulation can often be difficult. here, we provide an effective, affordable (~$50 usd per unit), easy to construct, and validated apparatus fo ... | 2016 | 27503737 |
| keystone predators (eastern newts, notophthalmus viridescens) reduce the impacts of an aquatic invasive species. | predation, competition, and their interaction are known to be important factors that influence the structure of ecological communities. in particular, in those cases where a competitive hierarchy exists among prey species, the presence of certain keystone predators can result in enhanced diversity in the prey community. however, little is known regarding the influence of keystone predator presence on invaded prey communities. given the widespread occurrence of invasive species and substantial co ... | 2006 | 16463174 |
| reproductive plasticity in the nematode gyrinicola batrachiensis: does an intermediate reproductive strategy exist in sexually reproducing, didelphic pinworms? | phenotypic plasticity is a process in which multiple phenotypes arise from 1 genotype because of environmental selection pressures. gyrinicola batrachiensis has a heterogeneous reproductive strategy such that females reproduce either via parthogenesis with thick-shelled eggs in a single uterus or sexual reproduction with thick- and thin-shelled eggs in separate uterine horns. no evidence exists that strains of g. batrachiensis are able to switch between parthenogenetic and sexual reproduction. t ... | 2017 | 28732178 |
| vitamin a values of wild-caught cuban tree frogs (osteopilus septentrionalis) and marine toads (rhinella marina) in whole body, liver, and serum. | recent issues surrounding captive amphibians are often nutritionally related problems, such as hypovitaminosis a. although supplementation of frogs with vitamin a is a topic of investigation, the underlying issue is understanding vitamin a metabolism in amphibian species. to develop a range of "normal" vitamin a concentrations for captive amphibians, baseline vitamin a concentrations must be established in wild amphibian species. in this study, two species, cuban tree frogs (osteopilus septentri ... | 2014 | 25632678 |
| serous cutaneous glands in new world hylid frogs: an ultrastructural study on skin poisons confirms phylogenetic relationships between osteopilus septentrionalis and phrynohyas venulosa. | transmission electron microscope investigations of the serous (poison) skin glands in the new world tree frogs osteopilus septentrionalis and phrynohyas venulosa revealed that they produce granules with closely similar substructures, namely, a dense cortex and pale medulla. in both species these features, that contrast the complex, sometimes repeating patterns described in other hylid frogs, derive from similar secretory and maturational processes starting from the golgi phase of poison biosynth ... | 2002 | 12112131 |
| do host-associated gut microbiota mediate the effect of an herbicide on disease risk in frogs? | environmental stressors, such as pollutants, can increase disease risk in wildlife. for example, the herbicide atrazine affects host defences (e.g. resistance and tolerance) of the amphibian chytrid fungus batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (bd), but the mechanisms for these associations are not entirely clear. given that pollutants can alter the gut microbiota of hosts, which in turn can affect their health and immune systems, one potential mechanism by which pollutants could increase infection ris ... | 2017 | 29030867 |
| early-life diet affects host microbiota and later-life defenses against parasites in frogs. | food resources can affect the health of organisms by altering their symbiotic microbiota and affecting energy reserves for host defenses against parasites. different diets can vary in their macronutrient content and therefore they might favor certain bacterial communities of the host and affect the development and maintenance of the immune system, such as the inflammatory or antibody responses. thus, testing the effect of diet, especially for animals with wide diet breadths, on host-associated m ... | 2017 | 28662573 |
| comparative and functional analysis of the digital mucus glands and secretions of tree frogs. | mucus and mucus glands are important features of the amphibian cutis. in tree frogs, the mucus glands and their secretions are crucial components of the adhesive digital pads of these animals. despite a variety of hypothesised functions of these components in tree frog attachment, the functional morphology of the digital mucus glands and the chemistry of the digital mucus are barely known. here, we use an interdisciplinary comparative approach to analyse these components, and discuss their roles ... | 2019 | 31210775 |
| the biomechanics of tree frogs climbing curved surfaces: a gripping problem. | the adhesive mechanisms of climbing animals have become an important research topic because of their biomimetic implications. we examined the climbing abilities of hylid tree frogs on vertical cylinders of differing diameter and surface roughness to investigate the relative roles of adduction forces (gripping) and adhesion. tree frogs adhere using their toe pads and subarticular tubercles, the adhesive joint being fluid-filled. our hypothesis was that on an effectively flat surface (adduction fo ... | 2018 | 29361584 |
| a new parameterization for estimating co-occurrence of interacting species. | models currently used to estimate patterns of species co-occurrence while accounting for errors in detection of species can be difficult to fit when the effects of covariates on species occurrence probabilities are included. the source of the estimation problems is the particular parameterization used to specify species co-occurrence probability. we develop a new parameterization for estimating patterns of co-occurrence of interacting species that allows the effects of covariates to be specified ... | 2010 | 20666262 |
| elucidating mechanisms of invasion success: effects of parasite removal on growth and survival rates of invasive and native frogs. | identifying the mechanisms underlying biological invasions can inform the management of invasive species. the enemy release hypothesis (erh) suggests that invasive species have a competitive advantage in their introduced range because they leave behind many of their predators and parasites from their native range, allowing them to shift resources from defenses to growth, reproduction, and dispersal. many studies have demonstrated that invasive species have fewer parasites than their native count ... | 2020 | 33071307 |
| metabolites produced by batrachochytrium dendrobatidis alter development in tadpoles, but not growth or mortality. | the mass decline of amphibian populations poses a serious threat to global biodiversity and ecosystem stability. the pathogenic fungus batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (bd) has contributed to the extirpation and extinction of hundreds of amphibian species worldwide. bd produces potentially damaging metabolites during the host infection process that may affect amphibian growth and development, even in the absence of infection. in this experiment, cuban tree frog osteopilus septentrionalis tadpoles ... | 2019 | 31535620 |
| compliant substrates disrupt elastic energy storage in jumping tree frogs. | arboreal frogs navigate complex environments and face diverse mechanical properties within their physical environment. such frogs may encounter substrates that are damped and absorb energy or are elastic and can store and release energy as the animal pushes off during take-off. when dealing with a compliant substrate, a well-coordinated jump would allow for the recovery of elastic energy stored in the substrate to amplify mechanical power, effectively adding an in-series spring to the hindlimbs. ... | 2019 | 31141102 |
| reduced innate immunity of cuban treefrogs at leading edge of range expansion. | during geographic range expansion, populations of non-indigenous species at the invasion front may benefit from directing resources away from immune defense. to test this hypothesis, we investigated the strength of two innate immune components in populations of invasive cuban treefrogs (osteopilus septentrionalis) in a long-colonized area (core region) and at the invasion front (leading-edge region). first, we compared the region-specific metabolic response of frogs injected with an endotoxin th ... | 2017 | 29527833 |
| scaling of work and power in a locomotor muscle of a frog. | muscle work and power are important determinants of movement performance in animals. how these muscle properties scale determines, in part, the scaling of performance during movements, such as jump height or distance. muscle-mass-specific work is predicted to remain constant across a range of scales, assuming geometric similarity, while muscle-mass-specific power is expected to decrease with increasing scale. we tested these predictions by examining muscle morphology and contractile properties o ... | 2018 | 29480359 |
| effects of temperature and force requirements on muscle work and power output. | performance of muscle-powered movements depends on temperature through its effects on muscle contractile properties. in vitro stimulation of cuban treefrog (osteopilus septentrionalis) plantaris muscles reveals that interactions between force and temperature affect the mechanical work of muscle. at low temperatures (9-17°c), muscle work depends on temperature when shortening at any force, and temperature effects are greater at higher forces. at warmer temperatures (13-21°c), muscle work depends ... | 2017 | 28314747 |
| robust jumping performance and elastic energy recovery from compliant perches in tree frogs. | arboreal animals often move on compliant branches, which may deform substantially under loads, absorbing energy. energy stored in a compliant substrate may be returned to the animal or it may be lost. in all cases studied so far, animals jumping from a static start lose all of the energy imparted to compliant substrates and performance is reduced. cuban tree frogs (osteopilus septentrionalis) are particularly capable arboreal jumpers, and we hypothesized that these animals would be able to recov ... | 2015 | 26538173 |
| elucidating the life history and ecological aspects of allodero hylae (annelida: clitellata: naididae), a parasitic oligochaete of invasive cuban tree frogs in florida. | given their ubiquitous nature, it is surprising that more oligochaete annelid worms (annelida: clitellata) have not adopted an endoparasitic lifestyle. exceptions, however, are the understudied members of the genus dero (allodero) that parasitize the ureters of tree frogs and toads. this study experimentally explores the life cycle and host specificity of allodero hylae, the worm's use of chemical cues in host searching, and its seasonal prevalence and abundance over a year-long collection perio ... | 2015 | 25730299 |
| corneal lipid deposition in cuban tree frogs (osteopilus septentrionalis) and its relationship to serum lipids: an experimental study. | to evaluate the association between corneal lipid infiltration (corneal arcus) and dietary cholesterol in cuban tree frogs (osteopilus septentrionalis), 47 wild-caught frogs were fed diets of either regular or high-cholesterol crickets containing 0.7% and 1.7% cholesterol dry matter, respectively. serum total cholesterol and triglycerides were measured when the frogs were euthanized after 17 mo. in a subsample of frogs, serum lipoproteins were characterized using high-performance liquid chromato ... | 2001 | 12785678 |
| work and power output in the hindlimb muscles of cuban tree frogs osteopilus septentrionalis during jumping. | it has been suggested that small frogs use a catapult mechanism to amplify muscle power production during the takeoff phase of jumping. this conclusion was based on an apparent discrepancy between the power available from the hindlimb muscles and that required during takeoff. the present study provides integrated data on muscle contractile properties, morphology and jumping performance that support this conclusion. we show here that the predicted power output during takeoff in cuban tree frogs o ... | 1997 | 9344973 |
| neurophysiological properties of the retinal ganglion cell classes of the cuban treefrog, hyla septentrionalis. | the properties of the retinal ganglion cell classes in the cuban treefrog hyla septentrionalis were studied qualitatively and quantitatively. in the superficial layers of the optic tectum three main classes of afferent optic nerve fibers could be distinguished, class-1*, class-3 and class-4 neurons. hyla displays a more "classical" organization of the receptive fields in class-1* neurons and a weaker inhibitory surround and lower thresholds with respect to velocity, size and contrast than in buf ... | 1988 | 3208860 |