Chemical Communication and Semiochemical Recognition in Frogs: From Eggs to Adults

Schulte, Lisa M.; Lipkowski, Konrad; Abondano Almeida, Diana

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-35159-4_5

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 264 publications

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“…In anurans, a group well known for their acoustic communication (Narins et al., 2006), chemical communication and olfaction have also been recognised as relevant. Over 300 studies have been published about the use of semiochemicals, but most of them concern juvenile stages (tadpoles), while the body of literature regarding adult frogs remains scarce (Schulte, 2016; Schulte et al., 2023). However, there is some evidence that chemical communication and olfaction are also relevant for adult frogs, such as in the context of predator–prey interactions, foraging, orientation and homing, mating and parental care behaviours.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adult poison dart frogs avoid potential heterospecific competitors using their sense of smell

Schulze,

Lipkowski,

Abondano Almeida

et al. 2024

Ethology

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Olfaction is the oldest sense in the animal kingdom. It is used during a multitude of behaviours, such as the encounter of food, the detection of predators, the recognition of habitat‐related cues or the communication with conspecifics. While the use of olfaction and chemical communication has been studied widely in some animals, it is barely known in others. Anurans (frogs and toads), for example, are well known to use acoustic and visual senses, but their chemical sense is still largely understudied. Studies concerning the chemical sense in anurans have been mostly based on the use of semiochemicals in juvenile stages, while the information on adult anurans remains limited. In this study, we analysed the behavioural response of the Neotropical poison frog Ranitomeya sirensis (Sira poison frog, Dendrobatidae) when presented with the odours of prey, novel/prey‐luring fruit, habitat, conspecific faeces and heterospecifics. For this, we offered each of the odours by placing them into one of two testing tubes fixed in an arena, with the other tube left empty as a control. We then measured the time the frogs spent in the vicinity of the odour versus the control tube and calculated a response index. While the frogs did not show a significant avoidance or attraction towards most of the tested odours, they showed a strong response towards the heterospecific odour, which was significantly avoided. This is the first evidence of a poison dart frog responding towards the odours of adult heterospecific frogs. We consider potential reasons for this strong negative reaction, such as the interspecific competition avoidance hypothesis, and discuss our results in the context of other animal species being deterred or attracted by heterospecific chemical cues.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adult poison dart frogs avoid potential heterospecific competitors using their sense of smell

Schulze,

Lipkowski,

Abondano Almeida

et al. 2024

Ethology

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Perception of con- and heterospecific injury cues in tadpoles of dendrobatid, ranid and bufonid frogs (Anura)

Lipkowski,

Almeida,

Schulte

2023

Evol Ecol

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Predator-prey interactions are vital for organismal survival. They shape anti-predator mechanisms and often depend on sensory abilities. Tadpoles use chemical cues, such as injury cues (alarm cues), to assess predation risks and modify their life-history, morphology, and behaviours accordingly. However, the prevalence of chemically mediated anti-predator responses in species with distinct ecological niches (e.g. within phytotelmata) remains unknown, hindering our understanding of the ecological significance and evolution of alarm substances. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate chemically mediated anti-predator responses in tadpoles of two Neotropical poison dart frogs, Ranitomeya sirensis and Epipedobates anthonyi (and compare their responses to two Palearctic model organisms, Rana temporaria and Bufo bufo, which are known to utilise alarm substances). Through behavioural bioassays, we exposed predator-naïve tadpoles to extracts of each species (i.e. con- and heterospecific cues), including water as a control (i.e. five treatments per species). We assessed changes in their activity before and after stimulus introduction. Our results show that E. anthonyi did not respond to any of the stimuli, whereas R. sirensis displayed increased activity levels exclusively in response to conspecific cues, but not to heterospecific cues. With this, our findings suggest a specialized recognition system in R. sirensis, potentially directed at conspecific competitors but likely unrelated to anti-predator mechanisms. In contrast, E. anthonyi may be insensitive to injury cues or utilize alternative sensory modalities to respond to acute predation events. This study sheds light on the chemical alarm response system of Neotropical poison dart frog tadpoles, providing foundational understanding of how dendrobatids react to injury cues. It prompts questions about the ecological significance and evolutionary implications of chemical communication in species facing extreme resource limitation during development and underscores the importance of comparative research for understanding chemical communication in diverse aquatic ecosystems.

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Chemical Communication and Semiochemical Recognition in Frogs: From Eggs to Adults

Cited by 2 publications

References 264 publications

Adult poison dart frogs avoid potential heterospecific competitors using their sense of smell

Adult poison dart frogs avoid potential heterospecific competitors using their sense of smell

Perception of con- and heterospecific injury cues in tadpoles of dendrobatid, ranid and bufonid frogs (Anura)

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