Diet of the Invasive Frog<i>Lithobates catesbeianus</i>(Shaw, 1802) (Anura: Ranidae) in Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Silva, Emanuel Teixeira da; Reis, Evelyze Pinheiro dos; Feio, Renato Neves; Filho, Oswaldo Pinto Ribeiro

doi:10.2994/057.004.0312

Cited by 46 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…As reported by Silva et al (2009) in tropical Brazil, terrestrial prey items were dominant in the diet of our bullfrog population. All frog species with positive electivity values have small to medium body sizes and inhabit the herbaceous vegetation next to lentic water bodies, which are the preferred habitat of L. catesbeianus (Wemer et al, 1995;Cook and Jennings, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Invasive bullfrogs as predators in a Neotropical assemblage: What frog species do they eat?

et al. 2012

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Anurans are important prey for the American buUfrog Lithobates catesbeianus, but field assessments of its diet in the context of a local prey assemblage are lacking. We aimed to identify the frog species consumed by an invasive bullfrog population in subtropical South America, and to assess their relative importance among other types of prey. Characterization of the frog assemblage in the study area also allowed us to calculate the degree of electivity of the recorded anuran prey, in order to gain insight regarding bullfrog feeding preferences and to test if the bullfrog prey composition differed from a random sample of the assemblage. A total of 32.6% of the bullfrogs had at least one anuran in the stomach contents, and post-metamorphic anurans represented 49.1% of the relative prey importance for adult bullfrogs. Anurans were preyed on by all size classes, and constituted the volumetrically most important prey category in the diet of individuals heavier than 100 g. Cycloramphidae, HyMdae and Leiuperidae were positively selected, and Hypsiboas pulchellus and Physalaemus cuvieri were the species most often taken. We found a low occurrence of cannibalism, despite the high density of bullfrogs at the study site. Our results showed that the degree of electivity differed among bullfrog prey types, suggesting that some frog species may be preyed on in a higher proportion than their relative abundance in the assemblage. Testing the clues provided by this assemblage-level approach may lead to a better assessment of the interactions between buUfrogs and the native frog fauna.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Invasive bullfrogs as predators in a Neotropical assemblage: What frog species do they eat?

et al. 2012

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“…In the absence of crayfish, American bullfrogs widened their trophic niche width with a preference for diplopods and amphibians. Indeed, the species is able to tolerate phenolic and quinone compounds, produced by the repugnant glands of diplopods, as suggested by Silva et al (2009). The diffuse predation of native amphibians reported in many studies (Boelter & Cechin, 2007;Silva et al, 2009;Silva et al, 2011) is probably related to the larger body size of American bullfrogs with respect to the native species, and to the occupation of similar spatial niches (Pombal, 2007;Silva et al, 2009;Silva et al, 2011;A.…”

Section: Fieldworkmentioning

confidence: 91%

Field data and worldwide literature review reveal that alien crayfish mitigate the predation impact of the American bullfrog on native amphibians

Bissattini

Buono

Vignoli

2018

Aquatic Conservation

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Biological invasion studies have focused mostly on the competition and predation impact of invaders on native species; however, introduced species frequently interact with each other and, contrary to the ‘invasional meltdown theory’, such interactions may have non‐interactive effects on native fauna. Here, the effects of the interaction between American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) and decapod crayfish on native amphibians have been investigated. Introduced American bullfrog populations were studied at two sites in central Italy (Rome, Latium), with their selection based on the presence or absence of the alien Procambarus clarkii. The pattern emerging from the fieldwork was then verified by a worldwide literature review on the trophic niche of the American bullfrog. Both field surveys and global diet analysis showed that the abundance of native amphibians in the American bullfrog diet was reduced when introduced crayfish occurred in both native and non‐native ranges. Thus, an alternative invasion model can be proposed in which the occurrence of one invader (P. clarkii) may reduce the negative effect of an alien predator (L. catesbeianus) on native species. The present findings suggest that the removal of invaders may not always be the best solution for protecting native prey, especially when alien species are interspersed with other introduced species. In such cases, multispecies operations, sequenced appropriately or undertaken simultaneously, would be preferable. Moreover, the identification of mechanisms facilitating the coexistence of native species with invaders can offer important management options.

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“…Such different food spectra may be related to the partitioning of the foraging habitat by adults and juveniles, and thus may reduce competition and prevent cannibalism (Schoener, 1974;Silva et al, 2009). Such different food spectra may be related to the partitioning of the foraging habitat by adults and juveniles, and thus may reduce competition and prevent cannibalism (Schoener, 1974;Silva et al, 2009).…”

Section: Comparison Between the Diet Of Adult And Juvenile Americanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disentangling the trophic interactions between American bullfrogs and native anurans: Complications resulting from post‐metamorphic ontogenetic niche shifts

Bissattini

Buono

Vignoli

2019

Aquatic Conservation

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1. The American bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802), is considered one of the world's worst invaders because of its potential to affect native fauna adversely, especially amphibians, through predation, competition, breeding interference, and disease transmission.2. Here, the potential impact of introduced American bullfrogs (juveniles and adults) on native adult green frogs, Pelophylax kl. esculentus (Linnaeus, 1758), was investigated in a pond ecosystem by means of stomach-content and stable-isotope analyses. Specifically, this study was aimed at assessing the impact of the American bullfrog on native green frogs in terms of predation and competition (i.e. feeding ecology and habitat use), and uncovering changes in interspecific interactions linked to the ontogenetic dietary-habitat shifts of the invaders. 3. Stomach contents and isotope analyses suggest that L. catesbeianus changes trophic position in the food chain and undergoes ontogenetic dietary-habitat shifts during its life cycle. The species therefore has the potential to exert a double impact on native green frogs: as a predator at the adult stage and as a competitor (for food and habitat use) at the juvenile stage. 4. Stomach-content and isotope analyses gave similar results, suggesting that the predation impact by adult American bullfrogs on green frogs is mediated by the presence of the alien red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852). Juvenile American bullfrogs and native amphibians overlap in their diet composition and in their habitat use, suggesting the existence of potential competition between the two species. 5. Ontogenetic dietary-habitat shifts in the American bullfrog, local conditions, and trophic interactions should be seriously considered in management approaches to promote the long-term coexistence of L. catesbeianus and native amphibians. Such management options have been neglected in the literature, and are worthy of further investigation to understand their efficacy on native species.

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Diet of the Invasive FrogLithobates catesbeianus(Shaw, 1802) (Anura: Ranidae) in Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Cited by 46 publications

References 28 publications

Invasive bullfrogs as predators in a Neotropical assemblage: What frog species do they eat?

Invasive bullfrogs as predators in a Neotropical assemblage: What frog species do they eat?

Field data and worldwide literature review reveal that alien crayfish mitigate the predation impact of the American bullfrog on native amphibians

Disentangling the trophic interactions between American bullfrogs and native anurans: Complications resulting from post‐metamorphic ontogenetic niche shifts

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