Morphological determinants of jumping performance in the Iberian green frog

Abstract

Predation is one of the main selective forces in nature, frequently selecting potential prey for developing escape strategies. Escape ability is typically influenced by several morphological parameters, such as morphology of the locomotor appendices, muscular capacity, body mass, or fluctuating asymmetry, and may differ between sexes and age classes. In this study, we tested the relationship among these variables and jumping performance in 712 Iberian green frogs Pelophylax perezi from an urban population. The results suggest that the main determinant of jumping capacity was body size (explaining 48% of variance). Larger frogs jumped farther, but jumping performance reached an asymptote for the largest frogs. Once controlled by structural body size, the heaviest frogs jumped shorter distances, suggesting a trade-off between fat storage and jumping performance. Relative hind limb length also determined a small but significant percentage of variance (2.4%) in jumping performance—that is, the longer the hind limbs, the greater the jumping capacity. Juveniles had relatively shorter and less muscular hind limbs than adults (for a given body size), and their jumping performance was poorer. In our study population, the hind limbs of the frogs were very symmetrical, and we found no effect of fluctuating asymmetry on jumping performance. Therefore, our study provides evidence that jumping performance in frogs is not only affected by body size, but also by body mass and hind limb length, and differ between age classes.

How hibernation in frogs drives brain and reproductive evolution in opposite directions

“…Species with an extended brumation period exhibited both a relatively larger amount of body fat in total and a higher degree of its depletion, providing direct evidence to the hypothesis that anurans buffer lean periods by metabolizing stored fat (Luo et al 2017;Huang et al, 2020). Although adipose tissue may not itself be metabolically expensive, transporting it adds costs to locomotion, particularly when jumping away from predators (Moreno-Rueda et al, 2020) or climbing trees compared to moving horizontally on land or in water (Alexander, 2003;Hanna et al, 2008). Consistent with this notion, arboreal species tended to be leaner compared to (semi)aquatic or terrestrial species (Table S17), controlling for brumation duration and relative brain size, both of which we had shown to covary with body fat (Figs.…”

Effects of Separate and Combined Exposure of Cadmium and Lead on the Endochondral Ossification in Bufo gargarizans

“…Similarly, a significant positive relation was found between sprint endurance and mass at metamorphosis in Bufo terrestris (Beck & Congdon, 2000). Other studies have also shown that jumping performance was positively influenced by body size and hind limb length (Charbonnier & Vonesh, 2015; Gomes et al, 2009; Moreno‐Rueda et al, 2020; Orizaola & Laurila, 2009). Poor jumping capacity in B. gargarizans froglets induced by Cd or the Cd/Pb mixture would reduce survival for post‐metamorphic and juvenile anurans because jumping performance is related to prey hunting and predator avoidance in animals (Arendt, 2009; Budick & O'Malley, 2000).…”

Examination of Physiological and Morphological Differences between Farm-Bred and Wild Black-Spotted Pond Frogs (Pelophylax nigromaculatus)

“…This may be due to differences in locomotory performance or food consumed between farm-bred and wild frogs. Differences in the locomotory performance of frogs can change their energy requirements [ 45 ], and consequently change the levels of stored fat [ 51 ]. A poorer locomotory performance is sufficient for farm-bred frogs to live in a narrower space range, and it results in the accumulation of fat in the body.…”