Search results for "Amphibia"
showing 10 items of 71 documents
Contrasting parental roles shape sex differences in poison frog space use but not navigational performance
2022
Sex differences in vertebrate spatial abilities are typically interpreted under the adaptive specialization hypothesis, which posits that male reproductive success is linked to larger home ranges and better navigational skills. The androgen spillover hypothesis counters that enhanced male spatial performance may be a byproduct of higher androgen levels. Animal groups that include species where females are expected to outperform males based on life-history traits are key for disentangling these hypotheses. We investigated the association between sex differences in reproductive strategies, spatial behavior, and androgen levels in three species of poison frogs. We tracked individuals in natura…
Molecular phylogeny of Malagasy poison frogs, genus Mantella (Anura: Mantellidae): homoplastic evolution of colour pattern in aposematic amphibians
2002
Abstract We studied the evolution of colour pattern in Malagasy poison frogs, genus Mantella , a group of diurnal and toxic frogs endemic to Madagascar. Based on a phylogeny reconstructed using 1130 bp of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, the genus can be divided into five species groups. Within some of these groups, interspecific genetic divergences were very low (1.2–2.8% sequence divergence) while colour patterns were markedly different. In contrast, Mantella madagascariensis and M . baroni , two species which show extremely similar dorsal coloration patterns, were not included in the same clade. This conclusion was supported by high bootstrap values and by significant rejection of altern…
Captivity and infection by the fungal pathogen batrachochytrium salamandrivorans perturb the amphibian skin microbiome
2019
The emerging fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) is responsible for the catastrophic decline of European salamanders and poses a threat to amphibians globally. The amphibian skin microbiome can influence disease outcome for several host-pathogen systems, yet little is known of its role in Bsal infection. In addition, many experimental in-vivo amphibian disease studies to date have relied on specimens that have been kept in captivity for long periods without considering the influence of environment on the microbiome and how this may impact the host response to pathogen exposure. We characterized the impact of captivity and exposure to Bsal on the skin bacterial and fung…
Structural and Functional Similarity of Amphibian Constitutive Androstane Receptor with Mammalian Pregnane X Receptor
2016
The nuclear receptors and xenosensors constitutive androstane receptor (CAR, NR1I3) and pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2) induce the expression of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes and transporters, which also affects various endobiotics. While human and mouse CAR feature a high basal activity and low induction upon ligand exposure, we recently identified two constitutive androstane receptors in Xenopus laevis (xlCARá and â) that possess PXR-like characteristics such as low basal activity and activation in response to structurally diverse compounds. Using a set of complementary computational and biochemical approaches we provide evidence for xlCARá being the structural and functional counterpa…
Multiple overseas dispersal in amphibians
2003
Amphibians are thought to be unable to disperse over ocean barriers because they do not tolerate the osmotic stress of salt water. Their distribution patterns have therefore generally been explained by vicariance biogeography. Here, we present compelling evidence for overseas dispersal of frogs in the Indian Ocean region based on the discovery of two endemic species on Mayotte. This island belongs to the Comoro archipelago, which is entirely volcanic and surrounded by sea depths of more than 3500 m. This constitutes the first observation of endemic amphibians on oceanic islands that did not have any past physical contact to other land masses. The two species of frogs had previously been tho…
Blood Anticoagulant Activity of Sulphated Ovular Mucins of Amphibians
1957
THE mucin constituting the gelatinous layer which envelops the eggs of Bufo bufo, if digested with papain and then sulphated, shows a marked anticoagulant activity on the fibrinogen and the whole blood plasma1. A similar anticoagulant activity has now been shown by the ovular mucins of other species of amphibians, sulphated without any previous proteolysis.
Original data for article: From habitat use to social behavior: natural history of a voiceless poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius
2019
Descriptive studies of natural history have always been a source of knowledge on which experimental work and scientific progress rely. Poison frogs are a well-studied group of small Neotropical frogs with diverse parental behaviors, distinct calls, and bright colors that warn predators about their toxicity; and a showcase of advances in fundamental biology through natural history observations. The dyeing poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius, is emblematic of the Guianas region, widespread in the pet-trade, and increasingly popular in research. This species shows several unusual behaviors, such as the lack of advertisement calls and the aggregation around tree-fall gaps, which remain poorly d…
Expression of Odorant Receptor Family, Type 2 OR in the Aquatic Olfactory Cavity of Amphibian Frog Xenopus tropicalis
2012
International audience; Recent genome wide in silico analyses discovered a new family (type 2 or family H) of odorant receptors (ORs) in teleost fish and frogs. However, since there is no evidence of the expression of these novel OR genes in olfactory sensory neurons (OSN), it remains unknown if type 2 ORs (OR2) function as odorant receptors. In this study, we examined expression of OR2 genes in the frog Xenopus tropicalis. The overall gene expression pattern is highly complex and differs depending on the gene and developmental stage. RT-PCR analysis in larvae showed that all of the OR2η genes we identified were expressed in the peripheral olfactory system and some were detected in the brai…
Phylogeny and classification of poison frogs (Amphibia: dendrobatidae), based on mitochondrial 16S and 12S ribosomal RNA gene sequences.
2000
An analysis of partial sequences of the 16S ribosomal rRNA gene (582 bp) of 20 poison frog species (Dendrobatidae) confirmed their phylogenetic relationships to bufonid and leptodactylid frogs. Representatives of the ranoid families and subfamilies Raninae, Mantellinae, Petropedetinae, Cacosterninae, Arthroleptidae, Astylosternidae, and Microhylidae did not cluster as sister group of the Dendrobatidae. Similar results were obtained in an analysis using a partial sequence of the 12S gene (350 bp) in a reduced set of taxa and in a combined analysis. Within the Dendrobatidae, our data supported monophyly of the genus Phyllobates but indicated paraphyly of Epipedobates and Colostethus. Minyobat…
Cracking the nut: Geographical adjacency of sister taxa supports vicariance in a polytomic salamander clade in the absence of node support
2008
The urodelan genus Lyciasalamandra, which inhabits a relatively small area along the southern Turkish coast and some Aegean islands, provides an outstanding example of a diverse but phylogenetically unresolved taxon. Molecular trees contain a single basal polytomy that could be either soft or hard. We here use the information of nuclear (allozymes) and mitochondrial (fractions of the 16S rRNA and ATPase genes) datasets in combination with area relationships of lineages to resolve the phylogenetic relationships among Lyciasalamandra species in the absence of sufficient node support. We can show that neither random processes nor introgressive hybridization can be invoked to explain that the m…