Dry-season retreat and dietary shift of the dart-poison frog Dendrobates tinctorius (Anura: Dendrobatidae)
Seasonal rainfall affects tropical forest dynamics and behavior of species that are part of these ecosystems. The positive correlation between amphibian activity patterns and rainfall has been demonstrated repeatedly. Members of Dendrobatidae, a clade of Neotropical dartpoison frogs, are well known...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universidade de São Paulo
2010-07-01
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| Series: | Phyllomedusa: Journal of Herpetology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.revistas.usp.br/phyllo/article/view/42724 |
| _version_ | 1829486693591285760 |
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| author | Marga Born Frans Bongers Erik H. Poelman Frank J. Sterck |
| author_facet | Marga Born Frans Bongers Erik H. Poelman Frank J. Sterck |
| author_sort | Marga Born |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Seasonal rainfall affects tropical forest dynamics and behavior of species that are part of these ecosystems. The positive correlation between amphibian activity patterns and rainfall has been demonstrated repeatedly. Members of Dendrobatidae, a clade of Neotropical dartpoison frogs, are well known for their habitat use and behavior during the rainy season, but their behavior during the dry season has received little attention. We studied habitat use and diet of the dendrobatid frog Dendrobates tinctorius in French Guiana during the rainy and dry seasons. Unlike many other dendrobatid frogs, D. tinctorius does not maintain territories for the entire rainy season. Both sexes colonize recently formed canopygaps and stay in these forest patches for only a few weeks. The frogs in these patches consume a great diversity of prey, consisting of ants, beetles, wasps, insect larvae, and mites. During the dry season, frogs move to retreat sites in mature forest, such as palm bracts and tree holes. The frogs are less active and consume fewer prey items in the dry season, and they consume fewer wasps and insect larvae, but more termites. Ants are the most common prey items during both the wet and dry seasons. We discuss the effects of shifts in seasonal habitat use on the territorial behavior of dendrobatid frogs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T23:12:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2c48dfe63caa48f682e450dbd992390a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1519-1397 2316-9079 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T23:12:22Z |
| publishDate | 2010-07-01 |
| publisher | Universidade de São Paulo |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Phyllomedusa: Journal of Herpetology |
| spelling | doaj.art-2c48dfe63caa48f682e450dbd992390a2022-12-21T22:44:10ZengUniversidade de São PauloPhyllomedusa: Journal of Herpetology1519-13972316-90792010-07-0191Dry-season retreat and dietary shift of the dart-poison frog Dendrobates tinctorius (Anura: Dendrobatidae)Marga BornFrans BongersErik H. PoelmanFrank J. SterckSeasonal rainfall affects tropical forest dynamics and behavior of species that are part of these ecosystems. The positive correlation between amphibian activity patterns and rainfall has been demonstrated repeatedly. Members of Dendrobatidae, a clade of Neotropical dartpoison frogs, are well known for their habitat use and behavior during the rainy season, but their behavior during the dry season has received little attention. We studied habitat use and diet of the dendrobatid frog Dendrobates tinctorius in French Guiana during the rainy and dry seasons. Unlike many other dendrobatid frogs, D. tinctorius does not maintain territories for the entire rainy season. Both sexes colonize recently formed canopygaps and stay in these forest patches for only a few weeks. The frogs in these patches consume a great diversity of prey, consisting of ants, beetles, wasps, insect larvae, and mites. During the dry season, frogs move to retreat sites in mature forest, such as palm bracts and tree holes. The frogs are less active and consume fewer prey items in the dry season, and they consume fewer wasps and insect larvae, but more termites. Ants are the most common prey items during both the wet and dry seasons. We discuss the effects of shifts in seasonal habitat use on the territorial behavior of dendrobatid frogs.https://www.revistas.usp.br/phyllo/article/view/42724AnuraDendrobatidaeDendrobates tinctoriushabitatpreyretreatsites |
| spellingShingle | Marga Born Frans Bongers Erik H. Poelman Frank J. Sterck Dry-season retreat and dietary shift of the dart-poison frog Dendrobates tinctorius (Anura: Dendrobatidae) Phyllomedusa: Journal of Herpetology Anura Dendrobatidae Dendrobates tinctorius habitat prey retreatsites |
| title | Dry-season retreat and dietary shift of the dart-poison frog Dendrobates tinctorius (Anura: Dendrobatidae) |
| title_full | Dry-season retreat and dietary shift of the dart-poison frog Dendrobates tinctorius (Anura: Dendrobatidae) |
| title_fullStr | Dry-season retreat and dietary shift of the dart-poison frog Dendrobates tinctorius (Anura: Dendrobatidae) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dry-season retreat and dietary shift of the dart-poison frog Dendrobates tinctorius (Anura: Dendrobatidae) |
| title_short | Dry-season retreat and dietary shift of the dart-poison frog Dendrobates tinctorius (Anura: Dendrobatidae) |
| title_sort | dry season retreat and dietary shift of the dart poison frog dendrobates tinctorius anura dendrobatidae |
| topic | Anura Dendrobatidae Dendrobates tinctorius habitat prey retreatsites |
| url | https://www.revistas.usp.br/phyllo/article/view/42724 |
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