Effect of carotenoid class and dose on the larval growth and development of the critically endangered southern corroboree frog.

Dietary carotenoids are expected to improve vertebrate growth and development, though evidence for beneficial effects remains limited. One reason for this might be that few studies have directly compared the effects of carotenoids from different classes (carotenes versus xanthophylls) at more than one dose. Here, we tested the effect of two doses of dietary β-carotene and lutein (representing two different carotenoid classes) on the growth and development of larval southern corroboree frogs ().

The effect of dietary antioxidants and exercise training on the escape performance of Southern Corroboree frogs.

Escape-response behaviour is essential to ensure an individual's survival during a predator attack, however, these behaviours are energetically costly and may cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can be reduced by supplementing an individual's diet with exogenous antioxidants or through regular moderate exercise training, which stimulates the upregulation of the endogenous antioxidant system. Two studies have tested the simultaneous effects of dietary antioxidant supplementation and exercise training on animal escape-response behaviour.

The influence of carotenoid supplementation at different life-stages on the foraging performance of the Southern Corroboree frog (Pseudophryne corroboree): A test of the Silver Spoon and Environmental Matching Hypotheses.

Organismal performance can be significantly affected by the nutritional conditions experienced during different life-stages. The Silver Spoon Hypothesis predicts that individuals will always perform better as adults when they experience advantageous conditions during development. In contrast, the Environmental Matching Hypothesis predicts that individuals will perform better if they experience similar conditions during development and adulthood.