The time course of acclimation of critical thermal maxima is modulated by the magnitude of temperature change and thermal daily fluctuations.

Plasticity in the critical thermal maximum (CT) helps ectotherms survive in variable thermal conditions. Yet, little is known about the environmental mechanisms modulating its time course. We used the larvae of three neotropical anurans (Boana platanera, Engystomops pustulosus and Rhinella horribilis) to test whether the magnitude of temperature changes and the existence of fluctuations in the thermal environment affected both the amount of change in CT and its acclimation rate (i.

The effect of thermal microenvironment in upper thermal tolerance plasticity in tropical tadpoles. Implications for vulnerability to climate warming.

Current climate change is generating accelerated increase in extreme heat events and organismal plastic adjustments in upper thermal tolerances, (critical thermal maximum -CT ) are recognized as the quicker mitigating mechanisms. However, current research casts doubt on the actual mitigating role of thermal acclimation to face heat impacts, due to its low magnitude and weak environmental signal. Here, we examined these drawbacks by first estimating maximum extent of thermal acclimation by examining known sources of variation affecting CT expression, such as daily thermal fluctuation and heating rates.

Phenotypic and genomic diversification with isolation by environment along elevational gradients in a neotropical treefrog.

Understanding how geographic and environmental heterogeneity drive local patterns of genetic variation is a major goal of ecological genomics and a key question in evolutionary biology. The tropical Andes and inter-Andean valleys are shaped by markedly heterogeneous landscapes, where species experience strong selective processes. We examined genome-wide SNP data together with behavioural and ecological traits (mating calls and body size) known to contribute to genetic isolation in anurans in the banana tree-dwelling frog, Boana platanera, distributed across an environmental gradient in Central Colombia (northern South America).

The advertisement call of the Colombian endemic glassfrog Rulyrana susatamai (Anura: Centrolenidae).

Anuran calls are conspicuous, diverse and subject to sexual selection. Many types of calls are described, but the most commonly studied is the advertisement call (Wells 2007; Toledo et al. 2014).

Toxinological characterization of venom from Leptodeira annulata (Banded cat-eyed snake; Dipsadidae, Imantodini).

We investigated the histology of Duvernoy's venom gland and the biochemical and biological activities of Leptodeira annulata snake venom. The venom gland had a lobular organization, with secretory tubules formed by serous epithelial cells surrounding each lobular duct. The latter drained into a common lobular duct and subsequently into a central cistern.

The advertisement call of Centrolene notostictum (Anura, Centrolenidae) with a new record of geographic distribution in Tolima, Colombia.

Centrolene notostictum Ruiz-Carranza Lynch,1991 is a glassfrog known from the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia-in the Departments of Boyacá, Cundinamarca, Norte de Santander and Santander (Frost 2017)-and the Venezuelan versant of the Sierra de Perijá (Rojas et al. 2012) from 1600 to 2440 masl. Although males have been found calling on the upper surface of the leaves of ferns and Heliconeaceae on the margins of a small fast-flowing stream (Rojas et al.

Rediscovery of Werner, 1899 (Anura: Bufonidae), with a redescription of the tadpole.

The Neotropical toads of the genus Atelopus are among the most imperiled of all amphibians (La Marca et al. 2005; Gonzalez-Maya et al. 2013; McCaffery et al.

Thermal tolerance in anuran embryos with different reproductive modes: relationship to altitude.

Anurans are ectothermic animals very sensitive to temperature, mainly during the embryonic stage. In addition, environmental temperature decreases with altitude, and the amphibian fauna changes. Therefore, we studied the relationship between the embryonic thermal tolerances of twelve species of anurans and the temperatures of their microhabitat along an altitudinal gradient from 430 m to 2600 m.

Changes in cutaneous microbial abundance with sloughing: possible implications for infection and disease in amphibians.

The emergence of disease as a significant global threat to amphibian diversity has generated considerable interest in amphibian defenses against cutaneous microbial infection and disease. To date, however, the influence of sloughing on the susceptibility of amphibians to infection and disease has been largely overlooked. To investigate the potential for sloughing to regulate topical microbial loads, the abundance of cultivable cutaneous bacteria and fungi in the cane toad Rhinella marina were compared before and after sloughing.

Does simultaneous UV-B exposure enhance the lethal and sub-lethal effects of aquatic hypoxia on developing anuran embryos and larvae?

Recent catastrophic global amphibian declines have been partially linked to increases in UV-B radiation as a consequence of stratospheric ozone depletion. Previous studies have shown that in the presence of other environmental stressors including aquatic pH and temperature and the presence of contaminants or pathogens, the lethal effects of UV-B on amphibian larvae are enhanced due to interactions between the stressors. Little is known about the interactions between UV-B and aquatic hypoxia, a common and significant natural stressor of amphibian larvae.