An assumption on the study of amphibian life-history states that environmental risk is greater for larval than adult stage. Other things being equal, individuals with shorter larval stages should expect greater fitness. The threat of predation is a major environmental risk for tadpoles develop in the ponds. We presented the Latouchi’s frog (Rana latouchii) tadpoles with predator cues (from water scorpions) to investigate their effects on the growth and development of tadpoles, and the jumping ability of froglets. Four types of cues were presented: visual, odor of predators, odor of predators consuming tadpole, & none. We tested the hypothesis that different cues had differential effects on the fitness of the Latouchi’s frog.
Results/Conclusions
The results showed that visual cues elicited the greatest declined in fitness compared to the control (no predator cue). The mortality was high, and the body growth rate and developmental rates were both low for the visual cue group. The 2 groups that encountered odorous cues had similar fitness. Yet both had lower body growth rate and developmental rates than the control group. None of the effects on tadpoles was reflected on the jumping ability of froglets. The results indicated that visual cues had greater effects on the Latouchi’s frog tadpoles. However, tadpoles facing environmental risks did not responded with accelerated developmental rates.