Selection of substrate type, substrate color, and vegetation by tadpoles of Dryophytes plicatus

By

Sánchez-Sánchez, Renato
Méndez-Méndez, Olga
Hernández-Luría, Jazmín
Smith, Geoffrey R.
Lemos Espinal, Julio Alberto

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023-7-5

Original Publication

Herpetozoa

Volume

36

Pages

153--157

Subjects

Arroyo los Axolotes , Behavior , Mexico , microhabitat selection , stream , Tadpoles

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.36.e105332

 

Abstract

The characteristics of microhabitats in streams can drive the distribution of tadpoles. We experimentally examined microhabitat selection of tadpoles of Dryophytes plicatus. We used a series of choice experiments to test if tadpoles had preferences for particular substrate types, substrate colors, and vegetation. Tadpoles of D. plicatus had a strong preference for mud substrates over sand, gravel, and rock substrates and preferred darker substrates over lighter substrates. Dryophytes plicatus tadpoles used the non-vegetated side of an aquarium more than the vegetated side. Our experimental results matched previous field observations in the case of the preference for mud substrates but differed from the field observations for substrate color and vegetation, suggesting that basic underlying preferences may be modified by various factors in nature or by learning or conditioning.