Olfactory cues elicit species-specific locomotive responses in poison frog tadpoles

Abstract

Amphibian species rear their larvae in distinct environments that may influence how they respond to different sensory stimuli. Here, we investigated the olfactory-mediated locomotive responses of two poison frog species ( Allobates femoralis and Ranitomeya imitator ) that vary in life history strategies. We found that A. femoralis tadpoles spent more time near an injury cue compared to control, while R. imitator tadpoles increased their movement in response to high concentrations of amino acids. These experiments were done in an undergraduate laboratory course, demonstrating how simple behavior assays conducted in a classroom setting can provide practical research experiences and new insights into animal behavior.

Figure 1. Allobates femoralis tadpoles spend more time near injured conspecific cues and Ranitomeya imitator tadpoles increase their movement in response to amino acids.

(A) Allobates femoralis tadpoles are transported in groups and live together in larger pools, while R. imitator are transported individually and live in isolation. (B) Diagram of apparatus used to administer compounds and record tadpoles during behavior trials. Right panel shows a video frame of the behavior assay. The black curved line divides the Petri dish arena in half. (C) Number of tadpole movements from A. femoralis (left) and R. imitator (right) in response to different compounds. (D) Time spent near the compound stimulus for A. femoralis (left) and R. imitator (right) tadpoles. Allobates femoralis spent significantly more time near the injury cue than control (t(46) = 2.620, p = 0.036). (E) Ranitomeya imitator tadpoles moved significantly more in response to 100x the initial amino acid concentration (GLMM, χ²(1) = 12.969, p <0.001). (F) Time spent for R. imitator tadpoles on the half of the arena near the 100x amino acid cue was administered.