Abstract
Amphibians exhibit extreme plasticity in the timing of metamorphosis, and several species have been shown to respond to water availability, accelerating metamorphosis when their ponds dry. In this study we analyzed the plasticity of the developmental response to water volume reduction in the western spadefoot toad, Scaphiopus hammondii. Also, we attempted to identify the environmental cue(s) that may signal a desiccating larval habitat. We spawned adults in the laboratory and raised tadpoles in aquaria in a controlled environmental chamber. Water levels of aquaria were gradually reduced by removing water at the rate of 0.5–1 L/d; water in control aquaria was similarly disturbed but not removed. Tadpoles subjected to water volume reduction showed significant acceleration of metamorphosis. The developmental acceleration depended on the rate of reduction of the water level; i.e., tadpoles exhibited a continuum of response. This developmental response did not result from thermal differences between treatments...
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