Developmental Consequences of Tail Injury on Larvae of the Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad, Bombina orientalis

Abstract

tadpoles that were either large or small at the stage of first feeding (n = 176) were raised with unlimited food and had up to 20% of the tail removed 0-3 times during the larval period. Although uninjured larvae of both size classes had similar larval periods and metamorphic sizes, injuries delayed metamorphosis among initially small, but not large, larvae. In B. orientalis, size at the feeding stage is positively related to egg size; thus, the effects of injury depended in part on levels of maternal investment. Two additional experiments tested the effects of more severe injuries that involved removal of up to 65% of the tail under food-limited conditions. These were also designed to determine whether injury effects depend on sibship identity. In the second experiment, tadpoles from six full-sib clutches (n = 240) were injured 0-3 times. In the third experiment, tadpoles from two full-sib clutches were injured 0-5 times. Sibships differed in size at and time to metamorphosis but did not respond differently to caudal injuries. In general, injuries reduced survivorship, extended the larval period, and decreased larval and metamorphic sizes, although these effects were mediated through interactions with food availability and maternal investment in offspring.