Efecto de la temperatura sobre los estadios de vida iniciales de larvas de Trachycephalus typhonius y Scinax nasicus (Anura: Hylidae)

Abstract

In ectothermic species, temperature is one of the most important environmental factors affecting growth, development and survival. In species with complex life cycles, such as amphibians, differential survival can lead to patterns of complex variability affecting size and structure of the population. The aim of this study was to evaluate in experimental conditions, the effect of temperature on survival, growth and development rate in tadpoles of two species of anuran Trachycephalus typhonius and Scinax nasicus. Twenty larvae of each species were reared in each of five treatments: 26, 28, 30, 32 y 34 °C. The results show that the larvae of S. nasicus are more sensitive to the effect of temperature, showing a lower survival compared to the larvae of T. typhonius. In turn, survival decreases significantly with increasing temperature, individuals exposed to 34 °C had the lowest survival rate. Temperature did not significantly affect the growth and development rates of T. typhonius tadpole, although there is a tendency to increase these parameters in the intermediate temperatures, finding the lowest values in the extremes. In contrast, S. nasicus significantly increased growth and development rates when raised at high temperatures. The results showed that high temperatures can affect the growth, development and survival of anuran larvae. However, the results also showed that these responses vary between species, and some species could be more affected by temperature.