Synthetic rainfall vibrations evoke toad emergence.
Curr Biol
; 26(24): R1270-R1271, 2016 12 19.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27997835
ABSTRACT
Toads occupy underground refugia during periods of daily or seasonal inactivity, emerging only during rainfall [1]. We test the hypothesis that rainfall-induced vibrations in soil are the cues that trigger the emergence of toads from underground. Using playback experiments in the absence of natural rainfall in native habitats, we observed that two Iberian toad species (Pelobates cultripes and Bufo calamita) emerged significantly earlier than controls when exposed to low-frequency soil vibrations that closely mimic those of rainfall. Our results suggest that detection of abiotic seismic events are biologically relevant and widespread in arid-zone anurans. These findings provide insights into the evolutionary role played by the two low-frequency-tuned inner-ear organs in anuran amphibians - the amphibian papilla and sacculus, both detectors of weak environmental vibrational cues.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Anuros
/
Chuva
/
Vibração
/
Comportamento Animal
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2016
Tipo de documento:
Article