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Parental Care in Amphibia

The document discusses parental care in amphibians, highlighting the various methods used to protect eggs and young until they become independent. It categorizes these methods into two main types: protection through nests or shelters and direct care by parents. Examples include the use of foam nests, mud nests, and direct guarding of eggs by adults, showcasing the diversity of reproductive strategies among amphibian species.

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33 views26 pages

Parental Care in Amphibia

The document discusses parental care in amphibians, highlighting the various methods used to protect eggs and young until they become independent. It categorizes these methods into two main types: protection through nests or shelters and direct care by parents. Examples include the use of foam nests, mud nests, and direct guarding of eggs by adults, showcasing the diversity of reproductive strategies among amphibian species.

Uploaded by

zjrhz9x9tx
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PARENTAL CARE IN

AMPHIBIA
MRS.N.KAVYA
SOURCE OF IMAGES:GOOGLE CHROME
REFERENCE : MODERN TEXT BOOK OF ZOOLOGY VERTEBRATES BY R.L.KOTPAL
PARENTAL CARE

 TAKING CARE OF THE EGGS OR THE YOUNG UNTIL THEY


ARE INDEPENDENT, TO DEFEND FROM PREDATORS, IS
KNOWN AS PARENTAL CARE.

 ANIMALS EXHIBIT A GREAT DIVERSITY IN CARING FOR


THEIR EGGS AND YOUNG DURING THEIR DEVELOPMENT.
.

 ANURANS SHOW MUCH GREATER DIVERSITY


THAN URODELES AND APODANS.

 THE METHODS OF CARING BY AMPHIBIA


GENERALLY FALL UNDER TWO BROAD
CATEGORIES.

 (I) PROTECTION BY NESTS, NURSERIES OR


SHELTERS AND
I.PROTECTION BY NESTS, NURSERIES
OR SHELTERS
 AMPHIBIANS HAVE EVOLVED COUNTLESS INTERESTING METHODS TO GIVE PROTECTION
TO THEIR DEFENSELESS EGGS AND LARVAE FROM PREDATORS.

 1. SELECTION OF SITE.

 2. DEFENDING EGGS OR TERRITORIES.

 3. DIRECT DEVELOPMENT

 4. FOAM NESTS.

 5. MUD NESTS

 6. TREE NESTS


1. SELECTION OF SITE.

 MANY AMPHIBIANS LAY EGGS IN PROTECTED, MOIST MICROHABITATS ON LAND.

 MANY TROPICAL FROGS AND TOADS LAY EGGS ON LAND NEAR WATER.

 MANY TREE FROGS LAY THEIR EGGS NOT ON LAND BUT ON LEAVES AND BRANCHES
OVERHANGING WATER.
.

 SPECIES OF PHYLLOMEDUSA, RHACHOPHORUS, HYLODES, ETC. GLUE THEIR


EGGS TO FOLIAGE HANGING OVER WATER.
.

 RHACOPHORUS MALABARICUS IN INDIA AND


CHIROMANTIS OF AFRICA ALSO DEPOSIT THEIR
SPAWN ON TREES.

 MANY TREE FROGS DEPOSIT EGGS IN WATER THAT


ACCUMULATES IN EPIPHYTIC TROPICAL PLANTS.
2. DEFENDING EGGS OR
TERRITORIES
 MALES OF GREEN FROG RANA CLAMITANS AND OTHER
SPECIES MAINTAIN TERRITORIES AND ATTACK SMALL
INTRUDERS TO DEFEND EGGS.

 MALE OR FEMALE EVEN GUARDS THE EGGS. IN


MANTOPHRYNE ROBUSTA, THE MALE ACTUALLY SITS
OVER AND HOLDS WITH HANDS THE ELASTIC
GELATINOUS ENVELOPE CONTAINING EGGS NUMBERING
17.

 SOME TREE FROGS LAYING EGGS ABOVE WATER MAY SIT


BESIDE THE EGGS OR REST ON TOP OF THEM. REMOVAL
3.DIRECT DEVELOPMENT

 IN SOME TERRESTRIAL OR TREE FROGS, SUCH

AS ELEUTHERODACTYLUS,

ARTHMLEPTIS,HYLODES AND HYLA NEBULOSA,

THE EGGS HATCH DIRECTLY INTO LITTLE FROGS

THUS AVOIDING LARVAL MORTALITY.


4. FOAM NESTS

 MANY AMPHIBIANS CONVERT COPIOUS MUCOUS SECRETIONS INTO NESTS FOR THEIR
YOUNG ONES.

 IN THE JAPANESE TREE FROG, RHACOPHORUS SCHLEGELI, THE MATING COUPLE DIGS A
HOLE OR TUNNEL INTO WHICH EGGS ARE LEFT IN A FROTHY MASS TO AVOID
DESICCATION.
.

 DURING RAINS, HATCHING TADPOLES ARE WASHED DOWN THE


SLOPPING TUNNEL INTO POND OR RIVER WATER FOR FURTHER
DEVELOPMENT.

 THE TADPOLES DEVELOPING IN THESE IMPROVISED NESTS CAN


READILY ENTER WATER.

 SOME ANURAN'S LAY EGGS IN NESTS OF FOAM FLOATING ON WATER.

 THE FEMALE EMITS HUGE MUCUS THAT SHE BEATS INTO A FOAM
WITH HER HINDLEGS TO LAY EGGS. WHEN TADPOLES HATCH THEY
DROP FROM FOAM INTO WATER
5. MUD NESTS

 IN BRAZILIAN TREE FROG, HYLA FABRE, THE MALE


DIGS A LITTLE CRATER-LIKE HOLE OR NURSERY IN
MUD IN SHALLOW WATER, IN WHICH THE FEMALE
LAYS HER EGGS.

 THE NEST IS 30 CM IN DIAMETER AND 5 TO 8 CM


DEEP. TADPOLES HATCH WITHIN THIS RELATIVELY
SAFER BARRIER AND DEVELOP UNTIL THEY ARE
LARGE ENOUGH TO FEND THEMSELVES.
6. TREE NESTS

 THE SOUTH AMERICAN TREE FROG, PHYLLOMEDUSA


HYPOCHONDRALES, LAYS EGGS IN A FOLDED LEAF NEST WITH
MARGINS GLUED TOGETHER BY CLOACAL SECRETION.

 THE TADPOLES WHEN FORMED FALL STRAIGHT INTO WATER


BELOW.

 ANOTHER TREE FROG, HYLA RESINFICTRIX, LINES A SHALLOW


TREE CAVITY WITH BEES WAX OBTAINED FROM THE HIVES OF
CERTAIN STINGLESS BEES.

 FEMALE LAYS EGGS WHEN THIS CAVITY IS FILLED WITH RAIN


WATER. HERE, THE YOUNG DEVELOP RELATIVELY FREE FROM
7. GELATINOUS BAGS

 IN PHRYNIXALUS BIROI LARGE EGGS ARE ENCLOSED IN A


SAUSAGE-SHAPED TRANSPARENT GELATINOUS MEMBRANOUS
BAG, SECRETED BY FEMALE AND LEFT IN , MOUNTAIN STREAMS.

 SALAMANDRELLA KEYSERLINGI A SMALL AQUATIC


SALAMANDRA DEPOSITS 50 TO 60 EGGS IN GELATINOUS BAGS
AND FASTENED TO AQUATIC PLANTS.
II.DIRECT CARING BY PARENTS

 1. COILING AROUND EGGS

 2. TRANSFERRING TADPOLES TO WATER

 3. EGGS GLUED TO BODY.

 4. EGGS IN BACK POUCHES.

 5. ORGANS AS BROODING POUCHES.

 6. VIVIPARITY.
1. COILING AROUND EGGS

 IN CONGO EEL. AMPHIUMA AND CERTAIN CAECILIANS LIKE


ICHTHYOPHIS AND HYPOGEOPHIS, THE FEMALE LAYS LARGE
EGGS IN BURROWS IN DAMP SOIL AND CAREFULLY GUARDS
THEM BY COILING HER BODY AROUND THEM UNTIL THEY HATCH.

 THE FEMALE OF SALAMANDER, PLETHODON ALSO COILS ROUND


THE EGGS WHICH ARE LAID IN SMALL PACKAGES IN THE
HOLLOW OF A ROTTEN LOG OR BENEATH A ROCK. IN
MEGHALOBATRACHUS MAXIMUS, IT IS THE MALE WHO COILS
AROUND THE EGGS
2. TRANSFERRING TADPOLES TO
WATER

 SOME SPECIES OF SMALL FROGS (E.G. PHYLLOBATES,


ARTHROLEPTIS, PELOBATES DENDROBATES) IN BOTH
TROPICAL AFRICA AND SOUTH AMERICA, DEPOSIT
THEIR EGGS ON GROUND.

 THE TADPOLES HATCHING OUT, FASTEN THEMSELVES


TO THE BACK OF ONE OF THE PARENTS WITH THEIR
SUCKER-LIKE MOUTH AND TRANSPORTED TO WATER.
3. EGGS GLUED TO BODY.

 MANY AMPHIBIANS, INSTEAD OF REMAINING WITH THE EGGS, CARRY THE EGGS
GLUED TO THEIR BODY.

 IN THE DUSKY SALAMANDER, DESMOGNATHUS FUSCUS, FEMALE CARRIES THE STRING


OF EGGS COILED AROUND HER NECK, UNTIL THEY HAVE HATCHED.
.

 IN SRILANKAN TREE FROG, RHACOPHORUS RETICULATUS, THE EGGS ARE GLUED TO THE
BELLY OF FEMALE.

 AN INTERESTING CASE IS THAT OF THE EUROPEAN MIDWIFE TOAD, ALYTES


OBSTETRICANS. WHEN THE FEMALE LAYS EGGS, THE MALE ENTANGLES THEM AROUND
HIS HINDLEGS. HE CARRIES THEM WITH HIM UNTIL THEY ARE READY TO HATCH. AT THAT
TIME HE RELEASES THE TADPOLES INTO NEAREST WATER.
4. EGGS IN BACK POUCHES

 IN ONE GROUP OF TREE FROGS CALLED


MARSUPIAL FROGS THE FEMALE CARRIES THE EGGS
ON HER BACK, EITHER IN AN OPEN OVAL
DEPRESSION, A CLOSED POUCH OR IN INDIVIDUAL
POCKETS.

 THE EGGS DEVELOP INTO MINIATURE FROGS


BEFORE THEY LEAVE THEIR MOTHER'S BACK.
.

 IN THE BRAZILIAN TREE TOAD, HYLA GOELDII OR


CRYPTOBATRACHUS EVANSI, THE POSTERIOR PART OF
THE BACK OF FEMALE FORMS A SORT OF INCIPIENT
BROOD POUCH IN WHICH THE EGGS REMAIN EXPOSED.

 A SIMILAR ADAPTATION IS SEEN IN THE COMPLETELY


AQUATIC SURINAM TOAD, PIPA. IN BREEDING SEASON,
SKIN OF FEMALE'S BACK BECOMES THICK, VASCULAR,
SOFT AND GELATINOUS.
‘

 THE MALE PRESSES FERTILIZED EGGS AGAINST FEMALE'S


BACK, WHERE THEY SINK INTO INDIVIDUAL PITS.

 A HINGED COVER FORMS OVER EACH EGG ENCLOSING IT IN A


SMALL CAPSULE. COMPLETE METAMORPHOSIS OCCURS WITH
CAPSULES. THE TINY TOADS LEAVING MOTHER ARE TAILLESS
AND DO NOT ENTER WATER.
5. ORGANS AS BROODING
POUCHES

 MALE OF THE TERRESTRIAL SOUTH AMERICAN DARWIN'S


FROG, RHINODERMA DARWINII, PUSHES AT LEAST TWO
FERTILIZED EGGS INTO HIS RELATIVELY LARGE VOCAL
SACS. HERE, THEY UNDERGO COMPLETE DEVELOPMENT
TO EMERGE OUT AS FULLY FORMED FROGLETS.

 IN WEST AFRICAN TREE FROG, HYLAMBATES BREVICEPS,


THE FEMALE CARRIES EGGS IN HER BUCCAL CAVITY.
.

 IN ARTHROLEPTIS, IT IS THE MALE WHO KEEPS THE


LARVAE IN HIS MOUTH.

 THE ONLY KNOWN CASE OF GASTRIC INCUBATION


IN VERTEBRATES IS FOUND IN THE AUSTRALIAN
FROG, RHEOBATRACHUS SILUS.THE FEMALE KEEPS
THE EGGS IN HER STOMACH.

 THE TADPOLES ARE EXPELLED THROUGH MOUTH


AFTER METAMORPHOSIS.
6. VIVIPARITY.

 SOME ANURANS ARE OVOVIVIPAROUS.

 THEY RETAIN EGGS IN THE OVIDUCTS AND THE


FEMALES GIVE BIRTH TO LIVING YOUNG.

 AFRICAN TOADS, NECTOPHRYNOIDS AND


PSEUDOPHRYNE GIVE BIRTH TO LITTLE FROGS.

 THE EUROPEAN SALAMANDER, SALAMANDRA


SALAMANDRA PRODUCES 20 OR MORE SMALL YOUNG
WHILE THE APLINE SALAMANDER, S. ATRA GIVES
BIRTH TO ONE OR TWO FULLY DEVELOPED YOUNG.
.

THANK YOU

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