Evaluation of the relation between age and diversity of defensive alkaloids in Melanophryniscus simplex (Anura: Bufonidae)

• Grant number: 13/14061-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2013
• End date: June 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology
• Principal Investigator: Taran Grant
• Grantee: Adriana Moriguchi Jeckel
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 12/10000-5 - A multi-disciplinary approach to the study of amphibian diversification, AP.JP
• Associated scholarship(s): 13/23715-5 - Poison frog chemical defense: does alkaloid diversity increase as individuals grow older?, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

Among the diversity of substances used by amphibians for chemical defense, lipophilic alkaloids are not produced by them. These compounds are obtained from their diet, specially mites and ants, and are stored in skin granular glands. One of the characteristics of this chemical defense system is the huge variation in abundance, richness and composition of alkaloids between species, population and among individuals of the same population. A possible explanation for this individual variation in alkaloids diversity observed in coespecifics is that older individuals could have been exposed to a bigger diversity of arthropods that posses alkaloids than younger individuals. In such case, a positive relation between diversity of alkaloids present in an individual and its age would be expected. The species of genus Melanophryniscus (Bufonidae), that are distributed in the central east area of South America, are among the species that are capable of sequestrate alkaloids. The main goal of this study is to test a relation between the age and the diversity of alkaloids in the skin of individuals of M. simplex. Also, we want to test if there is a difference of obtained data through osteochronology among different long bones of the amphibian. The age is going to be related to the individual alkaloid diversity using data already obtained from previous project of the same research group.

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

JECKEL, ADRIANA M.; SAPORITO, RALPH A.; GRANT, TARAN. The relationship between poison frog chemical defenses and age, body size, and sex. Frontiers in Zoology, v. 12, OCT 1 2015. (13/23715-5, 12/10000-5, 13/14061-1, 14/15730-7)

JECKEL, ADRIANA M.; GRANT, TARAN; SAPORITO, RALPH A.. Sequestered and Synthesized Chemical Defenses in the Poison Frog Melanophryniscus moreirae. Journal of Chemical Ecology, v. 41, n. 5, p. 505-512, MAY 2015. (13/23715-5, 12/10000-5, 13/14061-1, 14/15730-7)

JECKEL, ADRIANA M.; CAORSI, VALENTINA Z.; GRANT, TARAN; BORGES-MARTINS, MARCIO. The Nuptial Pads of Melanophryniscus (Anura: Bufonidae), with the Unexpected Occurrence of Nuptial-Pad-Like Structures in Females of Two Species. Journal of Herpetology, v. 53, n. 1, p. 53-61, FEB 2019. (16/09999-9, 12/10000-5, 13/14061-1)

RADA, MARCO; JECKEL, ADRIANA M.; CAORSI, VALENTINA Z.; BARRIENTOS, LUCAS S.; RIVERA-CORREA, MAURICIO; GRANT, TARAN. A Remarkable New White-Eyed Glassfrog Species of Sachatamia from Colombia (Anura: Centrolenidae), with Comments on the Systematics of the Genus. South American Journal of Herpetology, v. 12, n. 2, p. 157-173, AUG 2017. (12/10000-5, 13/14061-1, 08/50928-1)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

JECKEL, Adriana Moriguchi. Chemical defense in Melanophryniscus moreirae: does alkaloid diversity increase as individuals grow older?. 2015. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Biociências (IBIOC/SB) São Paulo.