The Importance of Natural History in Understanding the Effects of Dehydration on the Behavioral Thermal Response (VTMax) in Cerrado Anurans

• Grant number: 24/16782-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Marcio Roberto Costa Martins
• Grantee: Camila Gesicki Boggiani
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/12658-4 - Challenges to the conservation of amphibians and squamate reptiles, with emphasis on the Brazilian fauna: from basic information to conservation actions, AP.BTA.TEM

Abstract

Microhabitat selection by a species is a hierarchical process that involves a series of innate and learned behavioral decisions made by an individual. There are anatomical characteristics - such as skin permeability, presence of glands, body size, foot structure, type of color and mode of breathing - that are both determinant and informative for each species' use of the microhabitat. From these characters it is possible to obtain diverse information about the distribution of each species, providing valuable information on the natural history of an individual. The physiology of individuals, such as preferred temperatures and hydroregulation, are important factors in the study of the thermal ecology of species. Behavior is closely linked to both factors, since animals can choose microhabitats with favorable temperature and humidity according to what is ideal for their anatomy and physiology. Considering the current scenario of widespread population declines of amphibians in the Neotropical region and imminent climate changes in the coming decades, this research aims to investigate the behavioral thermal responses (VTMax) of species with different microhabitat uses (e.g. terrestrial, fossorial and arboreal species) and evaluate the role of hydration level in these responses, in order to provide important information about how amphibians respond, or not, to the effects of increasing temperature. (AU)