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Böswald LF, Matzek D, von La Roche D, Stahr B, Bawidamann P, Popper B. Investigations on Xenopus laevis body composition and feeding behavior in a laboratory setting. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9517. [PMID: 38664518 PMCID: PMC11045782 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59848-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, has been used as a laboratory animal for decades in many research areas. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the nutritional physiology of this amphibian species and the feeding regimen is not standardized. The aim of the present study was to get more insights into the nutrient metabolism and feeding behavior of the frogs. In Trial 1, adult female X. laevis were fed either a Xenopus diet or a fish feed. After 4 weeks, they were euthanized, weighed, measured for morphometrics and dissected for organ weights and whole-body nutrient analysis. There were no significant differences between the diet groups regarding the allometric data and nutrient contents. The ovary was the major determinant of body weight. Body fat content increased with body weight as indicator of energy reserves. In Trial 2, 40 adult female frogs were monitored with a specifically developed digital tracking system to generate heat-maps of their activity before and up to 25 min after a meal. Three diets (floating, sinking, floating & sinking) were used. The main feed intake activity was fanning the feed into the mouth, peaking until 20 min after the meal. The different swimming characteristics of the diets thereby influenced the activity of the animals. Our dataset helps to adjust the feeding needs to the physical composition and also to meet the natural behavioral patterns of feed intake as a prerequisite of animal wellbeing and animal welfare in a laboratory setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda F Böswald
- Chair for Animal Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schönleutnerstr 8, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany
- Biomedical Center, Core Facility Animal Models, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Großhaderner Straße 9, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Dana Matzek
- Biomedical Center, Core Facility Animal Models, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Großhaderner Straße 9, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Dominik von La Roche
- Chair for Fish Diseases and Fisheries Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80539, München, Germany
| | - Bianca Stahr
- Biomedical Center, Core Facility Animal Models, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Großhaderner Straße 9, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Pascal Bawidamann
- Chair for Fish Diseases and Fisheries Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80539, München, Germany
| | - Bastian Popper
- Biomedical Center, Core Facility Animal Models, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Großhaderner Straße 9, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
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Caves EM, Davis AL, Nowicki S, Johnsen S. Backgrounds and the evolution of visual signals. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:188-198. [PMID: 37802667 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Color signals which mediate behavioral interactions across taxa and contexts are often thought of as color 'patches' - parts of an animal that appear colorful compared to other parts of that animal. Color patches, however, cannot be considered in isolation because how a color is perceived depends on its visual background. This is of special relevance to the function and evolution of signals because backgrounds give rise to a fundamental tradeoff between color signal detectability and discriminability: as its contrast with the background increases, a color patch becomes more detectable, but discriminating variation in that color becomes more difficult. Thus, the signal function of color patches can only be fully understood by considering patch and background together as an integrated whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor M Caves
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
| | | | - Stephen Nowicki
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Sönke Johnsen
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
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3
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Abstract
Abstract
Complex sexual signals spanning multiple sensory modalities may be common in nature, yet few studies have explored how combinations of phenotypic traits influence male attractiveness and mating success. Here, we investigate whether combinations of multiple male phenotypic traits (both within and across sensory modalities) predict male mating and fertilization success in the critically endangered southern corroboree frog, Pseudophryne corroboree. We conducted breeding trials in a standardized captive environment where females were given the opportunity to choose between multiple males over the duration of the breeding season. For each male, we measured multiple call traits, aspects of coloration, body size, and age. We found that complex interactions between multiple traits best predicted male mating and fertilization success. In general, males with lower call frequency, lower call rate, and shorter call duration had the highest mating and fertilization success. Fertilization success was additionally linked to male body size and age. These findings suggest that female P. corroboree select mates based on a suite of acoustic traits, adding to a growing body of evidence that females use multiple traits to assess male quality. Our results also suggest that females may combine information from multiple signals non-additively. Moreover, our results imply that females gain direct fertility benefits from their mate choice decisions. We argue that understanding female mate choice based on various signals across multiple sensory modalities has important implications for the integration of mate choice into conservation breeding programs and needs to be considered when developing behavior-based captive breeding strategies.
Significance statement
Sexual signals are often highly complex, yet we know little about how multiple signal components both within and across various sensory modalities predict male mating success. We investigated whether combinations of multiple phenotypic traits (within and across sensory modalities) predicted male breeding success in threatened corroboree frogs. We conducted captive breeding trials in a homogeneous environment, where females could choose between multiple males over the duration of a single breeding season. We found that interactions between multiple male traits predicted mating and fertilization success. Males with lower call frequency, call rate, and duration had higher mating success. Fertilization success was also linked to acoustic signals, body size, and age. Understanding mate choice for multiple traits further elucidates the complexity of female mate choice. This study is one of the first to consider the conservation implications of multimodal signaling in mate choice.
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Walton SJ, Silla AJ, Endler JA, Byrne PG. Does dietary β-carotene influence ontogenetic colour change in the southern corroboree frog? J Exp Biol 2021; 224:273479. [PMID: 34694382 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Ontogenetic colour change occurs in a diversity of vertebrate taxa and may be closely linked to dietary changes throughout development. In various species, red, orange and yellow colouration can be enhanced by the consumption of carotenoids. However, a paucity of long-term dietary manipulation studies means that little is known of the role of individual carotenoid compounds in ontogenetic colour change. We know even less about the influence of individual compounds at different doses (dose effects). The present study aimed to use a large dietary manipulation experiment to investigate the effect of dietary β-carotene supplementation on colouration in southern corroboree frogs (Pseudophryne corroboree) during early post-metamorphic development. Frogs were reared on four dietary treatments with four β-carotene concentrations (0, 1, 2 and 3 mg g-1), with frog colour measured every 8 weeks for 32 weeks. β-Carotene was not found to influence colouration at any dose. However, colouration was found to become more conspicuous over time, including in the control treatment. Moreover, all frogs expressed colour maximally at a similar point in development. These results imply that, for our study species, (1) β-carotene may contribute little or nothing to colouration, (2) frogs can manufacture their own colour, (3) colour development is a continual process and (4) there may have been selection for synchronised development of colour expression. We discuss the potential adaptive benefit of ontogenetic colour change in P. corroboree. More broadly, we draw attention to the potential for adaptive developmental synchrony in the expression of colouration in aposematic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara J Walton
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Aimee J Silla
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - John A Endler
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
| | - Phillip G Byrne
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
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5
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Goedert D, Clement D, Calsbeek R. Evolutionary trade‐offs may interact with physiological constraints to maintain color variation. ECOL MONOGR 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Debora Goedert
- Department of Biological Sciences Dartmouth College Hanover03755 New Hampshire USA
- Ministry of Education of Brazil CAPES Foundation Brasília DF95616Brazil
| | - Dale Clement
- Department of Biological Sciences Dartmouth College Hanover03755 New Hampshire USA
| | - Ryan Calsbeek
- Department of Biological Sciences Dartmouth College Hanover03755 New Hampshire USA
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Brenes-Soto A, Tye M, Esmail MY. The Role of Feed in Aquatic Laboratory Animal Nutrition and the Potential Impact on Animal Models and Study Reproducibility. ILAR J 2020; 60:197-215. [PMID: 33094819 DOI: 10.1093/ilar/ilaa006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Feed plays a central role in the physiological development of terrestrial and aquatic animals. Historically, the feeding practice of aquatic research species derived from aquaculture, farmed, or ornamental trades. These diets are highly variable, with limited quality control, and have been typically selected to provide the fastest growth or highest fecundity. These variations of quality and composition of diets may affect animal/colony health and can introduce confounding experimental variables into animal-based studies that impact research reproducibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Brenes-Soto
- Department of Animal Science, University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Marc Tye
- Zebrafish Core Facility, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Michael Y Esmail
- Tufts Comparative Medicine Services, Tufts University Health Science Campus, Boston, Massachusetts
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Cabrera‐Guzmán E, Díaz‐Paniagua C, Gomez‐Mestre I. Differential effect of natural and pigment‐supplemented diets on larval development and phenotype of anurans. J Zool (1987) 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E. Cabrera‐Guzmán
- Ecology Evolution and Development Group Department of Wetland Ecology Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC Seville Spain
- Department of Integrative Biology Oklahoma State University Stillwater OK USA
| | - C. Díaz‐Paniagua
- Ecology Evolution and Development Group Department of Wetland Ecology Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC Seville Spain
| | - I. Gomez‐Mestre
- Ecology Evolution and Development Group Department of Wetland Ecology Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC Seville Spain
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Wu M, Chen X, Cui K, Li H, Jiang Y. Pigmentation formation and expression analysis of tyrosinase in Siniperca chuatsi. FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2020; 46:1279-1293. [PMID: 32185567 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-020-00788-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Animal pigmentation primarily depends on the presence and mixing ratio of chromatophores, functioning in animal survival and communication. For the benthic and carnivorous Siniperca chuatsi, pigmentation pattern is key to concealment and predation. In this study, the formation, distribution, and main pattern of chromatophores were observed in the embryos, larvae, skins, and visceral tissues from S. chuatsi. Melanophores were firstly visualized in the yolk sac at segmentation stage, and then they were migrated to the whole body and further clustered into the black stripes, bands, and patches. In adult S. chuatsi, the head, black band, and body side skins mainly contained melanophores, showing as deep or light black. The abdomen skin mainly contained iridophores, showing as silvery. In the eye, the pigment layers were located in the epithelial layers of iris and retina and shown as black. Then, the pigmentation-related gene, tyrosinase gene from S. chuatsi (Sc-tyr) was analyzed by bioinformatics and quantitative methods. The Sc-tyr gene encoded a protein with 540 amino acids (Sc-TYR). The Sc-TYR contained two copper ion binding sites, which were coordinated by six conserved histidines (H182, H205, H214, H366, H370, H393) and necessary for catalytic activity. The Sc-TYR was well conserved compared with TYR of various species with higher degree of sequence similarity with other fishes (77.6-98.3%). The qRT-PCR test showed that the Sc-tyr mRNA reached the peak value at segmentation stage in the embryo development, the black skins displayed a higher expression level than that in silvery skin, and the eye had the highest expression level compared with other tissues. Further research on enzyme activity showed that the expression patterns of tyrosinase activity were similar to that of the Sc-tyr mRNA. Comparing with the results of molecular and phenotype, it was found that the temporal and spatial distributions of tyrosinase corresponded well with changes in pigmentation patterns and the intensity of skin melanization. This study initially explored the pigmentation formation and tyrosinase expression, which served as a foundation for further insight into the genetics mechanism of body color formation in S. chuatsi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minglin Wu
- Fisheries Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, NO.40 South Nongke Road, Luyang District, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Aquaculture & Stock Enhancement, NO.40 South Nongke Road, Luyang District, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China
| | - Xiaowu Chen
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education (Shanghai Ocean University), Shanghai, 201306, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Aquaculture, Shanghai, 201306, China
- Shanghai Collaborative Innovation for Aquatic Animal Genetics and Breeding, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Kai Cui
- Fisheries Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, NO.40 South Nongke Road, Luyang District, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China.
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Aquaculture & Stock Enhancement, NO.40 South Nongke Road, Luyang District, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China.
| | - Haiyang Li
- Fisheries Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, NO.40 South Nongke Road, Luyang District, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Aquaculture & Stock Enhancement, NO.40 South Nongke Road, Luyang District, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China
| | - Yangyang Jiang
- Fisheries Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, NO.40 South Nongke Road, Luyang District, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Aquaculture & Stock Enhancement, NO.40 South Nongke Road, Luyang District, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China
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Brenes-Soto A, Dierenfeld ES, Muñoz-Saravia A, Janssens GPJ. No longer a leap in the dark: the importance of protein as an energy source in amphibians. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ellen S. Dierenfeld
- E. S. Dierenfeld (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7295-0740), LLC, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Geert P. J. Janssens
- G. P. J. Janssens (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5191-3657), Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent Univ., Heidestraat 19, BE-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. ABS also at: Animal Science Dept, Univ. of Costa Rica, Ciudad Universi
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