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Life Sciences

John Carroll University

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Alkaloids

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Linking Predator Responses To Alkaloid Variability In Poison Frogs Language:, J P. Lawrence, Bibiana Rojas, Annelise Blanchett, Ralph Saporito, Johanna Mappes, Antoine Fouquet, Brice P. Noonan Jan 2023

Linking Predator Responses To Alkaloid Variability In Poison Frogs Language:, J P. Lawrence, Bibiana Rojas, Annelise Blanchett, Ralph Saporito, Johanna Mappes, Antoine Fouquet, Brice P. Noonan

2023 Faculty Bibliography

Many chemically-defended/aposematic species rely on diet for sequestering the toxins with which they defend themselves. This dietary acquisition can lead to variable chemical defenses across space, as the community composition of chemical sources is likely to vary across the range of (an aposematic) species. We characterized the alkaloid content of two populations of the Dyeing Poison Frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) in northeastern French Guiana. Additionally, we conducted unpalatability experiments with naive predators, Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), using whole-skin secretion cocktails to assess how a model predator would respond to the defense of individuals from each population. While there was some overlap …


Maternal Chemical Defenses Predict Ofspring Defenses In A Dendrobatid Poison Frog, Olivia L. Brooks, Jessie J. James, Ralph Saporito Jan 2023

Maternal Chemical Defenses Predict Ofspring Defenses In A Dendrobatid Poison Frog, Olivia L. Brooks, Jessie J. James, Ralph Saporito

2023 Faculty Bibliography

Within and among populations, alkaloid defenses of the strawberry poison frog (Oophaga pumilio) vary spatially, temporally, and with life history stage. Natural variation in defense has been implicated as a critical factor in determining the level of protection aforded against predators and pathogens. Oophaga pumilio tadpoles sequester alkaloids from nutritive eggs and are, thus, entirely dependent on their mothers for their defense. However, it remains unclear how tadpole alkaloid composition relates to that of its mother and how variation in maternally provisioned defenses might result in varying levels of protection against predators. Here, we demonstrate that natural variation in the …