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Variable Alkaloid Defenses In The Dendrobatid Poison Frog Oophaga Pumilio Are Perceived As Differences In Palatability To Arthropods, Sarah Bolton, Kelsey Dickerson, Ralph Saporito

2017 Faculty Bibliography

Conspicuously colored dendrobatid frogs sequester alkaloid defenses from dietary arthropods, resulting in considerable alkaloid variation among populations; however, little is known about how variation is perceived as a defense against predators. Previous studies have found variable alkaloids in the dendrobatid Oophaga pumilio to be associated with differences in toxicity to laboratory mice, suggesting variable defenses are important. Arthropods are natural predators that use chemoreception to detect prey, including frogs, and may therefore perceive variation in alkaloid profiles as differences in palatability. The goal of the present study is to determine how arthropods respond to variable alkaloid defenses in O. pumilio. …