Effect of temperature and type of diet on the metamorphosis of Pleurodema thaul (Lesson, 1826) in a population of south–central Chile

Abstract

The effect of the environment on the vital cycle of amphibians has been shown in diverse studies, indicating that diet and temperature affect the duration of the larval period, and the size of the newly metamorphosed. We analyzed the effect of temperature and quality of diet on the duration of the larval period and size reached by larvae up until metamorphosis in the species Pleurodema thaul. We used an experimental design with two temperatures (15 ºC and 25 ºC) and two types of diet, one rich in proteins (RP) and one low in proteins (LP). We evaluated body size (cm) and body mass (g), and staged the larval development according to Gosner (1960). Our results indicate that temperature is crucial for the larval development, affecting its duration, whereas diet has a secondary effect on size and mass of larvae, always depending on the temperature of development.