Parental care in Amphibians
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Parental care in amphibians provides benefits to offspring survival. There are various types of parental care exhibited by different amphibian species, including selecting protected nesting sites, defending eggs or territories, directly transporting tadpoles to water, gluing or carrying eggs attached to the body, and even viviparity in some species. Parental care improves offspring chances of survival by protecting eggs from predators and ensuring young amphibians safely reach water once hatched.
Parental care in Amphibians
- 1. Parental care in amphibians Presented by – Nisha Arya MSc 3rd Sem Kumaun University
- 2. Introduction Types Benefits References Contents -
- 3. Definition- Looking after the eggs or young until they are independent to defend from predators, is known as Parental care. Amphibians shows great diversity in Parental care. INTRODUCTION
- 4. Protection by nests, nurseries or shelters Direct carrying by parents TYPES
- 5. 1. Selection of site – Many amphibians lay eggs in protected moist microhabitats on land. Many tropical frogs and toads lay eggs on land near water. Many tree frogs lay their eggs not on land but on leaves and branches over hanging water. E.g. Rhachophorus, Hylodes. 2. Defending eggs or territories- Males of green frog Rana clamitans and other species maintain territories and attack small intruders to defend eggs. Male or female even guards the eggs. Protection by nests, nurseries or shelters
- 6. 3. Direct development – In some terrestrial or tree frogs, such as Arthroleptis and Hylodes, the eggs hatch directly into little frogs thus avoiding larval mortality. 4. Foam nests – Many amphibians convert copious mucous secretions into nests for their young. 5. Mud Nests – In Brazilian tree frog Hyla fabre, the male digs a little crater-like hole or nursery in mud in shallow water, in which the female lays her eggs. 6. Tree nests – The south American tree frogs Phyllomedusa hypochondrales, lays eggs in a folded leaf nest with margins glued together by cloacal secretion.
- 8. 1. Coiling around eggs - in congo eel, Amphuima and certain caecilians, the female lays large eggs in burrows in damp soil and carefully guards them by coiling her body around them until they hatched. 2. Transferring tadpoles to water – some species of small frogs in both tropical Africa and South America, the hatching tadpoles fasten themselves to the back of one of the parent with their sucker like mouth and transported to water. 3. Eggs glued to body – Many amphibians, instead of remaining with the eggs, carry the eggs glued to their body. Eg. Dusky salamender DIRECT CARRYING BY PARENT
- 9. 4. Eggs in back pouches- In marsupial frogs or toads, the female carries the eggs on her back, either in an open oval depression, a closed pouch or in individual pockets. 5. Viviparity – Some anurans are ovoviviparous. They retain eggs in the oviducts and the females gives birth to living young.
- 10. It is important for survival of young one. It improves offspring quality in a way that leads to increased offspring survival and reproduction in the future when parents are no longer associated with offspring. Benefits of parental care
- 11. Kotpal R.L. , A text book on vertebrates References
- 12. Thank you