We examined the effects of inbreeding on the performance of wood frog (Rana sylvatica) larvae in the field and in the laboratory. We used microsatellite analysis to establish the parentage and degree of inbreeding of the larvae. Two different estimators of inbreeding were used. The first was based on average multilocus heterozygosity, and the second was based on a molecular relatedness estimato...

Le conte des Grimm, « Les souliers usés à la danse » (KHM 133), a connu une certaine fortune éditoriale et ses atouts décoratifs — multiplication princesses, voyage dans l’autre monde ont inspiré l’iconographie. Aujourd’hui, plusieurs reformulations de ce le champ du livre jeunesse placent sous bannière féminisme entérinent ainsi les suggestions d’Anne Sexton reprenant l’histoire douze princess...

Glyphosate-based herbicides are among the most widely used pesticides in the world. We compared the acute toxicity of the glyphosate end-use formulation Roundup Original to four North American amphibian species (Rana clamitans, R. pipiens, R. sylvatica, and Bufo americanus) and the toxicity of glyphosate technical, the polyethoxylated tallowamine surfactant (POEA) commonly used in glyphosate-ba...

A recommendation of: Ugoline Godeau, Maryline Pioz, Olivier Martin, Charlotte Rüger, Didier Crauser, Yves Le Conte, Mickael Henry, Cédric Alaux Brood thermoregulation effectivenessis positively linked to the amount of brood but not number bees in honeybee colonies https://doi.org/10.32942/osf.io/9mwye

As I’ve written about before, some North American frogs have the remarkable ability to freeze solid during winter. Wood frogs (formerly Rana sylvatica, apparently now Lithobates sylvaticus) achieve this by pumping cells full of glucose, which lowers the freezing point of cytoplasm, thus preventing ice crystals forming inside cells (whilst allowing the rest of the animal to freeze). Although thi...

Various amphibians and reptiles have the extraordinary ability to endure the freezing of body fluids while overwintering. In studies with the wood frog, Rana sylvatica, we continue to explore new facets of vertebrate freeze tolerance. New studies have analyzed modifications of wood frog insulin and the controls on protein kinase A and protein phosphatase-1 that regulate glycogen metabolism in o...

Most research on the effects of exposure to stressful stimuli during embryonic development has focused on post-embryonic behaviour that appears to be abnormal or maladaptive. Here, we tested whether exposure to some stressful stimuli (predatory cues) can lead to post-embryonic behaviour that is adaptive. When eggs of ringed salamanders (Ambystoma annulatum) were exposed to chemical cues from pr...

Global climate change has been implicated in phenological shifts for a variety of taxa. Amphibian species in particular are sensitive to changes in their environment due to their biphasic life history and restricted reproductive requirements. Previous research has shown that not all temperate amphibian species respond similarly to the same suite of climatic or environmental cues, nor are indivi...

The nasal placode was extirpated unilaterally in Gosner stage 18-20 embryos of Rana sylvatica, R. palustris and R. pipiens, in order to test alternative proposed schemes of homology for the ethmoidal attachment of the palatoquadrate in anurans and urodeles. Absence of the nasal sac has no pronounced effect on the formation of larval chondrocranial structures. In contrast, in metamorphosed anima...

Under certain conditions, nitrite can be present in freshwater systems in quantities that are toxic to the fauna. I exposed wood frog (Rana sylvatica) and eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum) embryos and young tadpoles and larvae to elevated concentrations of nitrite in chronic toxicity tests: 0, 0.3, 0.6, 1.2, 2.1, 4.6, and 6.1 mg/L NO2-N, exposing individuals as both embryos...