An amphibian chemical defense phenotype is inducible across life history stages

Abstract Inducible phenotypic responses to environmental variation are ubiquitous across the tree of life, but it remains an open question whether amphibian chemical defense phenotypes are inducible. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a key chemical defense trait in North American and Eurasian newts (Salamandrid...

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Autores principales:	Gary M. Bucciarelli, H. Bradley Shaffer, David B. Green, Lee B. Kats
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2017
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/1eb03a13871e47a596bf1730bb2d2653
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:1eb03a13871e47a596bf1730bb2d26532021-12-02T12:32:41ZAn amphibian chemical defense phenotype is inducible across life history stages10.1038/s41598-017-08154-z2045-2322https://doaj.org/article/1eb03a13871e47a596bf1730bb2d26532017-08-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08154-zhttps://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Inducible phenotypic responses to environmental variation are ubiquitous across the tree of life, but it remains an open question whether amphibian chemical defense phenotypes are inducible. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a key chemical defense trait in North American and Eurasian newts (Salamandridae). We tested if TTX can be induced by exposing populations of adult and larval California newts (Taricha torosa) to sustained stressful conditions while longitudinally quantifying TTX concentrations. Adult newts rapidly increased chemical defenses in response to simulated predator attacks and consistently maintained elevated TTX concentrations relative to wild, non-captive individuals. We also found that laboratory-reared larvae maintained chemical defenses nearly three-fold greater than those of siblings reared in streams. Collectively, our results indicate that amphibian chemical defenses are not fixed. Instead, toxins are maintained at a baseline concentration that can quickly be increased in response to perceived risk with substantial increases to toxicity. Therefore, it is crucial that inducible variation be accounted for when considering ecological dynamics of chemically defended animals and coevolutionary predator-prey and mimic-model relationships.Gary M. BucciarelliH. Bradley ShafferDavid B. GreenLee B. KatsNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-8 (2017)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Gary M. Bucciarelli H. Bradley Shaffer David B. Green Lee B. Kats An amphibian chemical defense phenotype is inducible across life history stages
description	Abstract Inducible phenotypic responses to environmental variation are ubiquitous across the tree of life, but it remains an open question whether amphibian chemical defense phenotypes are inducible. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a key chemical defense trait in North American and Eurasian newts (Salamandridae). We tested if TTX can be induced by exposing populations of adult and larval California newts (Taricha torosa) to sustained stressful conditions while longitudinally quantifying TTX concentrations. Adult newts rapidly increased chemical defenses in response to simulated predator attacks and consistently maintained elevated TTX concentrations relative to wild, non-captive individuals. We also found that laboratory-reared larvae maintained chemical defenses nearly three-fold greater than those of siblings reared in streams. Collectively, our results indicate that amphibian chemical defenses are not fixed. Instead, toxins are maintained at a baseline concentration that can quickly be increased in response to perceived risk with substantial increases to toxicity. Therefore, it is crucial that inducible variation be accounted for when considering ecological dynamics of chemically defended animals and coevolutionary predator-prey and mimic-model relationships.
format	article
author	Gary M. Bucciarelli H. Bradley Shaffer David B. Green Lee B. Kats
author_facet	Gary M. Bucciarelli H. Bradley Shaffer David B. Green Lee B. Kats
author_sort	Gary M. Bucciarelli
title	An amphibian chemical defense phenotype is inducible across life history stages
title_short	An amphibian chemical defense phenotype is inducible across life history stages
title_full	An amphibian chemical defense phenotype is inducible across life history stages
title_fullStr	An amphibian chemical defense phenotype is inducible across life history stages
title_full_unstemmed	An amphibian chemical defense phenotype is inducible across life history stages
title_sort	amphibian chemical defense phenotype is inducible across life history stages
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2017
url	https://doaj.org/article/1eb03a13871e47a596bf1730bb2d2653
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An amphibian chemical defense phenotype is inducible across life history stages

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