Post on 13-May-2015
By
Anthony Kessler and
Stephen Feigley
Strawberry Poison Dart Frogs (Dendrobates
Pumilio)
Rainforest ; cacao and banana groves
Found on the forest floor in leaf litter but frequently found climbing trees and vines
Females oviposit on the land but later both sexes transport each tadpole to its own water-filled bromeliad
Require a moist habitat
Found in Nicaragua 0-940m above sea level also in Panama and Costa Rica from 0-495m(Animal Diversity2011)
Habitat
Size: Half inch to almost an inch as a full grown adult; tadpoles are up to 16mm in length
Small body with four unwebbed digits on each and foot; Large dark eyes
Bright red with blue legs and a glossy moist skin
The Dorsal region can vary from blue yellow white green black and orange
Tadpoles are Dark brown above and light brown below with dark spots scattered throughout with small gills and large mouths with a serrated beak
Physical Description
Females tend to chose the frog with the same dorsal color Males compete by wrestling for the larger territoryPerch height and calling frequency also attracts femalesThe breeding process takes between 10 to 180 minutesBreeding occurs throughout the year Males defend the clutch, remove fungus, rotate eggs and to ensure the clutch is moist it will urinate on the eggs daily3-5 fertilized eggs that the male cares for until the egg becomes a tadpole in 10-14 days then the male transports them to different bromeliad leafs because the bigger sibling will consume the younger tadpoleTadpole must be fed within three days of transportFemales will make daily visits feeding the tadpole 1 to 5 unfertilized eggs Females will only feed her tadpoles even if solicited by othersTadpoles metamorphosis to adults after 43 to 52 daysBoth male and females reach maturity at 10 months of agehttp://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/amphibians-animals/frogs-and-toads/frog_strawberrypoisondart_tadpole.html
Reproduction
Batrachotoxin (sodium channel activators)
-neurotoxin that affects the nervous system by blocking transmissions to the muscles
Histrionicotoxin (noncompetitive inhibitors of nicotinic channels)
-not as potent as batrachotoxin, affinity for sodium and potassium channels
Pumiliotoxin (positive modulators of sodium channel)
- interferes muscle contraction in the heart and skeletal muscle, the toxin works by affecting the calcium channels
-lethal in high concentrations
Toxins
Calls Consist of short chirps lasting 5 to 32 seconds
5 to 9 notes per second
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/naturesongs/depu12.wav/view.html
Communication and Perception
Small arthropods
Formicine Ants- contain the toxins which the frogs excrete from skin
Ants
Tadpoles eat unfertilized eggs that the females drop in the water
Mites
Food
Kawati
-Eats the eggs and tadpoles that were deposited in the bromeliad
Night Ground snakes
-Uses bright colors to warn predators that its poisonous
-Tadpoles are consumed because their poison glands are underdeveloped
Predators
Control the mite and ant population
Protects plants from insects
Tadpoles are a food source for predators
Roles in the Ecosystem
They have no negative impacts to humans but logging has impacted them
Dart frogs are very popular in the pet trade which threatens them due to illegal capture
Despite the threats the population is high
Poison is very powerful and offers significant medical prospects
Native populations use the toxins to lace arrow heads to aid hunting
Human Impacts
-deforestation is a factor in the decline of spdf population
-logging and farming are the reasons for aggressive deforestation
-predation one of the most important impacts to spdf numbers
-the factor with the most effect to then spdf numbers is a fungal disease (cutaneous chytridiomycosis)
-this fungus effects all amphibians
Endangered Species
"ADW: Dendrobates Pumilio: Information." Animal Diversity Web. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. <http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Dendrobates_pumilio.html>.
"Dendrobates Pumilio: Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (Final)." Hays Cummins' Home Page: Ecology, Marine Biology, Coral Reefs & Rainforests, Weather, Other Courses, Vita. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. <http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/fieldcourses02/PapersCostaRicaArticles/Dendrobatespumilio.strawb.html>.
Dussling, Jennifer. Deadly Poison Dart Frogs. New York, NY: Bearport Pub., 2009. Print. The
"International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry." [IUPAC]IUPAC.org. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. <http://www.iupac.org/symposia/proceedings/phuket97/daly.html>.
"Poison Dart Frog Fact Sheet - National Zoo| FONZ." Welcome to the National Zoo| FONZ Website - National Zoo| FONZ. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. <http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/amazonia/facts/fact-poisondartfrog.cfm>.
"Poison Dart Frogs, Poison Dart Frog Pictures, Poison Dart Frog Facts - National Geographic." Animals - Animal Pictures - Wild Animal Facts - Nat Geo Wild - National Geographic. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/poison-frog/>.
"Strawberry Poison Dart Frog | The Nature Conservancy." Nature Conservancy | Protecting Nature, Preserving Life. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nature.org/newsfeatures/specialfeatures/animals/amphibians/strawberry-poison-dart-frog.xml>.
"Strawberry Poison Dart Frog, Fascinating Facts About Its Biology." Rainforest Animals, Tropical Rainforests, And Other Environmental Issues. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. <http://www.tropical-rainforest-animals.com/Strawberry-Poison-Dart-Frog.html>.
Work Cited
4/1/11 - 5/1/11 ~ View World Beauty. Digital image. View World Beauty. Web. 08 Dec. 2011.
Adam, David. Prince Charles Calls for Emergency Rainforest Funding | Environment | Guardian.co.uk . Digital image. Latest News, Sport and Comment from the Guardian | The Guardian . Web. 08 Dec. 2011.
Amazon Rainforest. Digital image. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. Formicinae. Digital image. Tree of Life Web Project. Web. 08 Dec. 2011.
Name, Last. Poison Arrow Poison Dart Frog Strawberry Frog, Dendrobates Pumilio Photographic Print by Christer Fredriksson at Art.com. Digital image. Art.com - Posters, Art Prints, Framed Art, and Wall Art Collections. Web. 07 Dec. 2011.
Night Ground Snake (Liophis Epinephelus) | Flickr - Photo Sharing! Digital image. Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing. Web. 07 Dec. 2011.
Oriente 131 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! Digital image. Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing. Web. 07 Dec. 2011
Poison Dart Frogs. Digital image. WAYNE'S WORD. Web. 08 Dec. 2011.
Rainforest Deforestation. Digital image. Greenpeace. 29 Feb. 2008. Web. 7 Dec. 2011.
Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates Pumilio) Males Wrestling for Territory, Rainforest, Costa Rica [510364] Stock Photos | Royalty Free | Royalty Free Photos VisualPhotos.com . Digital image. Stock Photos | Royalty Free | Royalty Free Photos VisualPhotos.com . Web. 08 Dec. 2011.
Ticks, Mites, Etc. Digital image. Animal Identification Guide, with Habitat Information. Web. 08 Dec. 2011.
WOTHE, KONRAD. Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates pumilio) female carrying tadpoles on her back, Costa Rica. Digital image. National Geographicstock.com. National Geographic, 18 Apr. 2002. Web.
Work Cited (Pictures)
• "Google Images." Google. 09 Sept. 2010. Web. 08 Dec. 2011.
• “Dendrobates Azureus Eggs” Flickr Photo Sharing. Welcome to Flickr Photo Sharing. 10 Oct. 2010. Web. 08 Dec. 2011.
Pictures Continued
Sounds:
"ADW: Depu12.wav." Animal Diversity Web. Web. 07 Dec. 2011. <http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/naturesongs/depu12.wav/view.html>.
Videos:
Video -- Strawberry Poison Dart Frog -- National Geographic. Video -- Animals, Travel, Kids -- National Geographic. Web. 07 Dec. 2011. <http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/amphibians-animals/frogs-and-toads/frog_strawberrypoisondart_tadpole.html>.
Work Cited (Sounds/Videos)
Thanks for listening!