TADPOLES!!!

[TNTreeHugger]

Looks like nearly all the extra-large tads have back legs today, no sign of arms yet.
There's small, medium, and large that don't have any yet.
The largest one with legs I saw this morning was floating on the surface for a few seconds, really looked more like a frog than a tad. Their color changes to a lighter brown too, when they get legs... and swim a lot faster.

I started feeding them some different leftover fish food that I never gave the fish. It's pellets and has more fish and shrimp meal protein than the flakes have. Only thing is, it sinks to the bottom, but they found it and seemed to like it.
I need to read up on them and see how much longer it'll be before they pop their arms and leave the water.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

This looks good
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/T/bo3643050.html

 

[TNTreeHugger]

Sheesh, not much to be found on tads.

 

[lone wolf]

Sheesh, not much to be found on tads.

You are living it right there.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.10...s,interaction between ontogenesis and ecology.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

You are living it right there.

Maybe I should write a book.

 

[lone wolf]

Maybe I should write a book.

If you are so inclined, have the skills and time then maybe, also consider what topic would sell best.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

​

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Global shortfalls of knowledge on anuran tadpoles​

• Florencia Vera Candioti,
• Diego Baldo,
• Stéphane Grosjean,
• Martín O. Pereyra &
• Javier Nori

npj Biodiversity volume 2, Article number: 22 (2023)

 

[TNTreeHugger]

Looks like it didn't take me long to figure out the obvious.

Abstract​

Despite the amount of data on different aspects of biodiversity, such as species distributions, taxonomy, or phylogenetics, there are still significant gaps and biases in the available information. This is particularly true for life history traits, with fragmentary data for most taxa, especially those with complex life cycles. Anurans (frogs and toads) show larval (premetamorphic) stages that are in general radically decoupled from adult forms in most biological aspects. Our understanding of this group is highly uneven, as the main wide-scope investigations focus on adult specimens and larval stages remain unknown for a significant part of the anuran tree. The main purpose of this work was to estimate the extent of knowledge gaps regarding the diversity of tadpoles, interpret their biological and geographical patterns, and discuss possible explanations and implications for other large-scale analyses. Our findings show that more than half of the anuran species described to date still lack information on their embryonic/larval stages. Furthermore, knowledge varies among taxonomic groups, larval ecomorphological guilds, and world ecoregions. Description percentages generally decrease in lineages with a higher proportion of species known or suspected to have endotrophic development. Also, geographic areas with the highest levels of ignorance in larval biology (Tropical Andes and New Guinea) coincide with the highest diversity of endotrophic guilds. Among exotrophic larvae, generalized lentic-lotic tadpoles have the widest distribution and levels of knowledge, whereas specialized lotic, fossorial, and terrestrial forms are more taxonomically and geographically restricted. Further large-scale analyses on tadpole biology are crucial for their impact in varied scientific disciplines including anuran conservation. At a conceptual level, the discussion of the anuran biphasic life cycle is pertinent in the context of shortfalls of biodiversity knowledge and their interrelationships.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

If you are so inclined, have the skills and time then maybe, also consider what topic would sell best.

Nah, I wasn't being serious. I definitely don't have the skills, or the knowledge.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

What do tadpoles really eat? Assessing the trophic status of an understudied and imperiled group of consumers in freshwater habitats
RONALD ALTIG,* MATT R. WHILES† AND CINDY L. TAYLOR‡

SUMMARY1. Understanding the trophic status of consumers in freshwater habitats is central to understanding their ecological roles and significance. Tadpoles are a diverse and abundant component of many freshwater habitats, yet we know relatively little about their feeding ecology and true trophic status compared with many other consumer groups. While many tadpole species are labelled herbivores or detritivores, there is surprisingly little evidence to support these trophic assignments.2. Here we discuss shortcomings in our knowledge of the feeding ecology and trophic status of tadpoles and provide suggestions and examples of how we can more accurately quantify their trophic status and ecological significance.3. Given the catastrophic amphibian declines that are ongoing in many regions of the planet, there is a sense of urgency regarding this information. Understanding the varied ecological roles of tadpoles will allow for more effective conservation of remaining populations, benefit captive breeding programmes, and allow for more accurate predictions of the ecological consequences of their losses.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

Pond tadpoles with generalized morphology: is it time to reconsider their functional roles in aquatic communities?
James W. Petranka á Caroline A. Kennedy
Abstract With rare exceptions, anuran larvae have traditionally been considered to occupy lower trophic levels in aquatic communities where they function as microphagous suspension feeders. This view is being challenged by studies showing that tadpoles with generalized morphology often function as macrophagous predators.
Here, we review the literature concerning macrophagy by tadpoles and provide two additional examples involving generalized tadpoles. In the ®rst, we demonstrate with laboratory and ®eld experiments that wood frog (Rana sylvatica) tadpoles are major predators of macroinvertebrates in ponds. In the second, we show that green frog (R. clamitans) tadpoles can cause catastrophic reproductive failure of the wood frog via egg predation. These results and data from other studies challenge the assumption that generalized tadpoles function as ®lter-feeding omnivores, and question the general applicability of community organization models which assume that predation risk increases with pondpermanence. We suggest that predation risk is greater in temporary ponds than in more permanent ponds for many organisms that are vulnerable to predation by tadpoles. This being so, a conditional model based upon interactions that are species-speci®c, life-stage-speci®c, and context-dependent may better explain community organization along hydrological gradients than models which assume that temporary ponds have few or no predators

 

[TNTreeHugger]

I've found only three tobacco worms on my tomato plants so far.
I snipped off the stem they were attached to and tossed them in the tad tank. Just to see what they would do with it.
They poked and prodded them for a while then gave up.
The worms finally expired and just floated on the stem.

Look what I found today

I guess they needed it to soften up and dissolve a bit before they could eat it.
Ate everything but the skin. Just like the tomatoes.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

 

[TNTreeHugger]

So here's what they eat:
Plantain, decayed leaves and seed pods on stems
Raw tomatoes, yellow squash, watermelon
Tetra goldfish flakes
API bottom feeder pellets
Omega One veggie pellets

I think the most important thing is to give them plenty of food so they don't eat each other.
They are VORACIOUS eaters!
They like to eat mostly in the evenings and early mornings.

They like warm water, for sure, but not too hot. I've been adding from the garden hose and it doesn't seem to bother them. I've read frogs are extremely sensitive to chlorine in water, but I add only a little at a time - plus it's a large surface area so it can gas off quicker.

Looking forward to seeing them sprout arms next! Then they should be on their way.

... and all that green pond water will go in my garden addition.

 

[lone wolf]

So here's what they eat:
Plantain, decayed leaves and seed pods on stems
Raw tomatoes, yellow squash, watermelon
Tetra goldfish flakes
API bottom feeder pellets
Omega One veggie pellets

I think the most important thing is to give them plenty of food so they don't eat each other.
They are VORACIOUS eaters!
They like to eat mostly in the evenings and early mornings.

They like warm water, for sure, but not too hot. I've been adding from the garden hose and it doesn't seem to bother them. I've read frogs are extremely sensitive to chlorine in water, but I add only a little at a time - plus it's a large surface area so it can gas off quicker.

Looking forward to seeing them sprout arms next! Then they should be on their way.

More like what dont they eat?

 

[TNTreeHugger]

More like what dont they eat?

Exactly!

I read those two research articles I posted and they both confirm what I said - they are not just herbivores and they eat a lot more than "wilted lettuce and broccoli". Plus, they have observed that they aren't just scavengers, but also predators.
They have a beak!
Now I need to find some info on their morphology and anatomy.
I dropped that class in college when I found out dissecting was involved.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

A PRIMER FOR THE MORPHOLOGY OF ANURAN TADPOLES
RONALD ALTIG

 

[Del_]

We have about 5,000 gallons of rain water storage for our vegetable garden in 12 various containers. When we get eggs and small tadpoles in two open 55 gallon tanks I scoop some up and spread them around to the other tanks. They sing quite the song on a hot summer night. Our vegetable garden starts about 30 ft. from the tanks and I've yet to see one of these frogs in the garden.

Video about an hour ago.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

We have about 5,000 gallons of rain water storage for our vegetable garden in 12 various containers. When we get eggs and small tadpoles in two open 55 gallon tanks I scoop some up and spread them around to the other tanks. They sing quite the song on a hot summer night. Our vegetable garden starts about 30 ft. from the tanks and I've yet to see one of these frogs in the garden.

Video about an hour ago.

Video was just 49 seconds? I could have watched an hour of frogs.

Maybe they're not in your garden because you use insecticide?
I have lots of frogs in/around all three ponds, two of the ponds are basically in the garden. When I go in the garden, I see them hop out, towards the ponds.
This year my entire yard was covered up with those tiny northern cricket frogs - including that new garden spot I made.