Sergio, Castellano
Luca, Racca
Olivier, Friard
Funding for this research was provided by:
università degli studi di torino (CASS-RILO-18-02)
Università degli Studi di Torino
Article History
Received: 16 June 2021
Revised: 29 August 2021
Accepted: 31 August 2021
First Online: 23 September 2021
Change Date: 19 February 2022
Change Type: Update
Change Details: Insertion of OA funding note.
Declarations
:
: The experiment followed ASAB/ABS guidelines for the ethical treatment of animals in behavioral research and complied with Italian national and Piedmont regional laws. Adult treefrogs were let to spawn in tanks close to the breeding pond, where they were released soon after spawning was completed. No special permission was needed from the local authorities for this short-term removal of animals. During the experiment, 50% of water was changed daily, and food in excess was removed to optimize rearing conditions. Before video recording and measurement sessions, tadpoles were captured using hand nets and moved using water-filled containers. Tadpole mortality was low and occurred either in the early stages after hatching, soon after they were introduced in the rearing baskets (< 4%), or in the final stages of metamorphosis (~ 15%). To produce alarm cues, we fed dragonfly larvae with small tadpoles (Gosner stages: 26–30), twice a week. At this feeding rate, predation occurred shortly after prey introduction, allowing us to minimize prey suffering. At the end of the experiment, all tadpoles were returned to the ponds of their parents.
: Not applicable.
: Not applicable.
: The authors declare no competing interests.