The Impact of Predation Stress by Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) on the Growth and Development of Leopard Frog Tadpoles (Rana sphenocephala)

We examined the impact of visual stimuli and chemical cues released by largemouth bass (Micropterus salrnoides) and the prey they consumed on the growth and development of southern leopard frog tadpoles (Rana sphenocephala). Tadpoles were exposed to potential alarm cues from either conspecific or unrelated (mosquitofish) prey with and without the visual stimulation of largemouth bass. Tadpoles exposed to conspecific alarm cues exhibited the slo-est growth and were statistically shorter and lighter than animals from all other treatments. Tadpoles exposed to mosquitofish alarm cues grew at an intermediate rate, while tadpoles from control tanks (absence of predators) experienced the fastest growth. When visual cues were limited, tadpoles exposed to mosquitofish alarm cues grew much faster than those that could see the predator. However, the growth of tadpoles exposed to the conspecific alarm cues was not influenced by visual cues. These results provide additional evidence that amphibian larvae detect and are impacted by both chemical and visual predatory cues.