Amphibian Adaptions

Question 1

Amphibians are endothermic or ectothermic ?

Answer 1

Ectothermic,

Question 2

Give the disadvantages of being ectothermic ?

Answer 2

Body temperature matches the environment
So Heat is easily lost
They are dependant on environment

Question 3

What environmental temperature do amphibians require for metabolic activity ?

Answer 3

High temperatures

Question 4

Give a behavioural and morphological adaption of amphibians for thermal regulation

Answer 4

Basking,

Can increase absorption by dark skin colour

Question 5

What can occur if basking is not monitored by the amphibian ?

Answer 5

Water loss via evaporation, highly permeable skin

Overheating

Question 6

How can basking be regulated by the amphibian to prevent water loss ?

Answer 6

Only basking in water

Smearing mucus over bodies

Question 7

Give the thermal tolerance of salamanders.

Answer 7

2 to 30 C

Question 8

Give the thermal tolerance of frogs and toads.

Answer 8

3-35.7 C

Question 9

What is the lowest lethal temperature of a species linked to ?

Answer 9

Its Geographical location

Question 10

What factors affect where an amphibian is found geographically ?

Answer 10

Parasites
Splitting up of Pangea
Lowest lethal temperature

Question 11

How much of the body mass of an amphibian is water ?

Answer 11

70-80% of body mass is water

Question 12

How is water exchanged ?

Answer 12

By cutaneous respiration

Exchanged through the skin and the lungs

Question 13

Cutaneous respiration affects amphibians morphology and behaviour, give examples.

Answer 13

Skin is highly permeable with abundant mucus glands and small amounts of keratin
They are restricted to moist environments.

Question 14

Compare how aquatic and terrestrial species conserve water ?

Answer 14

Aquatic, By excreting dilute urine

Terrestrial, Excrete uric acid or urea.

Question 15

Give another function of the urinary bladder

Answer 15

Serves as a water store

Question 16

List the behavioural adaptions that amphibians use to conserve water.

Answer 16

Avoid sun exposure
Hide in moist shelters
Live in location with water availability
Compact resting posture to reduce surface area
Aggregate with others to reduce exposed surface area

Question 17

What is the benefit of the amphibian 2 stage life cycle ?

Answer 17

Larvae cannot compete with adults for resources

Question 18

Give the feeding habits of tadpoles.

Answer 18

Great variety

Herbivorous, Planktivorous, opportunistic omnivores, even cannibalistic.

Question 19

Give the feeding habits of adult amphibians

Answer 19

Always carnivores, consume arthropods and annelids

Question 20

Compare the prey detection of larvae and adult amphibians.

Answer 20

Adults- Use vision

Larvae- lateral line.

Question 21

How are prey items caught by the adult amphibian ?

Answer 21

By a sticky tongue that can be propelled by;
Muscular activity (muscles squeeze tongue out mouth) or flip type 
Or a Flip type action

Question 22

Describe the adaption of the lung muscles of the lungless salamander

Answer 22

Lung muscles have evolved into powerful muscles that project and elongate the tongue forward

Question 23

List some predators of amphibians at all 3 stages of the life cycle

Answer 23

Eggs- Arthropods, leeches
Larvae- Arthropods, fishes, turtles, birds
Adults- Snakes, spiders, crabs, fishes, mammals,

Question 24

List the 6 methods of anti-predation that amphibians use.

Answer 24

Camoflage (to leaf litter, bark)
Disruptive colours (break up outline) 
Confusing colours- 
Enlarging the body- (too big for pred, to handle) 
Skin coloration- 
Aposematic colouration

Question 25

What is confusing colouration ? Give an example

Answer 25

Colours that delay or prevent capture instinct of predators

FLASH colouration of frogs- appears when animal trying to escape

Question 26

Give an example of a species that uses skin colouration to avoid predation.

Answer 26

False eyed frog, skin markings that look like eyes of predator.

Question 27

What is aposematic colouration ? Give an example .

Answer 27

Bright colourations by amphibians with physical or chemical defences. The colourations act as a warning,
-Poison dart frogs

Question 28

Amphibians are sexually dimorphic

True or false ?

Answer 28

Yes, distinct male and females

Question 29

Give some adaptions of male amphibians for male on male combat

Answer 29

Moustached toad- spines on upper jaw
Tusked frog- Teeth on lower jaw
Colouration (not just for predators)

Question 30

Describe the extreme parental care of marsupial frogs

Answer 30

Have a dorsal brood pouch on lower back
Eggs are fertilised and incubated in pouch
Eggs are next to vascular tissue- provides O2.

Question 31

What is the extreme parental adaption of the caecilians ?

Answer 31

They feed off the flesh of the mother.

Question 32

Describe the extreme parental care of Foam nest frogs

Answer 32

Form foam nest, which is looked after by the males.

Question 33

Describe the lifestyle conditions of the XENOPUS

Answer 33

Lives In lakes, swamps, ditches. 4-28 C
Eat arthropods and fish
Tadpoles- planktivores
Shoal to avoid predation

Question 34

XENOPUS are almost entirely aquatic, list the adaptions they have.

Answer 34

Maintained later line system

Olfaction in air and water

Question 35

Describe the skin of XENOPUS

Answer 35

Contains lethal toxins and Antibacterial secretions

Question 36

Give the 3 extreme adaptions of XENOPUS

Answer 36

Partake in overland migration- Colonise new habitats
Drought- can survive for 6 months in mud of dried pond by accumulating urea in tissue (water diffuses in)
Can survive without food for 1 year

Question 37

Describe the lifestyle conditions of the Spade foot toad

Answer 37

Dry habitat- across America
Hibernate 1m underground, dig burrow with spades on heel
Adults active at night, burrow in day to avoid heat
Exhibit growth rings (wetter the year, wider the ring)
Rapid tadpole development, 1-9 days

Question 38

List some of the spade foots adaptions to extreme conditions

Answer 38

2 Years without water, bladder as water store, permable skin absorbs water from soil
Can lose 40% of body water (urea, h20 diffusion)
Phenotypic plastiticty

Question 39

Describe the phenotypic plasticity shown in the tadpoles of spade foot toads,

Answer 39

In favourable conditions tadpoles will be omnivores
If crowded and limited resources they will turn cannibalistic (large jaws)
Reaching metamorphosis quicker.