Department of Integrative Biology

Despite the widespread occurrence of chemically mediated antipredator responses among larval anurans, little is known concerning whether anurans utilize chemical cues after metamorphosis. Larval western toads (Bufo boreas) and red-legged frogs (Rana aurora) both exhibit antipredator responses when exposed to alarm cues of injured conspecifics. There is some debate as to whether larval Cascades frogs (Rana cascadae) show a similar response. in this study, we documented that toads and red-legged frogs respond to cues of injured conspecifics after metamorphosis, while Cascades frogs do not The avoidance response of toad tadpoles to cues of predatory garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) is also retained through metamorphosis. These results indicate the importance of considering chemical cues in studies of antipredator defences of terrestrial amphibians.