Calling Behavior and Parasite Intensity in Treefrogs, Hypsiboas prasinus

A negative relationship between parasite intensity and male ornament condition or sexual display rate is one of the conditions\ud of the parasite-mediated sexual selection model. In anurans, temporal properties of calling behavior, and particularly calling rates, are the best\ud candidates to express a negative relationship with parasite intensity, given the high energy costs of calling and the fact that calls are\ud potentially under strong intersexual selection. We studied the relationship between call parameters and helminth parasite intensity in males\ud of a Brazilian subtropical treefrog, Hypsiboas prasinus. We tested the hypotheses that: 1) calling characteristics are correlated negatively to\ud parasite intensity; and 2) the relationship between calling performance and parasite intensity is more pronounced when dynamic properties\ud are considered. According to our predictions, only rate, the most important dynamic property of calling behavior, is associated with individual\ud variation in parasite intensity. Males that call at higher rates show lower total parasite intensity. The negative relationship between parasite\ud intensity and calling rate in H. prasinus could be because of the higher energy cycles associated with the maintenance of high calling\ud performance. Also, theoretically, calling rate could work as an honest signal of anuran male quality, although the causal relationship between\ud calling variation and parasite intensity, as well as the relevance of this relationship for female choice and male reproductive success, remain to\ud be investigated.Collections were made under permit from Brazilian IBAMA (no. 17300-1) and the Water and Sewer Department (DAE, Jundiaí); laboratorial data obtained under permit from Ethics Committee on Animal Experimentation (CEEA no. 70/08). We also are grateful to R. A. Santos, B. Titon Jr., E. H. Moretti, T. R. Alvarez, A. C. I. Kiss, H. A. Q. Nomura, A. F. Genehr, H. S. Souza, and K. D. Exposti for all their support in fieldwork and to T. Kawamoto and F. Machado for the statistical consulting. This research was supported by the State of São Paulo Science Foundation (FAPESP) through a grant (2008/53496-5 and JP-2006/54699-1) led by R.J.S. and F.R.G., respectively, and an undergraduate fellowship awarded to C.B.M. (2008/51037-3)

Oxygen consumption (resting and after treatment), immune variables and hormone levels of Rhinella jimi (anura:bufonidae) collected in 3 different periods from Caatinga, Brazil

To understand the possible interactions between steroid hormones (androgens [AN] and corticosterone [CORT]), metabolism, and immunity during fluctuations of environmental resource, we studied the interactions between field steroid plasma levels (AN and CORT), field immune parameters (plasma bacterial killing ability [BKA], swelling response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA - 20 ug/ml) injection), resting metabolic rate (RMR), rates of oxygen consumption after PHA injection, and parasite load in 3 periods A) within the rainy season (N = 25 in March 21 to April 15, 2013); B) during a breeding event (N = 5; February 15 to 18, 2014); and C) during the dry season (N = 8 collected in September 2 to 14, 2013) of a toad (Rhinella jimi) from a highly seasonal environment (the Brazilian semi-arid, Caatinga, 5°30'43''S. 36°36'18''W). Considering that air temperature also can affect metabolism and immune response, we also provide the air temperature registered during each oxygen consumption measure and during the development of the swelling response to the PHA injection. The rates of oxygen consumption (RMR and after treatment) were measured using positive-pressure, flow-through respirometry (Withers, 1977). The air was pumped through the chambers at 100 mL.min^-1^ using a Flowbar Multichannel – 8 pump system (Sable Systems; Henderson, NV, USA). RMR consisted of lowest value of oxygen consumption for whole 5 minutes. Oxygen consumption after the treatment is the highest value ~ after PHA (V,O2PHA) and saline (V,O2Saline) injection. The metabolic cost to PHA (MC~PHA~) and saline (MCsaline) injections were calculated by subtracting the RMR from their respective V,O2PHA and V,O2saline. Circulating plasma levels of AN and CORT were quantified using enzyme immunoassay kits (Testosterone ELISA Kit 582701; Corticosterone ELISA Kit 500655) from Cayman Chemical (Ann Arbor, MI)

Biomarker expression in the muscle tissue of anurans from an extremely seasonal semi-arid environment, the Brazilian Caatinga

The data are seasonal measures of key metabolic biomarkers in the muscles of three species of anurans from Brazilian semi-arid area, Caatinga (Rhinella jimi, R. granulosa and Pleurodema diplolister). The spreadsheet contains the expression of the folllowing proteins: AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), Protein kinase B (AKT), Total eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α), phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (p-eIF2α), the ration between phosphorylated and total eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (p-eIF2α/eIF2α), chaperone proteins (HSP 60, 70, and 90) and Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity in different muscles (Gular muscle [referred as larynx], Trunk, plantaris and flexor)

Body temperature and immune performance along the life cycle of the tegu lizard (Salvator merianae)

Multiple factors can influence the immune response of vertebrate ectotherms, including body temperature, gonadal steroids, and seasonality, in ways that are thought to reflect trade-offs between energetic investment in immunity vs. reproduction. Hibernating tegu lizards (Salvator merianae) are a unique model to investigate how immunocompetence might be influenced by different factors during their annual cycle. We assessed immunological measures (plasma bacterial killing ability (BKA), total and differential leukocyte count), plasma hormone levels (testosterone in males, estradiol and progesterone in females, and corticosterone in both sexes), body temperature, and body condition from adult tegus during each stage of their annual cycle: reproduction, post-reproduction/preparation for hibernation, and hibernation during the years of 2017 and 2018. The animals sampled in this study were captive-bred of both sexes (10 males and 11 females) kept in a communal outdoor enclosure (42 m²) subject to natural fluctuations in temperature, daylight, humidity, and rainfall, at the campus of Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) in Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil (21°14′05″S and 48°17′09″W). We measured body mass to the nearest ±1 g on a digital scale, snout-vent length and tail thickness using a meter scale (± 0.01 cm). Blood was collected from the ventral coccygeal vein using a heparinized 5 mL syringe and a 21 G needle. Total handling time was ∼ 3 min to minimize potential effects of handling stress. Blood samples were used for total and differential leukocyte count, quantification of steroid plasma levels, and BKA. Body temperature was obtained from temperature loggers that were surgically implanted in each animal's coelomatic cavity and sutured to the internal muscle layer, each logger was programmed to measure and record Tb every 70 min. Hormonal data and body temperature data is published in Zena et al. 2019 and 2020

Baseline and after stressor salivary corticosterone levels in the saliva and plasma of the guttural toad (Sclerophrys gutturalis)

Glucocorticoids have been widely used as a physiological marker of stress, and elevated baseline glucocorticoids levels in vertebrates have been associated with environmental changes. The use of minimally invasive sampling techniques and analysis of non-traditional sample types to monitor stress in wild populations has increased due to the importance of understanding how animals respond to environmental disturbances. This data provide validated corticosterone (CORT) measurements in the saliva and plasma of the guttural toad (Sclerophrys gutturalis) using samples collected in the field (locations: 34°01′S, 18°25′E, 29°47′S, 31°01′E) and after standardized stress protocols (dehydration for 24h + restrain for 24h). Samples were obtained from January to April 2019. Baseline samples were obtained in the field. Afterward, the animals were brought to the lab, subjected to the stress protocol followed by blood and saliva sampling. Blood samples were taken through cardiac puncture under 3 min of manipulation and saliva samples were obtained by gently inserting a previously weighted cotton ball inside the mouth of the toad for 30 seconds