Rebekah Magee and Julia E. Earl are a part of the School of Biological Sciences at Louisiana Tech Universit

Earl, Julia E.

Magee, Rebekah

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Louisiana Tech UniversityLouisiana Tech Digital CommonsANS Research Symposium ANS Research Symposium 2018Apr 12th, 8:30 AM - 11:30 AMAmphibian Oviposition Site Selection Preferencesin Response to Leaf Litter Chemical CharacteristicsRebekah MageeLouisiana Tech UniversityJulia E. EarlLouisiana Tech UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.latech.edu/ans-research-symposiumThis Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences and Symposia at Louisiana Tech Digital Commons. It has been accepted forinclusion in ANS Research Symposium by an authorized administrator of Louisiana Tech Digital Commons. For more information, please contactdigitalcommons@latech.edu.Recommended CitationMagee, Rebekah and Earl, Julia E., "Amphibian Oviposition Site Selection Preferences in Response to Leaf Litter ChemicalCharacteristics" (2018). ANS Research Symposium. 20.https://digitalcommons.latech.edu/ans-research-symposium/2018/poster-presentations/20 32   Amphibian oviposition site selection preferences in response to leaf litter chemical characteristics  Rebekah Magee, Julia E. Earl  School of Biological Sciences, Louisiana Tech University  ______________________________________________________________________________  Leaf litter plays an important role in the forest ecosystem, such as impacting various processes and hindering erosion. While there is variability in the chemical and nutritional properties of leaf litter, the effects that these variables have on organisms within the environment is not well known. These different nutrients and compounds could play a role in the behavior of organisms, specifically animals that utilize ponds within the ecosystem, since the tree leaves leach compounds into the water they fall in. One type of these compounds are tannins, a type of organic secondary compound that has deleterious effect on tadpoles.  Amphibians have complex life cycles, and one of their life stages involves laying their eggs in a body of water. Female frogs have been observed to oviposit in ponds where their offspring will have the highest chance of survival, which in turn will increase their fitness in the environment. In order to evaluate this behavioral response, we will be placing 45 wading pools at LA Tech South Campus. These pools will vary in the species of leaf litter input with fifteen different tree species treatments, replicated three times. We will be observing the water quality (conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen) over time within each pool. We will be measuring the response of the tree frogs by counting the number of eggs laid in each pool and examining effects of the treatment by looking at the correlation between oviposition site selection and water quality, leaf chemistry, and treatment type.                       

Amphibian Oviposition Site Selection Preferences in Response to Leaf Litter Chemical Characteristics

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Amphibian Oviposition Site Selection Preferences in Response to Leaf Litter Chemical Characteristics

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