Wood frog: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
|||
| Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
Wood Frogs can be found through most of Canada and Alaska and as far south as northern Georgia. In the United States they are mostly found in the Northeastern states. | Wood Frogs can be found through most of Canada and Alaska and as far south as northern Georgia. In the United States they are mostly found in the Northeastern states. | ||
Wood frogs are forest dwelling amphibians. During the summer months they can be found in an moist forested areas, ravines,bogs or forested swamps During the winter months the seek refuge in leaf litter in the uplands. When spring comes they will migrate into forested wetlands or other protected bodies of water to breed. This migration can be somewhat explosive with large numbers migrating. | Wood frogs are forest dwelling amphibians. During the summer months they can be found in an moist forested areas, ravines,bogs or forested swamps During the winter months the seek refuge in leaf litter in the uplands. When spring comes they will migrate into forested wetlands or other protected bodies of water to breed. This migration can be somewhat explosive with large numbers migrating. | ||
For breeding these frogs find temporary pools of water of [[Vernal Pools|vernal pools]]. This can be any cut off water sources like in a stream or ponds, even in ditches. These are usually fish free to increase survivability of the offspring. Wood frogs are diurnal and are rarely seen at night but often heard in loud chores during mating seasons. | For breeding these frogs find temporary pools of water of [[Vernal Pools|vernal pools]]. This can be any cut off water sources like in a stream or ponds, even in ditches. These are usually fish free to increase survivability of the offspring. Wood frogs are diurnal and are rarely seen at night but often heard in loud chores during mating seasons. | ||
Revision as of 16:12, 11 March 2022
Wood Frog(Lithobates sylvaticus or Rana sylvatica) is a terrestrial frog found throughout North America. It can be found in the up into the north most boreal forests of Canada down to the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. They belong to the Order Anura, Family being Ranidae.
Description
The wood frog is a small frog ranging in size from an inch to three and a half inches in length as an adult. Females are typically larger than males and tend to be more brightly colored. It can be brown, tan to rust colored with distinct black patches over it's eyes that resemble a mask.The underbelly a greenish yellow Coloration may vary with individual depending on conditions. Two distinct ridges run down it's back on each side.
Distribution and Habitat
Wood Frogs can be found through most of Canada and Alaska and as far south as northern Georgia. In the United States they are mostly found in the Northeastern states. Wood frogs are forest dwelling amphibians. During the summer months they can be found in an moist forested areas, ravines,bogs or forested swamps During the winter months the seek refuge in leaf litter in the uplands. When spring comes they will migrate into forested wetlands or other protected bodies of water to breed. This migration can be somewhat explosive with large numbers migrating. For breeding these frogs find temporary pools of water of vernal pools. This can be any cut off water sources like in a stream or ponds, even in ditches. These are usually fish free to increase survivability of the offspring. Wood frogs are diurnal and are rarely seen at night but often heard in loud chores during mating seasons.
Cold Tolerance
Wood frogs one of the only amphibians to inhabit the Arctic Circle. The wood frog has a freeze tolerance. This freeze tolerance is capable due to the rapid synthesis of glucose from liver glycogen and the distribution of this cryoprotective agent to cells throughout the body. This distribution enhances the survival of cells, tissues, and organs. This was seen by experimentally adding additional glucose to the frog which increases its tolerance to freezing (Costanzo et al. 1993). This glucose distribution will raise the osmotic pressure of the body fluids, which in turn reduces the amount of ice that forms at any given temperature. The extra gluclose will casue a decrease in the degree of cell shrinkage during freezing, and also works as a fermentable fuel that can be metabolized in the absence of oxygen. The wood frog also uses urea as a cryoprotectant. Unlike glucose, urea is accumulated during autumn and early winter, and is already localized within cells when freezing begins. Some evidence suggests that urea is more efficacious than glucose in preventing cryoinjury (Costanzo and Lee 2005).
Diet
Wood Frogs are omnivores. While inhabiting the forests as adults they feed on a variety of small invertebrates that they find on the forest floor. As tadpoles they will feed on algae or detritus and even larvae of amphibians. Cannibalism has often been observed in tadpoles when starvation is the alternative.
Reproduction
The Wood frogs emerge from the leaf litter in late winter or early spring, usually March. The head to a nearby body of water and begin looking for a mate. The male wood frog has a short quack like mating call. Once the frogs pair the female will lay egg clutches of 300-1000 eggs. The eggs will hatch between 9 to 30 days after they are laid. Males will mature between 1 and 2 years and Females after about 3 years. Some individuals will only reproduce once in there lives, others two or three times as their life span is on average 4 years.
References
Berven, Keith A., and Thaddeus A. Grudzien. “Dispersal in the Wood Frog (Rana Sylvatica): Implications for Genetic Population Structure.” Evolution, vol. 44, no. 8, 1990, pp. 2047–56. JSTOR, doi:10.2307/2409614.
Conlon, J. M., et al. “Freeze Tolerance in the Wood Frog Rana Sylvatica Is Associated with Unusual Structural Features in Insulin but Not in Glucagon.” Journal of Molecular Endocrinology, vol. 21, no. 2, Oct. 1998, pp. 153–59. PubMed, doi:10.1677/jme.0.0210153.
Costanzo, Jon P., et al. “Cryoprotectants and Extreme Freeze Tolerance in a Subarctic Population of the Wood Frog.” PLOS ONE, vol. 10, no. 2, Feb. 2015, p. e0117234. PLoS Journals, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117234.
“Explosive Breeding Reduces Egg and Tadpole Cannibalism in the Wood Frog, Rana Sylvatica.” Animal Behaviour, vol. 50, no. 3, Jan. 1995, pp. 731–39. www.sciencedirect.com, doi:10.1016/0003-3472(95)80133-2.
Virginia Herpetological Society. http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com. Accessed 4 May 2021.
“Wood Frog | Vermont Center for Ecostudies.” Vermont Center for Ecostudies | Uniting People & Science for Conservation, 5 June 2014, https://vtecostudies.org/wildlife/amphibians/wood-frog/.