Condensation onto the Skin as a Means for Water Gain by Tree Frogs in Tropical Australia

Green tree frogs,Litoria caerulea, in the wet-dry tropics of northern Australia remain active during the dry season with apparently no available water and temperatures that approach their lower critical temperature. We hypothesized that this surprising activity might be because frogs that are cooled...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American naturalist 2011-10, Vol.178 (4), p.553-558
Main Authors: Tracy, Christopher R., Laurence, Nathalie, Christian, Keith A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amphibians
Animals
Anura
Anura - physiology
Average linear density
Body Temperature
Body Water - physiology
Body Weight - physiology
Condensation
Dry seasons
Eucalyptus
Evaporation
Frogs
Humidity
Litoria caerulea
Natural History Note
Nonnative species
Northern Territory
Phase Transition
Relative humidity
Skin
Surface water
Temperature
Water loss
Water Loss, Insensible - physiology
Water temperature
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Green tree frogs,Litoria caerulea, in the wet-dry tropics of northern Australia remain active during the dry season with apparently no available water and temperatures that approach their lower critical temperature. We hypothesized that this surprising activity might be because frogs that are cooled during nighttime activity gain water from condensation by returning to a warm, humid tree hollow. We measured the mass gained when a cool frog moved into either a natural or an artificial hollow. In both hollows, water condensed on coolL. caerulea, resulting in water gains of up to 0.93% of body mass. We estimated that the water gained was more than the water that would be lost to evaporation during activity. The use of condensation as a means for water gain may be a significant source of water uptake for species likeL. caeruleathat occur in areas where free water is unavailable over extended periods.
ISSN:0003-0147
1537-5323
DOI:10.1086/661908