Low Cutaneous Evaporative Water Loss in Arboreal Frogs

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Rates of cutaneous evaporative water loss were measured in seven arboreal and 11 nonarboreal anuran species under controlled environmental conditions. Areaspecific rates of cutaneous evaporative water loss of arboreal species (genera Hyla and Osteopilus) were 47% lower than those of nonarboreal species (genera Acris, Atelopus, Bufo, Gastrophryne, Rana, Scaphiopus, and Xenopus). Body and skin temperatures of arboreal species averaged 4.4 C higher than those of nonarboreal ones. Boundary layer resistance was similar in both groups of frogs and averaged 0.80 s cm⁻¹; skin resistance averaged 0.05 s cm⁻¹ in nonarboreal frogs and was 41 times higher in arboreal ones. The results of this study conflict with those of previous studies and emphasize the need for careful control of animal posture and water vapor density when measuring evaporative water loss.

This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit: