Mini treadmill helps scientists
understand mysteries of amphibian mating
Date: December 20, 2016
Source: Ohio State University
Most salamanders are homebodies
when it comes to mating. But some of the beasts hit the road, traversing miles
of rugged terrain unfit for an amphibian in pursuit of a partner from a
far-away wetland.
And when those adventurers leave
home, they travel an average of six miles -- and as far as almost nine miles --
to new breeding sites, a new study has found.
That's a long haul on four
squatty legs.
The scientists who unlocked this
evolutionarily important information got there by cross-referencing genetic
details from salamanders in various Ohio
wetlands with the distance the animals would walk on a treadmill before tiring
out.
The research, published online
this month in the journal Functional
Ecology, is the work of scientists at The Ohio State University who want to
better understand how and where salamanders procreate and how that fits into
work to preserve the animals, including land conservation efforts.
It is a mystery what prompts a
salamander to cross rocks, fields, streams and roads to mate and, in the
process, mix up the genetics of another salamander outpost far from home, said
lead author Robert Denton.
"It has to be incredibly
intimidating for these tiny salamanders. They could get eaten by a crow or a
raccoon. They could dry out," said Denton,
a presidential research fellow in Ohio
State's Department of
Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology.
"This is the first study to
connect physiological factors -- particularly how fast they get tired of
walking -- with genetics showing animal movement in the field."
Understanding these connections
is critical to predicting how environmental and other changes can harm species,
Denton said.
Dispersal -- leaving the birthplace for a new habitat -- is a key element of
keeping a species genetically healthy, he said.
Animal travel for breeding is a
complex area of research, he said. There are a lot of factors to consider,
including how they decide to move, why only certain animals hit the road and
how they actually complete the journey -- in a series of shorter trips or all
at once, for instance.
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