The extent of long-term temperature compensation for jumping distance in the frog, Rana pipiens, and the toad, Bufo americanus

Abstract

The effects of acclimation to either 5 or 25 °C were studied on the longest jumping distances of Rana pipiens and Bufo americanus to estimate their capacity for long-term compensation. Animals were tested randomly at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 °C. Both Rana and Bufo jumped further at higher temperatures. For both species, acclimation temperature modified the effect of test temperature. At test temperatures of 20 and 25 °C, frogs acclimated to 25 °C jumped further than those acclimated to 5 °C. There was no evidence for thermal compensation in toads, but half of those acclimated to 25 °C would not jump when tested at 5 °C, whereas only 1 out of 16 cold-acclimated toads did not jump. We suggest that the acclimation effects on the jumping ability of R. pipiens at high temperatures are important in increasing their ability to escape predation and that this effect depends on an effect on the nervous system rather than the muscular system.