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Ontogenetic change in the diet of the pond frog, Rana nigromaculata

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Ecological Research

I analyzed 478 diet samples of Rana nigromaculata across its natural size range to examine the dietary changes of this species during postmetamorphic ontogeny. As the frogs increased in size, they increased total diet volume, but decreased the number of prey items. Also, individuals ontogenetically increased the mean, minimum and maximum prey volume in the stomach. The mean volume of the major prey taxa consumed by the frogs varied considerably. Small prey, such as ants and dipterans, were found less frequently as the size of the frogs increased, but large prey, such as beetles and orthopterans, were more frequently recovered from larger frogs. These results suggest that ontogenetic diet change should be considered when the structure of an anuran community is investigated using food niche analysis.

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  1. Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Toshiaki Hirai

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  1. Toshiaki Hirai
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Correspondence to Toshiaki Hirai.

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Hirai, T. Ontogenetic change in the diet of the pond frog, Rana nigromaculata. Ecol Res 17, 639–644 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1703.2002.00521.x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1703.2002.00521.x

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