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Energy and Water in Aestivating Amphibians

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Aestivation

Part of the book series: Progress in Molecular and Subcellular Biology ((PMSB,volume 49))

Abstract

The physiological mechanisms, behavioral adjustments, and ecological associations that allow animal species to live in extreme environments have evoked the attention of many zoologists. Often, extreme environments are defined as those believed to be limiting to life in terms of water, energetic availability, and temperature. These three elements seem extreme in a number of arid and semi-arid settings that even so have been colonized by amphibians. Because this taxon is usually seen as the quintessential water-dependent ectotherm tetrapods, their presence in a number of semi-arid environments poses a number of intriguing questions regarding microhabitat choice and physiological plasticity, particularly regarding the ecological and physiological correlates of behaviors granting avoidance of the harshest conditions of semi-arid environments. Such avoidance states, generally associated to the concept of aestivation, are currently seen as a diverse and complex phenomena varying from species to species and involving numerous behavioral and metabolic adjustments that enhance survival during the drought. This chapter reviews the physiological ecology of anuran aestivation, mainly from the perspective of water and energy balance.

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Acknowledgments

We dedicate this Chapter to Drs. Carlos Jared and Marta Antoniazzi (Instituto Butantan, Brazil) whose input has been essential instigating our curiosity regarding anurans of the Brazilian semi-arid. Without Carlos’ help we still would be looking for burrowed frogs in the Caatingas. JEC research is supported by CNPq/FAPESP (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development/State of São Paulo Research Foundation) grant INCT Fisiologia Comparada/2009. CAN research on aestivating frogs has been supported by a FAPESP grant 2003/01577-8. ICP received a FAPESP scholarship 2006/52760-5.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Campus Diadema, São Paulo, Brazil

    José E. Carvalho

  2. Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Campus Capital, São Paulo, Brazil

    Carlos A. Navas & Isabel C. Pereira

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  1. José E. Carvalho
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  2. Carlos A. Navas
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  3. Isabel C. Pereira
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Correspondence to José E. Carvalho .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matao 14, São Paulo, 05508-900, Brazil

    Carlos Arturo Navas

  2. Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Prof. Artur Riedel 275, Diadema, 09972-270, Brazil

    José Eduardo Carvalho

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Carvalho, J.E., Navas, C.A., Pereira, I.C. (2010). Energy and Water in Aestivating Amphibians. In: Arturo Navas, C., Carvalho, J. (eds) Aestivation. Progress in Molecular and Subcellular Biology, vol 49. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02421-4_7

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