Meeting Abstract

49.3  Tuesday, Jan. 5  Labial tooth number affects feeding kinematics in a ranid tadpole VENESKY, Matthew*; WASSERSUG, Richard; PARRIS, Matthew; Univ. of Memphis; Dalhousie Univ.; Univ. of Memphis mvenesky@memphis.edu

We used high-speed videography to explore how missing labial teeth alters the feeding kinematics and foraging performance of Southern Leopard Frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus) tadpoles. In Experiment 1, we used overwintered tadpoles to test if the degree of natural tooth loss correlated with the amount of time that tadpoles grazed upon an algal-covered substrate. In Experiment 2, we controlled the pattern of tooth loss by surgically removing one row of teeth to test how this altered the feeding kinematics of tadpoles. We then conducted foraging efficiency trials to test if tadpoles with fewer teeth foraged less effectively than control tadpoles. In Experiment 1, linear regression revealed a significant positive relationship between duration of time the labial teeth were in contact with the substrate and the number of labial teeth present. Thus, loss of teeth resulted in a shorter portion of the gape cycle during which tadpoles acquired food. In Experiment 2, the teeth of tadpoles from the surgery treatment were in contact with the substrate for a shorter duration of time than control tadpoles. Surprisingly, tadpoles with missing teeth obtained similar amounts of food as tadpoles with intact mouthparts. However, tadpoles with missing teeth completed approximately 25% more foraging bouts per unit time. Our data indicate that tadpoles missing labial teeth forage less effectively than tadpoles with undamaged dentition and tadpoles with missing teeth compensate for inferior feeding kinematics during mouth closing in each gape cycle by increasing the number of gape cycles per unit time.