All In The Family: Maine Mother & Son Charged in Massive Drug Bust

-



harlequin tree frog :: Article Creator

Tree Frog Tadpoles Have A Unique Way Of Not Contaminating Their Water Supply: Not Pooping

The Eiffinger's tree frog (Kurixalus eiffingeri), found on Ishigaki and Iriomote islands in Japan, has a unique biological adaptation: its tadpoles do not defecate during their early developmental stages. This finding by researchers at Nagoya University in Japan contributes to our understanding of how these small frogs survive in the tiny bodies of water where they spawn. The findings were published in the journal Ecology.

Eiffinger's tree frogs rear their young in small, isolated water bodies, such as tree hollows and bamboo stumps, which provide a safe environment with few predators.

However, in these limited water spaces, the tadpoles face the challenge of waste management. Unlike other species that excrete toxic ammonia in their feces into larger water bodies where it is diluted and rendered harmless, the confined water environments of Eiffinger's tree frogs do not allow them this luxury. Excessive defecation causes ammonia to build up in the tiny water bodies, leading to toxicity and endangering their survival.

Bun Ito, a special research student, and Professor Yasukazu Okada at the Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, focused on this peculiar aspect of the frog's life cycle and discovered that the tadpoles exhibit a remarkable strategy to managing their waste: they go for months without pooping.

To keep the water bodies clean, Eiffinger's tree frog tadpoles excrete significantly less ammonia than other frog species. Instead of releasing waste into their environment, the tadpoles store it in their intestines, accumulating high concentrations of ammonia within their bodies.

The frogs only begin to defecate once they transition from tadpoles to subadults. This delayed excretion suggests that nitrogen, which is ingested as part of their diet, is effectively retained within their body in the form of ammonia until it can be safely expelled outside their spawning site. This sanitation strategy mirrors the behavior of some bee and ant larvae, which similarly retain feces in their intestines to keep their nests clean.

To further understand these findings, the researchers conducted experiments to compare the ammonia tolerance of Eiffinger's tree frog tadpoles with that of other frog species, such as the Japanese tree frog, by raising them in ammonium chloride solutions with varying concentrations.

They found that Eiffinger's tree frog tadpoles could survive in much higher concentrations of ammonia than other species, showing a heightened resistance to this toxin. However, even their tolerance had limits, as the tadpoles succumbed under extremely high ammonia concentrations.

These findings highlight a dual adaptation strategy in Eiffinger's tree frog tadpoles: reducing the amount of ammonia they release into their environment and developing a high tolerance to the ammonia they do encounter. This combination allows them to thrive in the small, confined water areas where they develop.

The study sheds light on how Eiffinger's tree frogs have adapted to their restricted habitats, employing unusual biological mechanisms to manage waste and ensure the survival of their offspring. The research team's findings offer valuable insights into the unique survival strategies of organisms living in specialized environments.

Ito believes that the research has important conservation implications. "The discovery of frogs that have successfully adapted to the unique environment of small water holes reveals a more complex ecosystem within these tiny habitats than we initially imagined," he said. "Protecting biodiversity necessitates the preservation of these microhabitats."

More information: Bun Ito et al, Phytotelmata‐dwelling frog larvae might exhibit no defecation: A unique adaptation to a closed aquatic environment, Ecology (2024). DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4428

Citation: Tree frog tadpoles have a unique way of not contaminating their water supply: Not pooping (2024, September 24) retrieved 28 September 2024 from https://phys.Org/news/2024-09-tree-frog-tadpoles-unique-contaminating.Html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.


This Minnesotan Just Earned His First PGA Tour Card

If you are a fan of golf, which seems to be plenty of people in Minnesota, it looks like we've got a fellow Minnesotan to follow on the PGA Tour this year. A 24-year-old Minnesotan just got his first PGA Tour card, thanks to his play on the Korn Ferry Tour. Congrats to Frankie Capan III!

The Korn Ferry Tour made the celebratory announcement on social media last week.

Frankie Capan III is a Stillwater Minnesota native, that attended Florida Gulf Coast University.

Growing up Frankie and his family split time between Minnesota and Arizona, and according to his PGA biography, he was the standard bearer for the 2012 Waste Management Open in Phoenix.

The Korn Ferry Tour, is the PGA's minor league so to speak, it gives golfers the chance to earn enough points through their play, to earn a chot at playing in PGA Tournaments, where the purses are larger, and of course there is more attention on the golfers.

You can read more about how that has changed this year, by offering 30 PGA Tour cards rather than the 25 offered in years past, by heading here.

If you can see Frankie play this year, now that he has is PGA Tour card, be on the lookout for his signature green ball marker. It's a 1967 quarter.

Why the specific piece of change to mark his ball on the green, well it has to do with his dad. According to the same PGA biography, he uses that quarter because:

His dad was born in 1967 and introduced him to the game; he also always marks it using the tails side because "tails never fails."

Congrats to Frankie, and I know I'll be looking forward to watching his progress during the upcoming PGA season.

LOOK: 50 cozy towns to visit this winter Stacker created a list of 50 cozy American towns to visit each winter. Towns were selected based on visitor opinions, ratings from nationwide publications, and tourist attractions.

Gallery Credit: Laura Ratliff

Quiz: Do you know your state insect?

Stacker has used a variety of sources to compile a list of the official state insect(s) of each U.S. State, as well as their unique characteristics. Read on to see if you can guess which insect(s) represent your state. 

Gallery Credit: Andrew Vale

LOOK: See the Most Famous Musician Born the Same Year As You Stacker identified musicians born in every year from 1920 to 2003 and determined the most famous born the same year as you.

Gallery Credit: Stacker


Massachusetts DEP On How To Deal With Fruit Fly Infestation

I do not recall experiencing a fruit fly infestation like the one that has taken shape inside my apartment in recent days. Those little boogers keep on coming.

It turns out we are not alone. I have heard from others through social media that they too have been deluged by fruit flies. In mid-September, I joked when my cousin Nancy posted on Facebook that she needed suggestions for deleting the little critters.

Not 24 hours later, they invaded my place.

"Okay, peeps...Need Help!" posted Nancy. "Fruit flies have taken over my kitchen!"

Nancy said she'd tried everything she could to rid her kitchen of the pests but to no avail.

Nancy's plea generated nearly 60 responses, many from those also waging war against fruit flies. Some offered suggestions ranging from bug lights to liquid concoctions on countertops.

It is not unusual to see a fruit fly or two when the bananas are getting a little long in the tooth, but even after the fruit got tossed the flies kept coming.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection says, "Fruit flies and fungus gnats are the most common flying insects found in and around compost bins."

Massachusetts DEP On How To Deal With Fruit Fly Infestation

Getty Images

"These insects are not dangerous or harmful; however, their presence can be a nuisance, particularly indoors," the DEP said. " A little information about the food and environments these insects are attracted to can be used to help us control their presence in places where they are not wanted."

We eradicated the invaders by cleaning thoroughly, removing standing water, tossing rotting fruit, and storing good fruit in the fridge. They like damp things such as wet dishcloths and sink drains. It's where they lay their eggs.

My wife also mixed apple vinegar with dish detergent in a small bowl and placed it near the kitchen and bathroom sinks. It works.

DEP also recommends putting a rotting banana peel inside a jar and poking a few small holes in the lid. The flies crawl in and can't get back out again.

LOOK: 20 of the biggest insects in the world Stacker compiled a list of 20 of the biggest insects in the world using a variety of news, scientific, and other sources.

Gallery Credit: Andrea Vale

Quiz: Do you know your state insect?

Stacker has used a variety of sources to compile a list of the official state insect(s) of each U.S. State, as well as their unique characteristics. Read on to see if you can guess which insect(s) represent your state. 

Gallery Credit: Andrew Vale





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All In The Family: Maine Mother & Son Charged in Massive Drug Bust

-
Image
corso dog :: Article Creator Woman Hospitalized After Attack By 2 Dogs At Same Edmonton Home Where Boy Died: Lawyer UPDATE: On April 15, 2024, the City of Edmonton provided an update on the fatal attack. It said that prior to the deadly incident on April 1, "the city had no lawful basis to remove the dogs from the home." The city added that "all prior complaints about the dogs involved in this incident were investigated thoroughly and appropriate action was taken in accordance with the applicable legislation." The city also said a review found that its staff "acted appropriately in accordance with our standard practices and in compliance with the relevant legal constraints given the nature of past complaints and reports." A woman was hospitalized after being attacked in February by two large Cane Corso dogs at the same home where an 11-year-old boy was killed last week, the woman's lawyer told Global News. "I...
Read more

Rare Frogs And Illegal Drugs - Palisades Hudson Financial Group

-
Image
Colombian conservationist Ivan Lozano has hit on a brilliantly promising strategy to protect his country’s rare and endangered amphibians. His plan: Flood the market with them. Lozano is not hunting rare frogs in Colombia’s Andean forests. He is raising them himself and selling them at prices designed to undercut poachers and smugglers. If he can raise the frogs cheaply enough, and in large enough numbers, he might manage to drive down the market price to the point that poachers no longer find it worthwhile to harvest and smuggle the creatures onto the black markets. Lozano told The Associated Press that his company also encourages collectors to breed their own frogs. Picture yourself as a poacher. If the government toughens the legal penalties and steps up enforcement, you will shrug your shoulders; legal risks are a basic cost of doing business. Since the demand for your product already exists among foreign collectors and other buyers, tougher enforcement merely reduces supply a...
Read more

Burn scars, winter storms threaten rare and endangered species in San Gabriel Mountains - The Bakersfield Californian

-
Image
LOS ANGELES — Up until a few weeks ago, the West Fork of the San Gabriel River was one of the most abundant wildlife habitats in Los Angeles County, a secluded and rugged area defined by its steep peaks, lush canyons and mixture of rare and endangered species. Recently however, a team of federal biologists and forest rangers was aghast when it visited the stream following the Bobcat fire, which has burned more than 115,000 acres in the heart of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. Terrain that once resembled a High Sierra granite gorge now looked like ground zero after a nuclear explosion, and the usually clean mountain air was sharp with the stench of smoke. Particularly unsettling were the bare and ashen slopes that were now primed to dissolve under pounding winter storms. A heavy mudslide, experts said, could reverse decades of conservation efforts by inundating the last outposts for such federally protected species as the Santa Ana sucker fish and Southern California m...
Read more