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Critical thermal limits do not vary between wild-caught and captive-bred tadpoles of agalychnis spurrelli (Anura: Hylidae)

Abstract:

Captive-bred organisms are widely used in ecology, evolution and conservation research, especially in scenarios where natural populations are scarce or at risk of extinction. Yet, it is still unclear whether captivity may alter thermal tolerances, crucial traits to predict species resilience to global warming. Here, we study whether captive-bred tadpoles of the gliding treefrog (Agalychnis spurrelli) show different thermal tolerances than wild-caught individuals. Our results show that there are no differences between critical thermal limits (CTmax and CTmin) of captive-bred and wild-caught tadpoles exposed to three-day acclimatization at 20 °C. Therefore, we suggest that the use of captive-bred amphibians is valid and may be appropriate in experimental comparisons to thermal physiological studies of wild populations.