Diferenças na composição da dieta de Physalaemus cuvieri Fitzinger, 1826 em três brejos de altitude no estado do Ceará

Abstract

Understanding the trophic ecology of species provides information about the natural history, community dynamics, and ecosystem functioning, frogs occupy an important position in ecological webs participating in the energy flow in different trophic chains, both in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Physalaemus cuvieri is a species widely distributed in Brazil, occurring in all major phytophysiognomies in the state of Ceará, however, data on trophic ecology of this species are only known for areas of Caatinga stricto sensu. Therefore, the present study aimed to describe the diet of P. cuvieri in three mountains located in the northeastern semi-arid region, testing the variation in composition and the relationship between the size of the frogs and the volume of each prey consumed, and, using an ecological networks approach, we investigated prey-predator interactions in species of the genus Physalaemus in Brazil. We collected 59 specimens in the three sampled mountains, where in general 11 categories of prey were identified, with the most consumed categories being larvae, Formicidae, and plant material. Furthermore, there was no difference in the diet of P. cuvieri in the three mountains, as well as the size of the predator did not interfere in the volume of prey consumed. In general, the species of the genus Physalaemus in Brazil had a generalist diet (248 categories), but there was a high consumption of ants, termites and beetles. The approach of networks of prey-predator interactions showed a low specialization and nesting and did not tend to form modules (low modularity). Therefore, in addition to showing that these frogs tend to have generalist and opportunistic habits, the present study contributes with data on the trophic ecology of P. cuvieri in the northeastern semi-arid mountains, as well as providing data on the anuran-prey relationship of the genus Physalaemus.