In a new study Published on Food Webs, the relationship between plants and their pollinators has been studied, among which there would seem to be Xenohyla truncata. Until today, insects have always been considered as pollinators par excellence, and how this happens is well documented, especially in view of the effect of diseases, climate change and pesticides on the well-being of the creatures involved.
In this new study however, researchers in Brazil have now discovered a new relationship between a plant and a very surprising creature; Izecksohn’s Brazilian tree frog (Xenohyla truncata) has been observed immersing its body inside the flowers of the Brazilian milk fruit tree (Cordia taguahyensis).
The Xenohyla truncata is already known as a seed disperser moreover it has an unusual diet which, although omnivorous, has a particular predilection for fruits, and only occasionally feeds on the more common frog prey on invertebrates.
What else do we know about Xenohyla truncata and its habitat
This frog is found in the coastal lowlands of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where it spends the day sheltered within bromeliad plants. It’s already considered unique for its role as a seed disperser, and researchers now think it could also disperse pollen.
The researchers observed the frogs eat both the petals and nectar of the milkfruit tree and eat the flowers of a second species of tree, the alien bearded iris (Iris x germanica). During the observation, the researchers noticed that the frogs ate the fruit and flowers of these trees with sucker-like movements. A frog was observed to enter fully into a flower and when it emerged after about five minutes there were pollen grains stuck to its back.
These observations represent the first time that a frog species has been observed actively foraging on nectar and flowers. This research also represents evidence that these frogs can act as pollinators.
The team suggests that apart from seed dispersal, frogs could benefit from eating these flowers and fruits in other ways. Calling is an energy-intensive activity for these frogs, and consuming nectar, which may have a high energy content and sugar concentration, could be one way to meet these demands. For female frogs, producing immature egg cells called oocytes is very energy intensive, so eating nectar and fruit in the breeding season could provide an advantage.
These Brazilian tree frogs may not be classified as true pollinators because they destroyed iris flowers while picking fruit. However the opposite is true for the milk fruit tree, where the flowers were not damaged and the pollen remained stuck to the backs of the frogs after the nectar had been consumed.
The researchers suggest that these new observations shed some light on this species and suggest that they may be consuming flowers and fruits of other yet-to-be-seen plant species.
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