Tree Frogs in Brazil Pollinate Milk Fruit Flowers: First in Amphibians

In Brazil, it was discovered that tree frogs pollinate milk fruit flowers for the first time in amphibians.

The milk fruit trees near Rio de Janeiro are occupied by brownish-orange frogs on warm evenings. Unlike most frogs, the Xenohyla truncata tree frog prefers the pulp of bulbous fruits as well as the nectar found in the tree's flowers to insects.

Brazil Tree Frogs Pollinate Milk Fruit Flowers

The frogs completely submerge themselves in the plant's flowers as they search for nectar, leaving only their buttocks exposed. Pollen adheres to their heads and backs when they emerge. Then they dismount, possibly spreading pollen to the subsequent milk fruit flower they come across from their earlier stop at the tropical buffet.

This means, the frogs might disperse the plant's seeds and conduct the plant's first-ever amphibian pollination of its flowers.

According to Luis Felipe Toledo, the University of Campinas' director of the Amphibians Natural History Lab, animal behavior is novel because amphibians haven't been observed doing it before. Toledo is one of the authors of a study that was published last month in the journal Food Webs and suggests that there is an ecological connection between frogs and flowering trees.

First Time Seen in Amphibians

The majority of frogs are carnivorous; they only unintentionally eat vegetation when it becomes an obstruction to their pursuit of other animals. But at the beginning of this century, researchers found evidence of plants in the guts of Xenohyla truncata, also known as Izecksohn's Brazilian tree frog. According to their investigations, the species intentionally consumes fruits, leaves, and flowers regularly, while only rarely consuming insects.

However, there is no evidence of this behavior in the wild.

While conducting research in Brazil's Restinga forests, Toledo's team happened upon plant-loving frogs in action at dusk. They were surprised to find two frogs sipping nectar from the bell-shaped flowers for anywhere between five and fifteen minutes.

Pollination by Tree Frogs

Because one of the frogs surfaced from its flowery snack clad in pollen, Toledo said, the team hypothesized that it was very likely that the frog species aids milk fruit tree pollination, which is something amphibians weren't thought to perform. The frogs could have accidentally taken pollen from flower to flower and caused reproduction. Similarly shaped flowers could have also been pollinated in this manner. The team captured footage of frogs sipping nectar from alien bearded irises that evening.

According to a 2019 research article that appeared in The Scientific Naturalist, the discovery could add an amphibian to the relatively diverse list of recently discovered pollinators, which already includes pollinating rats, cockroaches, and even lizards. The abundance of pollinators may test the current understanding of how animals interact with their environments, but more research is required to conclusively prove that frogs are pollinating plants.

It is too early to label the frogs as pollinators, according to Felipe Amorim, a Paulo State University pollination ecologist; rather, the frogs are flower visitors. There is still much to learn about the novel plant-animal interaction, he claimed. Aromim is not involved in the study.

For instance, it is necessary to test the frog's skin mucus to make sure the pollen won't be ruined before it reaches its destination. Additionally, researchers must determine whether the pollen is ever carried to other flowers and whether it is successful in fertilizing and germination. Furthermore, it is still unknown why this species of frogs developed a preference for flora over fauna in the first place.

Understanding the subtleties of the relationship between the Brazilian milk fruit tree and the Xenohyla truncata is essential for their conservation because both species are endangered, The New York Times reports.