Passive accumulation of alkaloids in inconspicuously colored frogs refines the evolutionary paradigm of acquired chemical defenses
Rebecca D. Tarvin, Jeffrey L. Coleman, David A. Donoso, Mileidy Betancourth‐Cundar, Karem López-Hervas, Kimberly S Gleason, J Ryan Sanders, Jacqueline M Smith, Santiago R. Ron, Juan C. Santos, Brian E. Sedio, David C. Cannatella, Richard W. Fitch
This study shows that undefended poison frogs accumulate low levels of alkaloids from their diet, suggesting passive accumulation as an intermediate step in the evolution of chemical defenses.
eLife · Dec 27, 2024Peer-reviewedEvolutionary Biology