Influência sazonal nas quantidades de carboidratos e proteínas presentes nos testículos de leptodactylus macrosternum em uma área de caatinga no Nordeste brasileiro.

Abstract

The Anurans constitute an order of animals belonging to the Amphibia class, which includes frogs and descendants, in Brazil is the world's largest biodiversity of these organisms, species of the Leptodactylidae family play an important role in their habitats and are considered as bioindicators because provide information on possible ecosystem disturbances. These animals occur frequently in areas of the caatinga domain where the rainfall pattern determines the energetic activity as well as the reproduction of these individuals, whereas these species present a great variety of physiological and ecological strategies during the periods of drought. Through this the information presented in this research seeks to show how seasonality interferes in energy metabolism, and consequently in the reproductive processes of these animals. The material used in the research was collected in the the Horto Florestal Olho D’água da Bica (HFODB) in the municipality of Cuité-PB, adult males of the species L. macrosternum were collected biweekly between January and December 2013. For the accomplishment of the experiment, small fragments of the testicles were removed, weighed and measured, which later were sent to the histological routine, in the analyzes of the material it was observed the presence of different cell types. The protein and carbohydrate quantifications were statistically analyzed, the monthly values of the protein amounts presented the highest mean value in July, while the carbohydrates presented the highest levels of carbohydrates in June, July, August, September and December with the highest values average values, and the month of May with the lowest value. There were only significant relationships between rainfall and temperature with carbohydrate amounts, and no significant relationship with the amounts of proteins deposited in the L. macrosternum testis.