The imitator poison frog, found in Peru, mimics the appearance of other poisonous frogs in its habitat. Studying the neural basis of family relationships in this species could help scientists understand how genes involved in human autism spectrum disorders influence the basic building blocks of brain function.

The variable poison frog, also known as Zimmerman’s frog, lives in South America. Males do the parenting in this semi-arboreal species, transporting their newly hatched tadpoles to tiny pools of water in the center of bromeliads, sometimes carrying them for hours in search of a safe spot. Microbes from the male frog are transmitted to the tadpoles during this process, and scientists are studying how this impacts the tadpoles’ health and immune system as they grow to adulthood.

Male involvement in offspring care is common in amphibians. Female sun glass frogs lay their eggs on the undersides of leaves, close to the waterline of fast-moving streams. Then the males guard the eggs until the tadpoles hatch and fall into the water.

The arboreal frog’s pale green dorsal side helps it blend in with the undersides of leaves, where it hides from predators during the day.

The sun glass frog is the only terrestrial vertebrate that is transparent in adulthood, allowing scientists a unique window into organ function and how the amphibian brain keeps time on a daily and seasonal basis.

Female dyeing poison frogs are large and aggressive, and the males of the species are the ones that care for the tadpoles. These traits offer scientists a unique opportunity to study the evolution of brain mechanisms that promote parental care and aggression.

The golden poison frog is resistant to many environmental compounds that would kill a similarly sized mammal, thanks to a sponge protein in its blood that soaks up toxic molecules. Researchers are studying this protein to inform the development of antitoxins for poisons that currently have no antidote.

Female diablito poison frogs care for tadpoles throughout their development by feeding them unfertilized eggs – the frog alternative to lactation as a way of producing food for infant offspring. Scientists are studying this species to better understand the different neural mechanisms that promote parental care.

The imitator poison frog is one of the only monogamous frog species, and parents work together to care for their tadpoles. The male transports the tadpoles on his back to pools of water in plants, then calls over his mate to feed them a nutritious protein shake of unfertilized eggs.

The skin venom of Anthony’s poison frog contains a nicotine-like compound called epibatidine, which has pain-relieving properties up to 200 times greater than morphine. Understanding how this species evolved resistance to its own toxin could one day help inform the design of better pain medications.

Male brilliant-thighed poison frogs transport between 10 and 30 tadpoles at a time on their backs to a pool of water where they can safely complete metamorphosis. Researchers study this nontoxic member of the poison frog family in comparison with its toxic cousins to understand how physiological traits associated with toxicity evolve.

Phantasmal poison frog tadpoles develop together with their siblings in large pools of water and are very sociable. Other tadpole species live in very small pools and are fiercely aggressive in defense of their territory. By studying these differences from an evolutionary neuroscience perspective, scientists hope to better understand how adaptive behaviors evolve in response to environmental factors.

Researchers are studying the brain mechanisms underlying family relationships in the imitator poison frog species, both pair bonding between parents and parent-offspring relationships.

Some tadpole species, such as the dyeing poison frog (pictured here in metamorphosis), are aggressive and cannibalistic, while others are gregarious and social. In BIO161: Organismal Biology Lab, students study tadpole behavior to investigate questions about sensory systems and development, then collaborate to write and publish their work in peer-reviewed scientific journals.