Living in a changing climate: The impacts of temperature during aestivation on burrowing frogs (2011-2013)

Arid regions experience extreme temperatures and high thermal variability. Frogs inhabiting these regions have developed complex behavioural and physiological strategies to enable their survival in these areas. In a rapidly warming climate, it is imperative to develop an understanding of how temperature affects the physiology of these animals already living at their thermal extreme. This project will examine the influence of temperature during aestivation in the frog Cyclorana alboguttata. We predict that high temperatures will increase metabolic rate thereby increasing rates of energy consumption and muscle atrophy. The results will be used to determine whether predicted global warming is likely to affect the survival of arid zone frogs.