Climate change is bringing about increased temperatures of amphibian habitats throughout the world, where ectothermic larvae will experience elevated respiratory (metabolic) energy demands. We compared the acute, thermal respiratory response (“TRR”) of four species of sympatric larval amphibians (Lithobates sphenocephalus, L. catesbeianus, Scaphiopus holbrookii, and Hyla chrysoscelis) to determine species-specific differences in the rate at which metabolic energy requirements increase with temperature. The TRR, the slope of the relationship between respiration rate and temperature within critical thermal limits, varied significantly among species such that the absolute, per capita change in metabolic energy requirement as temperature increased was greater for L. sphenocephalus and L. catesbeianus than for H. chrysoscelis and S. holbrookii. This was also reflected in the temperature coefficients (Q_{10,18.5–25.5}), which ranged from 1.77 (S. holbrookii) to 2.70 (L. sphenocephalus) for per capita respiration rates. Our results suggest that L. sphenocephalus and L. catesbeianus will experience a more rapid increase in energetic requirements as temperature increases relative to the other species, possibly magnifying their influences on the resource pool. There is a critical paucity of information on the metabolic responses of most larval amphibians across a range of temperatures, despite that this relationship dictates the magnitude of the priority investment of assimilated energy in respiration, thus shaping the energetic economy of the individual. A broader knowledge of species-specific TRRs, combined with research to determine thermal acclimatory or adaptive potentials over chronic time scales, will provide a framework for evaluating whether asymmetric, climate-mediated differences in energetic demands among species could ultimately influence larval amphibian ecology in a warmer future.

气候变化使世界各地的两栖动物栖息地的温度升高，在这里，吸热性幼虫将经历呼吸（代谢）能量需求的升高。我们比较了四种同域幼虫两栖动物（急性，热呼吸反应（“TRR”）Lithobates sphenocephalus，L. catesbeianus，Scaphiopus holbrookii和雨蛙chrysoscelis）以确定代谢能需求随温度增加的速率的特定物种差异。TRR，即临界温度范围内呼吸频率与温度之间关系的斜率，在不同物种之间变化很大，使得随着温度升高，L。sphenocephalus和Catesbeianus的人均代谢能量需求绝对值比H值大。 chrysoscelis和S. holbrookii。这也反映在人均呼吸速率的温度系数（Q _{10,18.5–25.5}）范围从1.77（S. holbrookii）到2.70（L. sphenocephalus）的范围内。我们的结果表明L. sphenocephalus和L. catesbeianus相对于其他物种，随着温度的升高，能量需求将更快地增加，这可能会放大它们对资源库的影响。关于大多数幼虫两栖动物在一定温度范围内的代谢反应的信息很少，尽管这种关系决定了呼吸中被吸收的同等能量的优先投资的大小，从而影响了个体的精力充沛的经济。对物种特定的TRR的更广泛了解，再加上确定慢性时间尺度上的热适应或适应潜力的研究，将为评估物种之间能量需求的不对称，气候介导的差异是否最终影响幼体两栖动物生态学提供一个框架。温暖的未来。