Honors Theses
Advisor
Maggie Hantak, Ph.D.
Department
Biology
Publication Date
4-22-2026
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
Cryptic coloration allows animals to blend in effectively to their backgrounds, reducing the probability of predator detection. Blanchard’s Cricket Frog (Acris blanchardi), is a small, diurnally active frog that can be found across the Midwestern United States. This species exhibits a color polymorphism, with some individuals entirely brown in dorsal coloration, while others have a dorsal stripe that is typically green in coloration. Whether these different colors influence this species ability to blend in better across natural background types, remains unknown. In this study, I investigated whether these different color patterns aid in camouflage and predator avoidance. To accomplish this, I used non-toxic colored clay to create 828 frog models mimicking A. blanchardi; half of which were brown with a green stripe, and the other half were uniformly brown. These clay model frog replicas were placed at Spring Run Conservation Area in southwestern Ohio. We placed 414 models along transects near ponds where these frogs have been found in July 2024 and again in May 2025. After five days, the models were collected and analyzed for predator marks. The results indicate that differences in coloration in A. blanchardi do not aid in camouflage for all predators. However, birds, in particular, attacked green striped frog models more often (regardless of background color), suggesting that other evolutionary mechanisms may play a role in the maintenance of these two color morphs.
Permission Statement
This item is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and may only be used for noncommercial, educational, and scholarly purposes.
Keywords
Undergraduate research
eCommons Citation
Hughes, Adelyn Elizabeth, "Does the Existence of Multiple Color Variants Aid in Predator Avoidance for a Common Frog in Southwestern Ohio?" (2026). Honors Theses. 510.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/uhp_theses/510
COinS
