Diet and Chemical Defenses of the Sonoran Desert Toads

Project Details

Date created

02 Jul 2025

Project type

Publication

Project visibility

Public

Status

Active

Added by

Marina Luccioni | Researcher

Contact

Marina Luccioni
luccioni.marina@gmail.com

Contributors

Description

Scientific Publication Accepted by PLOS One.
Abstract: The Sonoran Desert Toad (Incilius alvarius) is the only animal known to secrete the psychedelic compound 5-MeO-DMT as a chemical defense, but the source of 5-MeO-DMT in I. alvarius remains unknown. Some amphibians endogenously produce chemical defenses while others acquire them from specialized diets. In this study we analyzed toxin gland secretions and diet profiles from wild I. alvarius and sympatric anurans from native and urban habitats around Tucson, Arizona to explore possible links between diet and 5-MeO-DMT production. All I. alvarius secreted high concentrations of 5-MeO-DMT, whereas other sympatric toads did not. The diet of I. alvarius was similar to that of sympatric anurans, indicating that I. alvarius does not exhibit relative dietary specialization. Slight dietary differences between I. alvarius in native and urbanized habitats were observed. Taken together, these lines of evidence suggest that diet is not directly linked to 5-MeO-DMT production, and support the alternative hypotheses that Sonoran Desert toads synthesize 5-MeO-DMT endogenously or via a microbial symbiont.

GenBank Accession Numbers:
SUB15425330 1_a PV892399
SUB15425330 1_b PV892400
SUB15425330 1_c PV892401
SUB15425330 1_d PV892402
SUB15425330 1_e PV892403
SUB15425330 1_g PV892404
SUB15425330 3_a PV892405
SUB15425330 3_d PV892406
SUB15425330 3_e PV892407
SUB15425330 3_g PV892408
SUB15425330 3_h PV892409
SUB15425330 7_a PV892410
SUB15425330 10_a PV892411
SUB15425330 11_a PV892412
SUB15425330 11_b PV892413
SUB15425330 11_c PV892414
SUB15425330 11_d PV892415
SUB15425330 11_e PV892416
SUB15425330 13_g PV892417
SUB15425330 13_i PV892418
SUB15425330 13_j PV892419
SUB15425330 15_b PV892420
SUB15425330 16_b PV892421
SUB15425330 41_e PV892422
SUB15425330 41_f PV892423
SUB15425330 41_g PV892424
SUB15425330 41_h PV892425
SUB15425330 44_d PV892426
SUB15425330 44_m PV892427
SUB15425330 46_a PV892428
SUB15425330 46_b PV892429
SUB15425330 46_c PV892430
SUB15425330 46_d PV892431
SUB15425330 46_e PV892432
SUB15425330 46_f PV892433

Identifiers

Local Contexts Project ID
4ca9b476-497a-40fd-8d45-ea9e4ec94cbb

Project URL
https://localcontextshub.org/projects/4ca9b476-497a-40fd-8d45-ea9e4ec94cbb

Boundary

Project boundary derived from a hand-drawn outline

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