Intestinal
and epidermal bacteria
in developing anurans
My current masters research will deal with the interactions that occur between anurans and environmentally ubiquitous bacteria. The presence of bacteria in the anuran epidermis and intestinal tract will be quantified to observe the effects of metamorphosis on the anuran’s ability to reduce potentially pathogenic bacterial loads. Investigations into the anuran immune system have demonstrated that drastic differences exist between larval and adult life stages. At metamorphosis, the anuran immune system shifts from a larval immune system to an adult immune system. During this immune system transformation, the metamorphic immune system may not be as well equipped to decrease the quantity of intestinal and epidermal bacteria compared to other developmental stages