What constraint directly dictates that wood frog adults rely on small spiders and mites rather than larger prey?
Answer
The prey must be small enough to fit comfortably into the frog's mouth (gape).
The physical anatomy of the wood frog, which is generally a small to medium-sized amphibian, imposes strict limitations on the size of the invertebrates it can successfully ingest. The size constraint is directly tied to the frog's gape, or the maximum opening capacity of its mouth. If a potential meal, such as a large beetle or a robust earthworm, exceeds this gape size, it cannot be consumed, reinforcing the reliance on smaller invertebrates like mites, springtails, and small spiders.
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