What substance do gray tree frogs rely on for freeze tolerance, differentiating them from Alaskan wood frogs?
Answer
Glycerol
While the wood frog utilizes glucose, along with urea and other uncatalogued osmolytes, as its primary mechanism for cryoprotection, other freeze-tolerant species employ different specific chemicals. The text specifically notes that gray tree frogs, which share the ability to tolerate freezing, rely on glycerol as their main intracellular cryoprotectant. This chemical difference illustrates that evolutionary paths to achieving freeze tolerance can vary among amphibian species, even when facing similar environmental extremes in temperature. The reliance on glycerol versus glucose represents a divergence in their specific biochemical adaptations for preventing lethal intracellular ice formation.
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