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Measuring the volume of prey in anuran trophic ecology studies: accuracy of three methods

ABSTRACT This study aimed to analyze the accuracy of three currently used methods to quantify the volume of the prey of amphibians using the volumetric displacement method as a comparative parameter. The compared methods were the formula for semi-spherical bodies, which measures the height, length, and width of the prey; the formula for ellipsoid bodies, which estimates the height of the prey; and the parallelepiped formula, where the prey is macerated at a height of 1 mm. After the identification of the prey to the taxonomic level of order, the volume of consumed prey was measured using the three methods. The values obtained with the formula for semi-spherical and ellipsoid bodies had a greater difference from the reference values (volumetric displacement method). Regarding the values obtained with the parallelepiped formula, they were similar and had a significant correlation with the reference values. The presented results demonstrate that the parallelepiped formula, using prey maceration, is a more accurate method for estimating prey volume than the semi-spherical and ellipsoid formulas.