Also, intraspecific interactions of three Co tadpoles under different conditions of exposure were evaluated (Experiment II: 3 exposed Co, 2 exposed Co/1 non-exposed, 1 exposed Co/2 non-exposed). ornata ( Co) tadpoles acting as predators and unexposed Rhinella fernandezae ( Rf) tadpoles acting as prey (Experiment I), under different predator-prey proportions (0/10 = 0 Co–10 Rf, 2/8, 4/6, 6/4, 8/2, 10/0). The second phase consisted of evaluating the effects of CPF on intra- and inter-specific interactions of exposed C. Experiments were developed under two consecutive phases: a first phase of exposure (treated and control group), and a second phase of interactions. Considering the increasing interest in the effects of pesticides on behavioral traits, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of chlorpyrifos (CPF) on intra- and inter-specific interactions of anuran tadpoles, complementing traditional ecotoxicological tools with a theoretical analysis verified by computational simulations.

The computational modeling is a complementary useful and predictive tool that overcomes these limitations. Large-scale ecotoxicological studies have technical and ethical limitations, both related to the need to expose large numbers of individuals to potentially harmful compounds.

Predator sound effects