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Zhu B, Zhang H, Chen Q, He Q, Zhao X, Sun X, Wang T, Wang J, Cui J. Noise affects mate choice based on visual information via cross-sensory interference. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 308:119680. [PMID: 35787421 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Animal communication is often hampered by noise interference. Noise masking has primarily been studied in terms of its unimodal effect on sound information provision and use, while little is known about its cross-modal effect and how animals weigh unimodal and multimodal courtship cues in noisy environments. Here, we examined the cross-modal effects of background noise on female visual perception of mate choice and female preference for multimodal displays (sound + vocal sac) in a species of treefrog. We tested female mate choices using audio/video playbacks in the presence and absence of noise (white noise band-filtered to match or mismatch female sensitive hearing range, heterospecific chorus). Surprisingly, multimodal displays do not improve receiver performance in noise. The heterospecific chorus and white noise band-filtered to match female sensitive hearing ranges, significantly reduced female responses to the attractive visual stimuli in addition to directly impairing auditory information use. Meanwhile, the cross-modal impacts of background noise are influenced to some extent by whether the noise band matches female sensitive hearing range and the difficulty of distinguishing tasks. Our results add to the evidence for cross-modal effects of noise and are the first to demonstrate that background noise can disrupt female responses to visual information related to mate choice, which may reduce the communication efficiency of audiovisual signals in noisy environments and impose fitness consequences. This study has key ecological and evolutionary implications because it illustrates how noise influences mate choice in wildlife via cross-sensory interference, which is crucial in revealing the function and evolution of multimodal signals in noisy environments as well as informing evidence-based conservation strategies for forecasting and mitigating the multimodal impacts of noise interference on wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bicheng Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Haodi Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Qinghua Chen
- South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou, 510655, Guangdong, China
| | - Qiaoling He
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaomeng Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaoqian Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Tongliang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, Hainan, China
| | - Jichao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, Hainan, China
| | - Jianguo Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.
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Deng K, Zhou Y, Zhang HD, He QL, Zhu BC, Wang TL, Wang JC, Halfwerk W, Cui JG. Conspecific disturbance odors act as alarm cues to affect female mate choice in a treefrog. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03164-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Zhang H, Zhu B, Zhou Y, He Q, Sun X, Wang J, Cui J. Females and males respond differently to calls impaired by noise in a tree frog. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:9159-9167. [PMID: 34257950 PMCID: PMC8258198 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Both human and nonhuman animals communicating acoustically face the problem of noise interference, especially anurans during mating activities. Previous studies concentrated on the effect of continuous noise on signal recognition, but it is still unknown whether different notes in advertisement calls impaired by noise affect female choice and male-male competition or not. In this study, we tested female preferences and male-evoked vocal responses in serrate-legged small tree frog (Kurixalus odontotarsus), by broadcasting the five-note advertisement call and the advertisement call with the second, third, or fourth note replaced by noise, respectively. In phonotaxis experiments, females significantly discriminated against the advertisement call with the fourth note impaired by noise, although they did not discriminate against other two calls impaired by noise, which indicates that the negative effect of noise on female preference is related to the order of impaired notes in the advertisement call. In playback experiments, males increased the total number of notes in response to noise-impaired calls compared with spontaneous calls. More interestingly, the vocal responses evoked by noise-impaired calls were generally similar to those evoked by complete advertisement calls, suggesting that males may recognize the noise-impaired calls as complete advertisement calls. Taken together, our study shows that different notes in advertisement calls replaced by noise have distinct effects on female choice and male-male competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haodi Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan ProvinceChengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Bicheng Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan ProvinceChengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
| | - Ya Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan ProvinceChengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Qiaoling He
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan ProvinceChengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Xiaoqian Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan ProvinceChengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Jichao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life SciencesHainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
| | - Jianguo Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan ProvinceChengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
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Deng K, Zhou Y, He QL, Zhu BC, Wang TL, Wang JC, Cui JG. Conspecific odor cues induce different vocal responses in serrate-legged small treefrogs, but only in the absence of acoustic signals. Front Zool 2021; 18:28. [PMID: 34103057 PMCID: PMC8186033 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00415-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Signal detection is crucial to survival and successful reproduction, and animals often modify behavioral decisions based on information they obtained from the social context. Undeniably, the decision-making in male-male competition and female choice of anurans (frogs and toads) depends heavily on acoustic signals. However, increasing empirical evidence suggests that additional or alternative types of cue (e.g., visual, chemical, and vibratory) can be used to detect, discriminate and locate conspecifics in many anuran species. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated whether conspecific odor cues affect male’s calling behavior. In this study, we conducted an experiment to investigate whether and how different chemical cues (male odors, female odors, and stress odors) from conspecifics affect male’s calling strategies in serrate-legged small treefrogs (Kurixalus odontotarsus), and whether the combined chemical and acoustic stimuli have additive effects on calling behavior or not. Results We found that compared with female odors, male K. odontotarsus reduced calling investment in response to male odors or stress odors, in the absence of rival’s advertisement calls. When odor stimuli and advertisement calls were presented simultaneously, however, there were no differences in the vocal response of focal males among odor groups. Conclusions These results provide evidence that male treefrogs switch calling investment according to different odor cues from conspecifics, and further demonstrate that calling behavior can be affected by chemical cues in anuran species. Our study highlights the potential role of airborne chemical cues in sex identification and contributes to increase our understanding of anuran communication. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12983-021-00415-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Deng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Ya Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Qiao-Ling He
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Bi-Cheng Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Tong-Liang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands; Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province; College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China
| | - Ji-Chao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands; Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province; College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China
| | - Jian-Guo Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China.
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Wang T, Jia L, Zhu B, Chen B, Wang J. Advertisement call of two Liuixalus species (Anura: Rhacophoridae) endemic to Hainan Island, China. Behav Processes 2021; 189:104423. [PMID: 34029624 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Advertisement calls potentially represent honest signals for delimiting species and sexual selection. Quantitative statistics of individual variation in advertisement call properties can be used to predict female preferences for particular signal properties. In this study, advertisement call properties and their individual variation was analyzed in two endemic treefrog species, Liuixalus hainanus and L. ocellatus. Together with the description of the advertisement calls, our goals included determining whether call properties can be used to distinguish between the two species on the field, which acoustic properties are likely play a role in species or individual recognition, and whether they could predict the signaler's body size. We found that the dominant frequency, call duration, inter-call interval, and note number of monosyllabic calls in L. hainanus were significantly higher or longer than those in L. ocellatus. The dominant frequency was classified as a static property; the call duration, inter-call interval, inter-note interval, and note number were classified as dynamic properties in both species. The inter-note interval of multisyllabic calls was correlated with body mass, and the pulse number of monosyllabic calls was correlated with snout-vent length in L. ocellatus. These results indicate that the dominant frequency strongly contributed to species recognition of L. hainanus and L. ocellatus males. Acoustic properties reflected the signaler's body size in L. ocellatus but did not in L. hainanus. The difference in advertisement call characteristics between the two species may be due to the different reproductive strategies associated with different selection pressures and may promote the sharing of similar habitats by the two species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongliang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
| | - Lele Jia
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China; Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China; College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bicheng Zhu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Bo Chen
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
| | - Jichao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China.
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Zhu B, Zhou Y, Yang Y, Deng K, Wang T, Wang J, Tang Y, Ryan MJ, Cui J. Multisensory modalities increase working memory for mating signals in a treefrog. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1455-1465. [PMID: 33666233 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Animal choruses, such as those found in insects and frogs, are often intermittent. Thus, females sampling males in the chorus might have to remember the location of the potential mates' calls during periods of silence. Although a number of studies have shown that frogs use and prefer multimodal mating signals, usually acoustic plus visual, it is not clear why they do so. Here we tested the hypothesis that preference for multimodal signals over unimodal signals might be due to multimodal signals instantiating longer memories than unimodal signals, particularly during the inter-chorus intervals. We tested this hypothesis in serrate-legged small treefrogs Kurixalus odontotarsus whose males produce advertisement calls accompanied by conspicuous vocal sac inflation. Females were tested with acoustic and acoustic + visual (video of inflating-deflating vocal sac) mating calls. We found that females prefer multimodal calls over unimodal, audio-only calls. Furthermore, multimodal calls are still preferred after a silent period of up to 30 s, a time that spans the average silent period of the chorus. This was not true of unimodal calls. Our results demonstrate that a multimodal signal can engage longer working memory than a unimodal signal, and thus female memory might favour the evolution of multimodal signals in males through sexual selection. Selection might also favour female preference for multimodal signals if longer memory facilitates mate searching and assessment. Our study does not allow us to elucidate the sequence of evolution of this trait and preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bicheng Zhu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Ya Zhou
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Yang
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Ke Deng
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Tongliang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Tropical Plant and Animal Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| | - Jichao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Tropical Plant and Animal Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| | - Yezhong Tang
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Michael J Ryan
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Jianguo Cui
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
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Deng K, He QL, Zhou Y, Zhu BC, Wang TL, Wang JC, Cui JG. Male serrate-legged treefrogs adjust competition strategies according to visual or chemical cues from females. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb229245. [PMID: 32994202 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.229245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that many anurans use multimodal cues to detect, discriminate and/or locate conspecifics and thus modify their behaviors. To date, however, most studies have focused on the roles of multimodal cues in female choice or male-male interactions. In the present study, we conducted an experiment to investigate whether male serrate-legged small treefrogs (Kurixalus odontotarsus) used visual or chemical cues to detect females and thus altered their competition strategies in different calling contexts. Three acoustic stimuli (advertisement calls, aggressive calls and compound calls) were broadcast in a randomized order after a spontaneous period to focal males in one of four treatment groups: combined visual and chemical cues of a female, only chemical cues, only visual cues and a control (with no females). We recorded the vocal responses of the focal males during each 3 min period. Our results demonstrate that males reduce the total number of calls in response to the presence of females, regardless of how they perceived the females. In response to advertisement calls and compound calls, males that perceived females through chemical cues produced relatively fewer advertisement calls but more aggressive calls. In addition, they produced relatively more aggressive calls during the playback of aggressive calls. Taken together, our study suggests that male Kodontotarsus adjust their competition strategies according to the visual or chemical cues of potential mates and highlights the important role of multisensory cues in male frogs' perception of females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Deng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Qiao-Ling He
- College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637000, China
| | - Ya Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Bi-Cheng Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Tong-Liang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 570000, China
| | - Ji-Chao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 570000, China
| | - Jian-Guo Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
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Mate choice decisions of female serrate-legged small treefrogs are affected by ambient light under natural, but not enhanced artificial nocturnal light conditions. Behav Processes 2019; 169:103997. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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A broad filter between call frequency and peripheral auditory sensitivity in northern grasshopper mice (Onychomys leucogaster). J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2019; 205:481-489. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-019-01338-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Revised: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Yang Y, Zhu B, Wang J, Brauth SE, Tang Y, Cui J. A test of the matched filter hypothesis in two sympatric frogs, Chiromantis doriae and Feihyla vittata. BIOACOUSTICS 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2018.1482786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yue Yang
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bicheng Zhu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jichao Wang
- Department of Biology, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, Hainan, China
| | - Steven E. Brauth
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, USA
| | - Yezhong Tang
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Jianguo Cui
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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Wang T, Jia L, Zhai X, Cui J, Wang J. Atypical assortative mating based on body size in an explosive-breeding toad from a tropical island of southern China. Behav Processes 2018; 151:1-5. [PMID: 29481845 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Revised: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Mating patterns exhibit considerable intra- and interspecific variation. Sexual selection can lead to the occurrence of random and assortative mating in different populations of the same species. Thus, understanding variation in mating decisions is crucial to understanding variation in the direction of sexual selection. We investigated natural mating patterns in Black-spectacled toads (Duttaphrynus melanostictus), an explosive-breeding species that breeds throughout the year. We captured amplectant pairs (137) and non-amplectant males (212) during breeding seasons from November 2016 to April 2017 in tropical-island population of southern China. Our study found no significant difference in snout-vent length (SVL) between amplectant and non-amplectant males. Female and male SVL were positively correlated with each other. Small females were paired more frequently with small males, less frequently with large males, but had no preference for or against medium males. Medium females exhibited no preference. Large females showed no preference for large males, but were paired less frequently with small males. These data suggested that successful amplectant males had body sizes representative of the entire population. Both random and size-assortative mating were present simultaneously in the same population and within the same breeding season. Female choice was important in shaping the mating behavior of Black-spectacled toads, promoting genotype-frequency stabilization and body-size diversity in the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongliang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| | - Lele Jia
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| | - Xiaofei Zhai
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| | - Jianguo Cui
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Jichao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China.
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Zhu B, Wang J, Sun Z, Yang Y, Wang T, Brauth SE, Tang Y, Cui J. Competitive pressures affect sexual signal complexity in Kurixalus odontotarsus: insights into the evolution of compound calls. Biol Open 2017; 6:1913-1918. [PMID: 29175862 PMCID: PMC5769655 DOI: 10.1242/bio.028928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Male-male vocal competition in anuran species is critical for mating success; however, it is also energetically demanding and highly time-consuming. Thus, we hypothesized that males may change signal elaboration in response to competition in real time. Male serrate-legged small treefrogs (Kurixalus odontotarsus) produce compound calls that contain two kinds of notes, harmonic sounds called ‘A notes’ and short broadband sounds called ‘B notes’. Using male evoked vocal response experiments, we found that competition influences the temporal structure and complexity of vocal signals produced by males. Males produce calls with a higher ratio of notes:call, and more compound calls including more A notes but fewer B notes with contest escalation. In doing so, males minimize the energy costs and maximize the benefits of competition when the level of competition is high. This means that the evolution of sexual signal complexity in frogs may be susceptible to selection for plasticity related to adjusting performance to the pressures of competition, and supports the idea that more complex social contexts can lead to greater vocal complexity. Summary: Competitive pressure influences the temporal structure and complexity of vocal signals. The evolution of sexual signal complexity may be susceptible to selection for plasticity related to adjusting performance to the level of competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bicheng Zhu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jichao Wang
- Department of Biology, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, Hainan, China
| | - Zhixin Sun
- Department of Biology, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, Hainan, China
| | - Yue Yang
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tongliang Wang
- Department of Biology, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, Hainan, China
| | - Steven E Brauth
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Yezhong Tang
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Jianguo Cui
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
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Zhu B, Wang J, Zhao L, Chen Q, Sun Z, Yang Y, Brauth SE, Tang Y, Cui J. Male-male competition and female choice are differentially affected by male call acoustics in the serrate-legged small treefrog, Kurixalus odontotarsus. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3980. [PMID: 29104826 PMCID: PMC5669260 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 10/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The evolution of exaggerated vocal signals in anuran species is an important topic. Males and females have both evolved the ability to discriminate communication sounds. However, the nature of sexual dimorphism in cognition and sensory discrimination and in the evolution and limitation of sexual signal exaggeration remain relatively unexplored. Methods In the present study, we used male calls of varied complexity in the serrate-legged small treefrog, Kurixalus odontotarsus, as probes to investigate how both sexes respond to variations in call complexity and how sex differences in signal discrimination play a role in the evolution of sexual signal exaggeration. The compound calls of male K. odontotarsus consist of a series of one or more harmonic notes (A notes) which may be followed by one or more short broadband notes (B notes). Results Male playback experiments and female phonotaxis tests showed that increasing the number of A notes in stimulus calls elicits increased numbers of response calls by males and increases the attractiveness of the stimulus calls to females. The addition of B notes, however, reduces male calling responses. Moreover, call stimuli which contain only B notes suppress spontaneous male calling responses. Phonotaxis experiments show that females prefer calls with greater numbers of A notes and calls containing both A notes and B notes, but do not prefer calls with only B notes. Discussion Male-male competition and female choice appear to have played different roles in the evolution and limitation of signal complexity in K. odontotarsus. These results provide new insights into how exaggerated compound signals evolve and how signal complexity may be limited in anurans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bicheng Zhu
- Department of Herpetology, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jichao Wang
- Department of Biology, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, Hainan, China
| | - Longhui Zhao
- Department of Herpetology, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qinghua Chen
- Ministry of Environmental Protection, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhixin Sun
- Department of Biology, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, Hainan, China
| | - Yue Yang
- Department of Herpetology, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Steven E Brauth
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Yezhong Tang
- Department of Herpetology, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Jianguo Cui
- Department of Herpetology, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
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