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Szabo B, Mangione R, Rath M, Pašukonis A, Reber SA, Oh J, Ringler M, Ringler E. Naive poison frog tadpoles use bi-modal cues to avoid insect predators but not heterospecific predatory tadpoles. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb243647. [PMID: 34845497 PMCID: PMC8729909 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
For animals to survive until reproduction, it is crucial that juveniles successfully detect potential predators and respond with appropriate behavior. The recognition of cues originating from predators can be innate or learned. Cues of various modalities might be used alone or in multi-modal combinations to detect and distinguish predators but studies investigating multi-modal integration in predator avoidance are scarce. Here, we used wild, naive tadpoles of the Neotropical poison frog Allobates femoralis ( Boulenger, 1884) to test their reaction to cues with two modalities from two different sympatrically occurring potential predators: heterospecific predatory Dendrobates tinctorius tadpoles and dragonfly larvae. We presented A. femoralis tadpoles with olfactory or visual cues, or a combination of the two, and compared their reaction to a water control in a between-individual design. In our trials, A. femoralis tadpoles reacted to multi-modal stimuli (a combination of visual and chemical information) originating from dragonfly larvae with avoidance but showed no reaction to uni-modal cues or cues from heterospecific tadpoles. In addition, visual cues from conspecifics increased swimming activity while cues from predators had no effect on tadpole activity. Our results show that A. femoralis tadpoles can innately recognize some predators and probably need both visual and chemical information to effectively avoid them. This is the first study looking at anti-predator behavior in poison frog tadpoles. We discuss how parental care might influence the expression of predator avoidance responses in tadpoles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Szabo
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Rosanna Mangione
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Rath
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrius Pašukonis
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- CEFE, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 34293 Montpellier 5, France
| | - Stephan A. Reber
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Lund University Cognitive Science, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jinook Oh
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Cremer Group, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Max Ringler
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics, University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Eva Ringler
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria
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2
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Serrano-Rojas SJ, Pašukonis A. Tadpole-transporting frogs use stagnant water odor to find pools in the rainforest. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:272393. [PMID: 34608492 PMCID: PMC8627569 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Breeding sites are often a limited and ephemeral resource for rainforest frogs. This resource limitation has driven the evolution of diverse reproductive strategies that increase offspring survival. For example, poison frogs shuttle their tadpoles from terrestrial clutches to aquatic rearing sites, using various cues to assess pool suitability. Yet, how frogs find new pools is unknown. We tested the role of odor cues in the process of finding tadpole deposition sites by the poison frog Allobates femoralis. We created 60 artificial pools grouped into three conditions: stagnant water, tadpole water and clean water control. Fifteen pools were discovered within 6 days, with more tadpoles and more frogs directly observed at pools with stagnant odor cues. Our findings suggest that frogs use odor cues associated with stagnant water for the initial discovery of new breeding pools. These cues may be good indicators of pool stability and increased likelihood of tadpole survival. Summary: Amphibians rely on water for reproduction; however, very little is known on how amphibians find water bodies. Experiments in Allobates femoralis suggest that frogs use stagnant odor cues to find breeding pools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirley J Serrano-Rojas
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, 371 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco (UNSAAC), Cusco 08000, Perú
| | - Andrius Pašukonis
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, 371 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,CEFE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, 34090, France
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3
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Oshima JEDF, Jorge MLS, Sobral-Souza T, Börger L, Keuroghlian A, Peres CA, Vancine MH, Collen B, Ribeiro MC. Setting priority conservation management regions to reverse rapid range decline of a key neotropical forest ungulate. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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4
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Fouilloux CA, Serrano Rojas SJ, Carvajal‐Castro JD, Valkonen JK, Gaucher P, Fischer M, Pašukonis A, Rojas B. Pool choice in a vertical landscape: Tadpole-rearing site flexibility in phytotelm-breeding frogs. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:9021-9038. [PMID: 34257942 PMCID: PMC8258215 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Many species of Neotropical frogs have evolved to deposit their tadpoles in small water bodies inside plant structures called phytotelmata. These pools are small enough to exclude large predators but have limited nutrients and high desiccation risk. Here, we explore phytotelm use by three common Neotropical species: Osteocephalus oophagus, an arboreal frog that periodically feeds eggs to its tadpoles; Dendrobates tinctorius, a tadpole-transporting poison frog with cannibalistic tadpoles; and Allobates femoralis, a terrestrial tadpole-transporting poison frog with omnivorous tadpoles. We found that D. tinctorius occupies pools across the chemical and vertical gradient, whereas A. femoralis and O. oophagus appear to have narrower deposition options that are restricted primarily by pool height, water capacity, alkalinity, and salinity. Dendrobates tinctorius tadpoles are particularly flexible and can survive in a wide range of chemical, physical, and biological conditions, whereas O. oophagus seems to prefer small, clear pools and A. femoralis occupies medium-sized pools with abundant leaf litter and low salinity. Together, these results show the possible niche partitioning of phytotelmata among frogs and provide insight into stressors and resilience of phytotelm breeders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe A. Fouilloux
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
| | | | - Juan David Carvajal‐Castro
- Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von HumboldtBogotáColombia
- Department of Biological SciencesSt. John’s UniversityQueensNYUSA
| | - Janne K. Valkonen
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
| | - Philippe Gaucher
- USR LEEISA—Laboratoire EcologieEvolution, Interactions des Systèmes AmazoniensCNRS‐GuyaneCayenneFrench Guiana
| | | | - Andrius Pašukonis
- Department of BiologyStanford UniversityStanfordCAUSA
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionelle et EvolutiveCNRSMontpellier Cedex 5France
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
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5
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Tumulty JP, Bee MA. Ecological and social drivers of neighbor recognition and the dear enemy effect in a poison frog. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Navigating social relationships frequently rests on the ability to recognize familiar individuals using phenotypic characteristics. Across diverse taxa, animals vary in their capacities for social recognition, but the ecological and social sources of selection for recognition are often unclear. In a comparative study of two closely related species of poison frogs, we identified a species difference in social recognition of territory neighbors and investigated potential sources of selection underlying this difference. In response to acoustic playbacks, male golden rocket frogs (Anomaloglossus beebei) recognized the calls of neighbors and displayed a “dear enemy effect” by responding less aggressively to neighbors’ calls than strangers’ calls. In contrast, male Kai rocket frogs (Anomaloglossus kaiei) were equally aggressive to the calls of neighbors and strangers. This species difference in behavior is associated with key differences in reproductive ecology and characteristics of territories. Golden rocket frogs defend reproductive resources in the form of bromeliads, which is expected to create a threat asymmetry between neighbors and strangers favoring decreased aggression to neighbors. In contrast, Kai rocket frogs do not defend reproductive resources. Further, compared with Kai rocket frog territories, golden rocket frog territories occur at higher densities and are defended for longer periods of time, creating a more complex social environment with more opportunities for repeated but unnecessary aggression between neighbors, which should favor the ability to recognize and exhibit less aggression toward neighbors. These results suggest that differences in reproductive ecology can drive changes in social structure that select for social recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Tumulty
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Mark A Bee
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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6
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Ferreira AS, Lima AP, Jehle R, Ferrão M, Stow A. The Influence of Environmental Variation on the Genetic Structure of a Poison Frog Distributed Across Continuous Amazonian Rainforest. J Hered 2020; 111:457-470. [PMID: 32827440 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esaa034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Biogeographic barriers such as rivers have been shown to shape spatial patterns of biodiversity in the Amazon basin, yet relatively little is known about the distribution of genetic variation across continuous rainforest. Here, we characterize the genetic structure of the brilliant-thighed poison frog (Allobates femoralis) across an 880-km-long transect along the Purus-Madeira interfluve south of the Amazon river, based on 64 individuals genotyped at 7609 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci. A population tree and clustering analyses revealed 4 distinct genetic groups, one of which was strongly divergent. These genetic groups were concomitant with femoral spot coloration differences, which was intermediate within a zone of admixture between two of the groups. The location of these genetic groups did not consistently correspond to current ecological transitions between major forest types. A multimodel approach to quantify the relative influence of isolation-by-geographic distance (IBD) and isolation-by-environmental resistance (IBR) nevertheless revealed that, in addition to a strong signal of IBD, spatial genetic differentiation was explained by IBR primarily linked to dry season intensity (r2 = 8.4%) and canopy cover (r2 = 6.4%). We show significant phylogenetic divergence in the absence of obvious biogeographical barriers and that finer-scaled measures of genetic structure are associated with environmental variables also known to predict the density of A. femoralis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony S Ferreira
- Programa de Capacitação Institucional, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Albertina P Lima
- Coordenacão de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Robert Jehle
- School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford, UK
| | - Miquéias Ferrão
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Adam Stow
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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7
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Fisher DN, Pruitt JN, Yeager J. Orb-weaving spiders show a correlated syndrome of morphology and web structure in the wild. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Extended phenotypes are traits that exist outside the physical body of organisms. Despite their role in the lives of the organisms that express them and other organisms influenced by extended phenotypes, the consistency and covariance with morphological and behavioural traits of extended phenotypes has rarely been evaluated. We repeatedly measured an extended phenotype involved in prey acquisition (web structure) of wild orb-weaving spiders (Micrathena vigorsii), which re-build their webs daily. We related web structure to behaviours and spider body length. Web diameter and web density were repeatable among individuals, reaction to a predation threat was very marginally so, and response to a prey stimulus and web evenness were not repeatable. Larger spiders spun wider webs, had webs with increased thread spacing, and the spider possibly tended to react more slowly to a predation threat. When a spider built a relatively larger web it was also a relatively less dense and less even web. The repeatability of web construction and relationship with spider body size we found may be common features of intra-population variation in web structure in spiders. By estimating the consistency and covariances of extended phenotypes we can begin to evaluate what maintains their variation and how they might evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Fisher
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Jonathan N Pruitt
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Marine Biology, University of California - Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Justin Yeager
- Biodiversidad Medio Ambiente y Salud (BIOMAS), Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
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8
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Schulte LM, Ringler E, Rojas B, Stynoski JL. Developments in Amphibian Parental Care Research: History, Present Advances, and Future Perspectives. HERPETOLOGICAL MONOGRAPH 2020; 34:71-97. [PMID: 38989507 PMCID: PMC7616153 DOI: 10.1655/herpmonographs-d-19-00002.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite rising interest among scientists for over two centuries, parental care behavior has not been as thoroughly studied in amphibians as it has in other taxa. The first reports of amphibian parental care date from the early 18th century, when Maria Sibylla Merian went on a field expedition in Suriname and reported frog metamorphs emerging from their mother's dorsal skin. Reports of this and other parental behaviors in amphibians remained descriptive for decades, often as side notes during expeditions with another purpose. However, since the 1980s, experimental approaches have proliferated, providing detailed knowledge about the adaptive value of observed behaviors. Today, we recognize more than 30 types of parental care in amphibians, but most studies focus on just a few families and have favored anurans over urodeles and caecilians. Here, we provide a synthesis of the last three centuries of parental care research in the three orders comprising the amphibians. We draw attention to the progress from the very first descriptions to the most recent experimental studies, and highlight the importance of natural history observations as a source of new hypotheses and necessary context to interpret experimental findings. We encourage amphibian parental care researchers to diversify their study systems to allow for a more comprehensive perspective of the behaviors that amphibians exhibit. Finally, we uncover knowledge gaps and suggest new avenues of research using a variety of disciplines and approaches that will allow us to better understand the function and evolution of parental care behaviors in this diverse group of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M. Schulte
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 13, 60438Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Eva Ringler
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, A-1210Vienna, Austria
- University of Vienna, Department of Integrative Zoology, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090Vienna, Austria
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- University of Jyvaskyla, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Jennifer L. Stynoski
- Colorado State University, Department of Biology, 200 W. Lake Street, Fort Collins, CO, 48823USA
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Universidad de Costa Rica, Dulce Nombre de Coronado, San José, Costa Rica
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9
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Calling amplitude flexibility and acoustic spacing in the territorial frog Allobates femoralis. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02857-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Most male frogs produce calls to attract females and repel rivals. The transmission of these calls can be affected by many acoustic and environmental characteristics, which can influence the detection and decoding of the signal by the receiver. Calling-perch height has a strong influence on sound propagation and acoustic spacing with neighboring males, but how frogs optimize their calling behavior in this context is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated if and how frogs can adjust the calling energy in the context of acoustic spacing. Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between calling-perch height, nearest-neighbor distance, and sound-pressure level in the brilliant-thighed poison frog Allobates femoralis. We found that frogs flexibly adjust the calling amplitude according to the calling-perch height without affecting the effectiveness signal propagation. Accompanying signal propagation experiments demonstrated that calls produced with lower amplitude from higher perches propagate similar to louder calls from the ground. Our results suggest an adjustment to the hypothesis of a general positive effect of calling-perch height on signal effectiveness, where highly territorial frogs adjust their calling behavior to reduce energy expenditure and optimize acoustic communication with conspecifics.
Significance statement
In acoustically communicating species, sound propagates better when broadcasted from elevated positions. However, callers may adjust their calling behavior to optimize the sound transmission under ecological constraints. By using a correlative and manipulative approach, we show in a poison frog model that males can adjust their calling amplitude according to the calling-perch height. We then discuss that this calling adjustment optimizes the acoustic spacing between conspecific males and reduces energy consumption.
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10
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Fischer MT, Ringler M, Ringler E, Pašukonis A. Reproductive behavior drives female space use in a sedentary Neotropical frog. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8920. [PMID: 32337103 PMCID: PMC7169969 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Longer-range movements of anuran amphibians such as mass migrations and habitat invasion have received a lot of attention, but fine-scale spatial behavior remains largely understudied. This gap is especially striking for species that show long-term site fidelity and display their whole behavioral repertoire in a small area. Studying fine-scale movement with conventional capture-mark-recapture techniques is difficult in inconspicuous amphibians: individuals are hard to find, repeated captures might affect their behavior and the number of data points is too low to allow a detailed interpretation of individual space use and time budgeting. In this study, we overcame these limitations by equipping females of the Brilliant-Thighed Poison Frog (Allobates femoralis) with a tag allowing frequent monitoring of their location and behavior. Neotropical poison frogs are well known for their complex behavior and diverse reproductive and parental care strategies. Although the ecology and behavior of the polygamous leaf-litter frog Allobates femoralis is well studied, little is known about the fine-scale space use of the non-territorial females who do not engage in acoustic and visual displays. We tracked 17 females for 6 to 17 days using a harmonic direction finder to provide the first precise analysis of female space use in this species. Females moved on average 1 m per hour and the fastest movement, over 20 m per hour, was related to a subsequent mating event. Traveled distances and activity patterns on days of courtship and mating differed considerably from days without reproduction. Frogs moved more on days with lower temperature and more precipitation, but mating seemed to be the main trigger for female movement. We observed 21 courtships of 12 tagged females. For seven females, we observed two consecutive mating events. Estimated home ranges after 14 days varied considerably between individuals and courtship and mating associated space use made up for ∼30% of the home range. Allobates femoralis females spent large parts of their time in one to three small centers of use. Females did not adjust their time or space use to the density of males in their surroundings and did not show wide-ranging exploratory behavior. Our study demonstrates how tracking combined with detailed behavioral observations can reveal the patterns and drivers of fine-scale spatial behavior in sedentary species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Max Ringler
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Ringler
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrius Pašukonis
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
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11
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Rodríguez C, Hödl W. Sound radiation pattern of the advertisement call of the highly territorial poison frog Allobates femoralis. Behav Processes 2019; 170:103996. [PMID: 31722233 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Sound radiation patterns have ecological implications in the effective communication between conspecifics, like optimization of the sound propagation, increase the likelihood to reach mates and to mitigate effects of sound scattering by environmental factors like vegetation. The territorial frog Allobates femoralis advertises its territory against conspecific males and attract females with advertisement calls. Here we report the nearly omnidirectional sound-radiation pattern of the advertisement call of A. femoralis. This sound spreading pattern allows the males to attract mates and repel rivals in all directions. Furthermore, A. femoralis males direct the advertisement call to conspecific neighbours after phonotactic orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo Rodríguez
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Walter Hödl
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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12
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Torres J, Gavilánez MM. New altitudinal record for white-lipped peccary Tayassu pecari (Link, 1795) in Ecuador, with notes about activity patterns and herd size. Biodivers Data J 2019; 7:e33275. [PMID: 31065233 PMCID: PMC6482117 DOI: 10.3897/bdj.7.e33275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
White-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) represent a key element of trophic networks in tropical rainforest ecosystems by playing the dual role of consumer and prey. Despite their importance, pressures on their populations have increased during the last few decades due to hunting and deforestation across its distributional range. These pressures may have led the remaining populations to move into new territories and to change their migratory and gregarious behaviour. In this study, we used photographic records from camera traps to collect data on biogeography of white-lipped peccaries in order to answer some questions about the demography, distribution and population size of the species in Ecuador's western Amazonia. We present new altitudinal records for the species (2,000 metres above sea level), along with some notes on herd size and activity patterns. This information is valuable for obtaining a better understanding of the species distribution and population status in order to achieve better conservation plans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Torres
- Universidad Central del Ecuador - Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Quito, EcuadorUniversidad Central del Ecuador - Facultad de Ciencias BiológicasQuitoEcuador
| | - María Mercedes Gavilánez
- Universidad Central del Ecuador - Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Quito, EcuadorUniversidad Central del Ecuador - Facultad de Ciencias BiológicasQuitoEcuador
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13
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Birds of a feather flock together: Functionally similar vertebrates positively co‐occur in Guianan forests. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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14
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Genetic diversity and population structure of white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) in the Pantanal, Cerrado and Atlantic Forest from Brazil. Mamm Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2019.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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15
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Ferreira AS, Jehle R, Stow AJ, Lima AP. Soil and forest structure predicts large-scale patterns of occurrence and local abundance of a widespread Amazonian frog. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5424. [PMID: 30123719 PMCID: PMC6087616 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 07/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The distribution of biodiversity within the Amazon basin is often structured by sharp environmental boundaries, such as large rivers. The Amazon region is also characterized by subtle environmental clines, but how they might affect the distributions and abundance of organisms has so far received less attention. Here, we test whether soil and forest characteristics are associated with the occurrence and relative abundance of the forest-floor dwelling Aromobatid frog, Allobates femoralis. We applied a structured sampling regime along an 880 km long transect through forest of different density. High detection probabilities were estimated for A. femoralis in each of the sampling modules. Using generalized linear mixed-effects models and simple linear regressions that take detectability into account, we show that A. femoralis is more abundant in open forests than in dense forests. The presence and relative abundance of A. femoralis is also positively associated with clay-rich soils, which are poorly drained and therefore likely support the standing water bodies required for reproduction. Taken together, we demonstrate that relatively easy-to-measure environmental features can explain the distribution and abundance of a widespread species at different spatial scales. Such proxies are of clear value to ecologists and conservation managers working in large inaccessible areas such as the Amazon basin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony S Ferreira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Robert Jehle
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, UK
| | - Adam J Stow
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Albertina P Lima
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
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16
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Brilliant-thighed poison frogs do not use acoustic identity information to treat territorial neighbours as dear enemies. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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17
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Ringler E, Szipl G, Harrigan RJ, Bartl-Binder P, Mangione R, Ringler M. Hierarchical decision-making balances current and future reproductive success. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:2289-2301. [PMID: 29633409 PMCID: PMC5969290 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 01/28/2018] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Parental decisions in animals are often context‐dependent and shaped by fitness trade‐offs between parents and offspring. For example, the selection of breeding habitats can considerably impact the fitness of both offspring and parents, and therefore, parents should carefully weigh the costs and benefits of available options for their current and future reproductive success. Here, we show that resource‐use preferences are shaped by a trade‐off between parental effort and offspring safety in a tadpole‐transporting frog. In a large‐scale in situ experiment, we investigated decision strategies across an entire population of poison frogs that distribute their tadpoles across multiple water bodies. Pool use followed a dynamic and sequential selection process, and transportation became more efficient over time. Our results point to a complex suite of environmental variables that are considered during offspring deposition, which necessitates a highly dynamic and flexible decision‐making process in tadpole‐transporting frogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Ringler
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.,Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Georgine Szipl
- Core Facility KLF for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ryan J Harrigan
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Perta Bartl-Binder
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rosanna Mangione
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Haus des Meeres Aqua Terra Zoo GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Max Ringler
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
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18
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Coggan NV, Hayward MW, Gibb H. A global database and "state of the field" review of research into ecosystem engineering by land animals. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:974-994. [PMID: 29488217 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystem engineers have been widely studied for terrestrial systems, but global trends in research encompassing the range of taxa and functions have not previously been synthesised. We reviewed contemporary understanding of engineer fauna in terrestrial habitats and assessed the methods used to document patterns and processes, asking: (a) which species act as ecosystem engineers and with whom do they interact? (b) What are the impacts of ecosystem engineers in terrestrial habitats and how are they distributed? (c) What are the primary methods used to examine engineer effects and how have these developed over time? We considered the strengths, weaknesses and gaps in knowledge related to each of these questions and suggested a conceptual framework to delineate "significant impacts" of engineering interactions for all terrestrial animals. We collected peer-reviewed publications examining ecosystem engineer impacts and created a database of engineer species to assess experimental approaches and any additional covariates that influenced the magnitude of engineer impacts. One hundred and twenty-two species from 28 orders were identified as ecosystem engineers, performing five ecological functions. Burrowing mammals were the most researched group (27%). Half of all studies occurred in dry/arid habitats. Mensurative studies comparing sites with and without engineers (80%) were more common than manipulative studies (20%). These provided a broad framework for predicting engineer impacts upon abundance and species diversity. However, the roles of confounding factors, processes driving these patterns and the consequences of experimentally adjusting variables, such as engineer density, have been neglected. True spatial and temporal replication has also been limited, particularly for emerging studies of engineer reintroductions. Climate change and habitat modification will challenge the roles that engineers play in regulating ecosystems, and these will become important avenues for future research. We recommend future studies include simulation of engineer effects and experimental manipulation of engineer densities to determine the potential for ecological cascades through trophic and engineering pathways due to functional decline. We also recommend improving knowledge of long-term engineering effects and replication of engineer reintroductions across landscapes to better understand how large-scale ecological gradients alter the magnitude of engineering impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole V Coggan
- Department of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC., Australia
| | - Matthew W Hayward
- Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Subiaco East, W.A., Australia.,School of the Environment, Bangor University, Wales, UK
| | - Heloise Gibb
- Department of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC., Australia
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19
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Abstract
Skin swabbing, a minimally invasive DNA sampling method recently proposed for adult amphibians, was tested on the dendrobatid frog Allobates femoralis. I compared DNA yield from skin swabs and toe clips by evaluating obtained DNA concentrations and purity of extracts, as well as amplification success using eleven polymorphic microsatellite loci. I also tested whether storing skin swabs for two months at −20°C affected the properties of the extract or microsatellite analysis. Results show that skin swabs of adult A. femoralis suffered from high contamination and yielded significantly lower DNA quality and quantity, resulting in insufficient genotyping success, than DNA obtained from toe clips. The relatively dry skin in dendrobatid frogs may have impeded the collection of sufficient viable cells, and the presence of skin alkaloids and microbiota in the frog mucus may lead to high contamination load of skin swabs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Ringler
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA.,Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.,Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria
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20
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Beck KB, Loretto MC, Ringler M, Hödl W, Pašukonis A. Relying on known or exploring for new? Movement patterns and reproductive resource use in a tadpole-transporting frog. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3745. [PMID: 28875083 PMCID: PMC5580388 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals relying on uncertain, ephemeral and patchy resources have to regularly update their information about profitable sites. For many tropical amphibians, widespread, scattered breeding pools constitute such fluctuating resources. Among tropical amphibians, poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) exhibit some of the most complex spatial and parental behaviors—including territoriality and tadpole transport from terrestrial clutches to ephemeral aquatic deposition sites. Recent studies have revealed that poison frogs rely on spatial memory to successfully navigate through their environment. This raises the question of when and how these frogs gain information about the area and suitable reproductive resources. To investigate the spatial patterns of pool use and to reveal potential explorative behavior, we used telemetry to follow males of the territorial dendrobatid frog Allobates femoralis during tadpole transport and subsequent homing. To elicit exploration, we reduced resource availability experimentally by simulating desiccated deposition sites. We found that tadpole transport is strongly directed towards known deposition sites and that frogs take similar direct paths when returning to their home territory. Frogs move faster during tadpole transport than when homing after the deposition, which probably reflects different risks and costs during these two movement phases. We found no evidence for exploration, neither during transport nor homing, and independent of the availability of deposition sites. We suggest that prospecting during tadpole transport is too risky for the transported offspring as well as for the transporting male. Relying on spatial memory of multiple previously discovered pools appears to be the predominant and successful strategy for the exploitation of reproductive resources in A. femoralis. Our study provides for the first time a detailed description of poison frog movement patterns during tadpole transport and corroborates recent findings on the significance of spatial memory in poison frogs. When these frogs explore and discover new reproductive resources remains unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina B Beck
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Max Ringler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America.,Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Walter Hödl
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrius Pašukonis
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,FAS Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
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21
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Ringler M, Szipl G, Hödl W, Khil L, Kofler B, Lonauer M, Provin C, Ringler E. Acoustic ranging in poison frogs-it is not about signal amplitude alone. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017; 71:114. [PMID: 28757679 PMCID: PMC5506510 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2340-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Revised: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Acoustic ranging allows identifying the distance of a sound source and mediates inter-individual spacing and aggression in territorial species. Birds and mammals are known to use more complex cues than only sound pressure level (SPL), which can be influenced by the signaller and signal transmission in non-predictable ways and thus is not reliable by itself. For frogs, only SPL is currently known to mediate inter-individual distances, but we hypothesise that the strong territoriality of Dendrobatids could make the use of complex cues for ranging highly beneficial for this family. Therefore, we tested the ranging abilities of territorial males of Allobates femoralis (Dendrobatidae, Aromobatinae) in playback trials, using amplitude-normalized signals that were naturally degraded over distance, and synthetic signals that were masked with different levels of noise. Frogs responded significantly less to signals recorded from larger distances, regardless of SPL and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), but showed no differential response to natural minimum and maximum SNRs across the typical communication range in wild populations. This indicates that frogs used signal amplitude and SNR only as ancillary cues when assessing the distance of sound sources and relied instead mainly on more complex cues, such as spectral degradation or reverberation. We suggest that this ability mediates territorial spacing and mate choice in A. femoralis. Good ranging abilities might also play a role in the remarkable orientation performance of this species, probably by enabling the establishment of a mental acoustic map of the habitat. Significance statement Acoustic ranging allows the distance of vocalizing competitors and mates to be identified. While birds and mammals are known to use complex cues such as temporal degradation, frequency-dependent attenuation and reverberation for ranging, previous research indicated that frogs rely only on signal amplitude (sound pressure level) to assess the distance of other callers. The present study shows for the first time that also poison frogs can make use of more complex cues, an ability which is likely to be highly beneficial in their territorial social organization and probably can also be used for orientation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00265-017-2340-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Ringler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606 USA
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Georgine Szipl
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Facility, University of Vienna, Fischerau 11, 4645 Grünau im Almtal, Austria
| | - Walter Hödl
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Leander Khil
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Barbara Kofler
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Lonauer
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christina Provin
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Ringler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606 USA
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, and University of Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
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22
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Pašukonis A, Trenkwalder K, Ringler M, Ringler E, Mangione R, Steininger J, Warrington I, Hödl W. The significance of spatial memory for water finding in a tadpole-transporting frog. Anim Behav 2016; 116:89-98. [PMID: 28239185 PMCID: PMC5321284 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The ability to associate environmental cues with valuable resources strongly increases the chances of finding them again, and thus memory often guides animal movement. For example, many temperate region amphibians show strong breeding site fidelity and will return to the same areas even after the ponds have been destroyed. In contrast, many tropical amphibians depend on exploitation of small, scattered and fluctuating resources such as ephemeral pools for reproduction. It remains unknown whether tropical amphibians rely on spatial memory for effective exploitation of their reproductive resources. Poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) routinely shuttle their tadpoles from terrestrial clutches to dispersed aquatic deposition sites. We investigated the role of spatial memory for relocating previously discovered deposition sites in an experimental population of the brilliant-thighed poison frog, Allobates femoralis, a species with predominantly male tadpole transport. We temporarily removed an array of artificial pools that served as the principal tadpole deposition resource for the population. In parallel, we set up an array of sham sites and sites containing conspecific tadpole odour cues. We then quantified the movement patterns and site preferences of tadpole-transporting males by intensive sampling of the area and tracking individual frogs. We found that tadpole-carrier movements were concentrated around the exact locations of removed pools and most individuals visited several removed pool sites. In addition, we found that tadpole-transporting frogs were attracted to novel sites that contained high concentrations of conspecific olfactory tadpole cues. Our results suggest that A. femoralis males rely heavily on spatial memory for efficient exploitation of multiple, widely dispersed deposition sites once they are discovered. Additionally, olfactory cues may facilitate the initial discovery of the new sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrius Pašukonis
- University of Vienna, Department of Cognitive Biology, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Max Ringler
- University of Vienna, Department of Integrative Zoology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Ringler
- University of Vienna, Department of Integrative Zoology, Vienna, Austria; University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Messerli Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rosanna Mangione
- University of Vienna, Department of Integrative Zoology, Vienna, Austria; Haus des Meeres - Aqua Terra Zoo GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jolanda Steininger
- University of Vienna, Department of Integrative Zoology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ian Warrington
- University of Vienna, Department of Cognitive Biology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Walter Hödl
- University of Vienna, Department of Integrative Zoology, Vienna, Austria
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23
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Ringler E, Pašukonis A, Ringler M, Huber L. Sex-specific offspring discrimination reflects respective risks and costs of misdirected care in a poison frog. Anim Behav 2016; 114:173-179. [PMID: 28239184 PMCID: PMC5321237 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability to differentiate between one's own and foreign
offspring ensures the exclusive allocation of costly parental care to only
related progeny. The selective pressure to evolve offspring discrimination
strategies is largely shaped by the likelihood and costs of offspring confusion.
We hypothesize that males and females with different reproductive and spatial
behaviours face different risks of confusing their own with others'
offspring, and this should favour differential offspring discrimination
strategies in the two sexes. In the brilliant-thighed poison frog,
Allobates femoralis, males and females are highly
polygamous, terrestrial clutches are laid in male territories and females
abandon the clutch after oviposition. We investigated whether males and females
differentiate between their own offspring and unrelated young, whether they use
direct or indirect cues and whether the concurrent presence of their own clutch
is essential to elicit parental behaviours. Males transported tadpoles
regardless of location or parentage, but to a lesser extent in the absence of
their own clutch. Females discriminated between clutches based on exact location
and transported tadpoles only in the presence of their own clutch. This
sex-specific selectivity of males and females during parental care reflects the
differences in their respective costs of offspring confusion, resulting from
differences in their spatial and reproductive behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Ringler
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrius Pašukonis
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Max Ringler
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ludwig Huber
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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24
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Ringler E, Pašukonis A, Fitch WT, Huber L, Hödl W, Ringler M. Flexible compensation of uniparental care: female poison frogs take over when males disappear. Behav Ecol 2015; 26:1219-1225. [PMID: 26167099 PMCID: PMC4495760 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2014] [Revised: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Caring mothers step in for deadbeat dads. Flexible compensation has evolved as a countermeasure against reduced or lost parental care and is commonly found in biparental species. In the poison frog Allobates femoralis with obligatory male-only care, we show that females flexibly perform tadpole transport when males disappear. This demonstrates that compensatory flexibility also evolved in species with unisexual care, suggesting that parental care systems are more flexible than previously thought. Parental care systems are shaped by costs and benefits to each sex of investing into current versus future progeny. Flexible compensatory parental care is mainly known in biparental species, particularly where parental desertion or reduction of care by 1 parent is common. The other parent can then compensate this loss by either switching parental roles and/or by increasing its own parental effort. In uniparental species, desertion of the caregiver usually leads to total brood loss. In the poison frog, Allobates femoralis, obligatory tadpole transport (TT) is generally performed by males, whereas females abandon their clutches after oviposition. Nevertheless, in a natural population we previously observed 7.8% of TT performed by females, which we could link to the absence of the respective fathers. In the following experiment, under laboratory conditions, all tested A. femoralis females flexibly took over parental duties, but only when their mates were removed. Our findings provide clear evidence for compensatory flexibility in a species with unisexual parental care. Contrary to the view of amphibian parental care as being stereotypical and fixed, these results demonstrate behavioral flexibility as an adaptive response to environmental and social uncertainty. Behavioral flexibility might actually represent a crucial step in the evolutionary transition from uniparental to biparental care in poison frogs. We suspect that across animal species flexible parental roles are much more common than previously thought and suggest the idea of a 3-dimensional continuum regarding flexibility, parental involvement, and timing, when thinking about the evolution of parental care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Ringler
- Department of Integrative Zoology , ; Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna , Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna , Austria , and ; Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna , 1210 Vienna , Austria
| | - Andrius Pašukonis
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna , Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna , Austria , and
| | - W Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna , Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna , Austria , and
| | - Ludwig Huber
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna , 1210 Vienna , Austria
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25
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Wong BBM, Candolin U. Lessons for a changing world: a response to comments on Wong and Candolin. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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26
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Erich M, Ringler M, Hödl W, Ringler E. Brood-partitioning behaviour in unpredictable environments: hedging the bets? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015; 69:1011-1017. [PMID: 25983381 PMCID: PMC4425806 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-1913-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2015] [Revised: 03/19/2015] [Accepted: 03/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Spreading reproduction across time or space can optimize fitness by minimizing the risks for offspring survival in varying and unpredictable environments. Poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) are characterized by complex spatial and reproductive behaviour, such as territoriality, prolonged courtship and parental care. The partitioning of larvae from terrestrial clutches across several water bodies is mainly known from species with carnivorous tadpoles that allocate their tadpoles in very small pools, where limited food availability is accompanied by an increased risk of cannibalism. However, little is known about the deposition behaviour of non-carnivorous species that use medium-sized to large pools. In the present study, we investigated whether the Neotropical poison frog Allobates femoralis exhibits brood-partitioning behaviour when males transport tadpoles 3 weeks after oviposition. We sampled 30 artificial water bodies for tadpoles, which we genotyped at seven highly polymorphic microsatellite loci. Based on the reconstructed pedigree, we show that A. femoralis males distribute larvae of single and of successive clutches across several water bodies. The number of pools used was significantly associated with the number of clutches per male. Ninety-three percent of the males that were assigned to more than one clutch spread their tadpoles across several water bodies. Given the highly variable and unpredictable biotic and abiotic conditions in tropical rainforest, at the spatial scale of the study species’ behaviour, we interpret this behaviour as bet-hedging to improve offspring survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Erich
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Max Ringler
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Walter Hödl
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Ringler
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria ; Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
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