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Only distance matters - non-choosy females in a poison frog population

Please always quote using this URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122617
  • Background: Females have often been shown to exhibit preferences for certain male traits. However, little is known about behavioural rules females use when searching for mates in their natural habitat. We investigated mate sampling tactics and related costs in the territorial strawberry poison frog (Oophaga pumilio) possessing a lek-like mating system, where both sequential and simultaneous sampling might occur. We continuously monitored the sampling pattern and behaviour of females during the complete period between two successive matings.Background: Females have often been shown to exhibit preferences for certain male traits. However, little is known about behavioural rules females use when searching for mates in their natural habitat. We investigated mate sampling tactics and related costs in the territorial strawberry poison frog (Oophaga pumilio) possessing a lek-like mating system, where both sequential and simultaneous sampling might occur. We continuously monitored the sampling pattern and behaviour of females during the complete period between two successive matings. Results: We found no evidence that females compared males by visiting them. Instead females mated with the closest calling male irrespective of his acoustic and physical traits, and territory size. Playback experiments in the natural home ranges of receptive females revealed that tested females preferred the nearest speaker and did not discriminate between low and high call rates or dominant frequencies. Conclusions: Our results suggest that females of O. pumilio prefer the closest calling male in the studied population. We hypothesize that the sampling tactic in this population is affected by 1) a strongly female biased sex ratio and 2) a low variance in traits of available males due to strong male-male competition, preventing low quality males from defending a territory and mating.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author: Ivonne Meuche, Oscar Brusa, K. Eduard Linsenmair, Alexander Keller, Heike Pröhl
URN:urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122617
Document Type:Journal article
Faculties:Fakultät für Biologie / Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften
Language:English
Parent Title (English):Frontiers in Zoology
ISSN:1742-9994
Year of Completion:2013
Volume:10
Issue:29
Source:Frontiers in Zoology 2013, 10:29. doi:10.1186/1742-9994-10-29
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-9994-10-29
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 59 Tiere (Zoologie) / 597 Wechselwarme Wirbeltiere; Pisces (Fische)
Tag:Bocas-del-Toro; dendrobates pumilio; oophaga pumilio; pied flycatchers; sampling behavior
gray tree frogs; male mating success; operational sex ratio; sequential mate choice; treefrogs hyla-gratiosa
Release Date:2016/02/26
Licence (German):License LogoCC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung