Individual variation in male vocal traits and female mating preferences in Bufo americanus

Animal Behaviour
R D Howard, J R Young

Abstract

We investigated the amount of variation in mating behaviour between and within individual male and female American toads, because both sources of trait variation can influence the course of sexual selection. Males varied in all four call parameters investigated (dominant call frequency, pulse rate, call rate and call duration). Individual males lowered the dominant frequency of their call when they interacted vocally with nearby males. Dominant call frequency was more highly correlated with body size in vocally interacting males than in non-interacting males. Pulse rate of calls primarily varied with water temperature. Call rate and call duration showed the most variation of the four call properties, but this variation was unrelated to male morphology or social interactions. Females varied in three aspects of mating behaviour: two measures of pair formation and their preference for dominant frequency of male calls. The body size of paired males varied between females both in pairings initiated by either sex and in pairings initiated only by females. Males chosen by females were usually larger than average, although age and prior breeding experience of females did not affect mate choice. Playback experiments indicated that femal...Continue Reading

Citations

Aug 11, 2000·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·C G Murphy, H C Gerhardt
Aug 11, 2011·BMC Evolutionary Biology·Topi K LehtonenBob B M Wong
May 22, 2013·Frontiers in Zoology·Ivonne MeucheHeike Pröhl
Jan 21, 2000·Animal Behaviour·B C Trainor, A L Basolo
Dec 23, 2000·Animal Behaviour·S A Collins
Oct 10, 2009·The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America·Xianyan WangXiaobing Wu
Dec 1, 2009·Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology·Nicole GeberzahnCarel Ten Cate
Aug 19, 2008·The American Naturalist·A Kodric-Brown, P F Nicoletto
May 14, 2016·Behavioral Ecology : Official Journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology·David N FisherTom Tregenza
Apr 1, 2009·Animal Behaviour·Alison M BellKate L Laskowski
Dec 15, 2007·Animal Behaviour·Carlos A BoteroSandra L Vehrencamp
Oct 18, 2011·Biological Journal of the Linnean Society·Andreas Walzer, Peter Schausberger
Jun 6, 2012·Animal Behaviour·Sat GavassaPhilip K Stoddard
Jul 29, 2016·BMC Evolutionary Biology·David N FisherTom Tregenza
Jun 17, 2005·The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America·Susan E Parks, Peter L Tyack
Apr 3, 2004·The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America·Andrea Megela Simmons
Dec 24, 2013·Journal of Zoology : Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London·K PlotskyK Chase
May 10, 2017·Ecology and Evolution·Paul S Crump, Jeff Houlahan
Mar 19, 2021·Integrative Zoology·Xinxin ZhuYin Qi

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.