@article {57625, title = {Call Characteristics of Two Sympatric and Morphologically Similar Tree Frogs Species, Polypedates megacephalus and Polypedates mutus (Anura: Rhacophoridae), from Hainan, China}, year = {2018}, abstract = {

Anuran calls are usually species-specific and therefore valued as a tool for species identification. Call characteristics are a potential honest signal in sexual selection because they often reflect male body size. Polypedates megacephalus and P. mutus are two sympatric and morphologically similar tree frogs, but it remains unknown whether their calls are associated with body size. In this study, we compared call characteristics of these two species and investigated any potential relationships with body size. We found that P. megacephalus, males produced six call types which consisting of three distinct notes, while P. mutus males produced five types consisting of two types of notes. Dominant frequency, note duration, pulse duration, and call duration exhibited significant interspecific differences. In P. megacephalus, one note exhibited a dominant frequency that was negatively correlated with body mass, snout-vent length, head length, and head width. In P. mutus, the duration of one note type was positively correlated with body mass and head width. These differences in call characteristics may play an important role in interspecific recognition. Additionally, because interspecific acoustic variation reflects body size, calls may be relevant for sexual selection. Taken together, our results confirmed that calls are a valid tool for distinguishing between the two tree-frog species in the field.

}, keywords = {body size, call characteristics, Polypedates, sexual selection}, author = {Qiucheng LIU and Tongliang WANG and Xiaofei ZHAI and Jichao WANG} } @article {53415, title = {Temperature alters multimodal signaling and mating success in an ectotherm}, journal = {Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology}, volume = {72}, year = {2018}, month = {Jan-12-2018}, abstract = {

Temperature affects ectotherms in a variety of ways. These effects can be especially complex in sexual behaviors, as different sexes may be affected differently by temperature. We examined this in the jumping spider, Habronattus clypeatus. In this species, males court females using visual and vibratory signals. We tested whether key intersexual behaviors would change with temperature in similar, predictable ways across males and females. We first measured temperature and apparent activity of individuals across the day. We found that H. clypeatus are active across a wide range of temperatures (11\–56 \°C) and are most active at times of day when temperature ranges from 13 to 46 \°C. Next, we performed mating experiments across behaviorally relevant temperatures. Females were more likely to allow males to progress to later stages of courtship and had higher mating rates at higher temperatures. Male visual and vibratory courtship behaviors generally became faster, higher-pitched, and lower in amplitude at higher temperatures. This relationship between temperature and signal aspects attained a roughly curvilinear shape, with an asymptote around 40 \°C. Intriguingly, mating rates in the lab were highest at temperatures potentially above those during peak spider activity in the field. Our results suggest that temperature\’s effects on behavior are complex and can affect males and females differently. This work emphasizes that understanding temperature effects on mating is critical to understanding sexual selection patterns particularly in species which use complex signals.

}, keywords = {biotremology, communication, multimodal signals, Salticidae, sexual selection, Temperature, Thermal ecology, Vibratory communication}, issn = {0340-5443}, doi = {10.1007/s00265-018-2620-5}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00265-018-2620-5}, author = {Brandt, Erin E. and Kelley, J. Patrick and Elias, Damian O.} } @article {53414, title = {Behavioral and neural auditory thresholds in a frog}, journal = {Current Zoology}, year = {2018}, abstract = {

Vocalizations play a critical role in mate recognition and mate choice in a number of taxa, especially, but not limited to, orthopterans, frogs, and birds. But receivers can only recognize and prefer sounds that they can hear. Thus a fundamental question linking neurobiology and sexual selection asks\— what is the threshold for detecting acoustic sexual displays? In this study we use three methods to assess such thresholds in t\úngara frogs: behavioral responses, auditory brainstem responses, and multi-unit electrophysiological recordings from the midbrain. We show that thresholds are lowest for multi-unit recordings (ca. 45 dB SPL), and then for behavioral responses (ca. 61 dB SPL), with auditory brainstem responses exhibiting the highest thresholds (ca. 71 dB SPL). We discuss why these estimates differ and why, as with other studies, it is unlikely that they should be the same. Although all of these studies estimate thresholds they are not measuring the same thresholds; behavioral thresholds are based on signal salience while the two neural assays estimate physiological thresholds. All three estimates, however, make it clear that to have an appreciation for detection and salience of acoustic signals we must listen to those signals through the ears of the receivers.

}, keywords = {anurans, auditory brainstem responses, auditory thresholds, mate choice, Physalaemus pustulosus, sexual selection, signal recognition thresholds, t{\'u}ngara frogs, vocalizations}, author = {Ryan, C and Akre, Karin and Wilczynski, Walter and others} } @article {53376, title = {Convenience polyandry and the role of lone and reciprocal calls in a psyllid}, journal = {Animal Behaviour}, volume = {145}, year = {2018}, month = {Jan-11-2018}, pages = {1 - 10}, abstract = {

It is widely accepted that receptivity to mating may be asymmetrical between the sexes. While reproductive benefits for males are cumulative, females may not benefit equally from polyandry, especially in species where females can store sperm. Female psyllids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) are reportedly polyandrous. However, the adaptive significance of this mating strategy has not been thoroughly investigated. Studies involving other insect species indicate that polyandry may be driven by benefits (direct or indirect) or by the need to minimize costs associated with male harassment. Drooping she-oak psyllids, Aacanthocnema dobsoni (Triozidae), use substrate-borne vibrations for mate attraction but they are not a prerequisite for mating. We suspected that polyandry in this species could be driven by male harassment because males exhibit indiscriminate mating behaviour (consistent with a scramble competition mating strategy), often mating with unresponsive (mated) females. We investigated relationships between calling, feeding and mating status to test whether females mate to minimize harassment by males and whether they gain any direct benefits from polyandry. We found that lone calls were commonly, but reciprocal calls were rarely followed by mating. As reciprocal calls should reflect female receptivity, copulations without them highlight the existence of sexual conflict over mating. Observations revealed that feeding females were less likely to resist mating than nonfeeding females. We did not find that females obtained any direct benefits from polyandry. Our results suggest that polyandry in this species may be a consequence of male harassment and that mated females, while feeding, may remate for convenience to minimize costs associated with stylet retraction/penetration and location of new feeding sites.

}, keywords = {economics of mating, feeding requirements, Psylloidea, reproductive success, sexual conflict, sexual selection}, issn = {00033472}, doi = {10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.09.001}, url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0003347218302707https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0003347218302707?httpAccept=text/xmlhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0003347218302707?httpAccept=text/plain}, author = {Lubanga, U.K. and Peters, R.A. and Steinbauer, M.J.} } @article {52753, title = {The {\textquoteleft}hot male{\textquoteright} hypothesis: do female crickets prefer males with increased body temperature in mate choice scenarios?}, journal = {Animal Behaviour}, volume = {138}, year = {2018}, month = {Jan-04-2018}, pages = {75 - 84}, abstract = {

Insects have been extensively used as model systems to study mating preferences based on variation in acoustic signals. In many species, females perform phonotaxis towards attractive, long-range acoustic signals produced by males, whereas the final mating decision is based on an assessment of additional, multimodal, close-range cues. The production of acoustic signals is costly, because invested energy is inefficiently converted into acoustic power. Here, we investigated whether heat released as a by-product during song generation might serve as an additional cue during mate choice decisions. Males that broadcast highly energetic calling songs increased their thoracic temperature considerably above ambient temperatures. The use of this additional cue would turn the acoustic signal into an inherently bimodal one, indirectly indicating the quality of the sender. To test this hot male hypothesis, we performed trackball and Y-maze experiments with Anurogryllus muticus. For comparison, additional trackball experiments were conducted with Gryllus bimaculatus females. In all paradigms, females of both species showed no evidence of a preference for hot males and, therefore, we conclude that increases in thoracic temperature do not seem to play a role as a multimodal component in mate choice decisions in A. muticus.

}, keywords = {acoustic signals, Anurogryllus muticus, energy, Female choice, infrared thermography, male quality, multimodal communication, sexual selection, thermal cues, thoracic temperature increase}, issn = {00033472}, doi = {10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.02.007}, url = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0003347218300575}, author = {Erregger, Bettina and Hennig, R. Matthias} }