Acoustic characteristics of a native anuran (Amphibia) assemblage in a palustrine herbaceous wetland from Puerto Rico

Abstract

Abstract: We documented patterns of microhabitat use, relative species abundance, and acoustic characteristics of a Puerto Rican native anuran assemblage from a palustrine herbaceous wetland. We found significant interspecific differences in the spatial distribution of calling males among microhabitat types, which differed in percent cover, height, and physical structure. The spectrogram revealed no acoustic interspecific overlap of calls above 3.0 kHz and a significant inverse relationship between body size and frequency of call. Most calls were between 4.0 kHz and 8.5 kHz range, indicative of a small-sized species assemblage. Diel calling activity patterns showed considerable interspecific overlap with most calling activity starting at approximately 16:30 hrs and decreasing after 23:30 hrs. In general, acoustic communication seems enhanced by interactions between abiotic (e.g., microhabitat/vegetation type used for calling) and biotic factors (e.g., calling behavior) that reduce acoustic attenuation in this wetland environment even though calling males can be within interspecific hearing range. Key Words: acoustic partitioning, anurans, Caribbean, Coqui Llanero, Eleutherodactylus, herbaceous wetland, Leptodactylus