Behavioral strategies and signaling in interspecific aggressive interactions in gray tree frogs

Abstract

Interspecific aggression has important consequences for ecological processes and the evolution of behavioral strategies. We examined interspecific aggressive interactions in the 2 gray tree frog species, Hyla chrysoscelis and Hyla versicolor. These species call side by side in the same ponds, and acoustic interference occurs because of the similar spectral characteristics of their vocalizations. The aggressive calls of these 2 species, although very similar, were statistically distinguishable: calls of H. chrysoscelis were more strongly amplitude modulated than those of H. versicolor. We used playbacks and staged interactions to characterize the behaviors of males exposed to heterospecific competitors or their signals. Males readily responded with aggression to heterospecific individuals and playbacks of their calls. These behaviors were qualitatively similar in both intraspecific and interspecific interactions, but there were some significant differences. First, males of H. chrysoscelis were more aggressive toward playbacks of conspecific advertisement calls than toward those of H. versicolor. There were no significant differences in this respect in H. versicolor. Second, interspecific interactions were usually more escalated than intraspecific interactions and more likely to end with the loser moving away from its opponent. Although neither species had an advantage in staged interactions, behavioral responses were asymmetrical because H. versicolor was more likely than H. chrysoscelis to initiate physical contact. Previous studies showed that H. versicolor suffers from a greater reduction in attractiveness than H. chrysoscelis in the presence of heterospecific call overlap. Thus, the asymmetries in aggressive behavior between the 2 species may be related to differential costs of heterospecific competition.