Calling phenology of four anurans in tropical Mexico

Abstract

Anuran vocalizations transmit relevant information that aids in individual recognition and sexual selection by females. When studied over time, vocalizations can help us to understand reproductive phenology. Here, we used an automated recording system to obtain calls of 4 anurans in southeastern Mexico, described the calling phenology of the species and tested its relationship with environmental variables. We performed Generalized Linear Mixed Effects Models (GLMM’s) to explore possible relationships between calling and environmental variables. The hylid species ( Agalychnis callidryas, A. moreletii and Dendropsophus ebraccatus ) showed a clear calling pattern; they began calling in April/May and increased in their intensity during the rainy season, from June to September. Craugastor loki showed, contrarily, no clear patterns of calling, preferring to call almost continuously throughout the year. Among the environmental factors tested, only minimum temperature and the amount of days without rain had an effect (positive and negative, respectively) on calling activity of the hylids, but we found that calling from other species had greater positive effects within the group. There was a strong phenological overlap in the calling behavior of these species, which may suggest that competition for site of calling or acoustic niche partitioning can be present in the community.