Abstract
The high population density of vocalizing males of the Puerto Rican treefrog Eleutherodactylus coqui in their natural habitat can lead to call overlap, which may interfere with the function of the call. Simulations of groups of calling males suggest that a given male can maximize the effectiveness of each call by actively avoiding acoustic overlap with at most two of its nearest neighbours. Analysis of vocal patterns of natural groups of frogs support this hypothesis: 14 of the 18 frogs tested actively avoided acoustic overlap with no more than two neighbours (one avoided acoustic overlap with three neighbours) while three frogs exhibited active call-jamming with one of their neighbours. Moreover, cross-correlograms of calling patterns between all pairs of frogs in a group were used to infer dynamic chorus structure. Overlap avoidance behaviour is discussed in terms of reproductive success and predator evasion.
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