Steroid hormone levels in calling males and males practicing alternative non-calling mating tactics in the green treefrog, Hyla cinerea

Abstract

Circulating glucocorticoids and androgens often figure prominently in mating tactic expression in vertebrates. In anuran amphibians (frogs and toads), for example, recent models predict that the depletion of energy reserves during vocalization will result in increased glucocorticoid levels; high glucocorticoids are expected to negatively affect androgen level to mediate transitions from calling to non-calling behavior. Consistent with these predictions, we show that male green treefrogs (Hyla cinerea) adopting an alternative non-calling “satellite” mating tactic were in poorer condition and had higher circulating corticosterone levels and lower androgen levels than calling males. Body condition was inversely related to corticosterone level and positively related to testosterone, but not dihydrotestosterone, level. Corticosterone level was inversely related to testosterone level but not dihydrotestosterone level. Lastly, we show that calling males that were involved in aggressive bouts had higher corticosterone levels than calling males that were not involved in aggressive bouts. Our results are thus consistent with the prediction that aggressive interactions with conspecific males contribute to high corticosterone levels in satellite males that were observed to lose aggressive contests with larger calling males.