Is body color a visual cue which composes the multimodal communication? Investigating three hylids species, Boana albomarginata, Hyla cinerea, and H. versicolor

• Grant number: 19/25109-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: October 01, 2021
• End date: June 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Animal Behavior
• Principal Investigator: Luis Felipe de Toledo Ramos Pereira
• Grantee: Guilherme Augusto Alves
• Supervisor: Gerlinde Hobel
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UW-Milwaukee), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 19/03170-0 - Acoustic, seismic and visual signaling: investigating the multimodal communication of neotropical anurans, BP.DR

Abstract

Besides the acoustic signal, chemical, seismic, tactile, and visual communication modes compose the anurans' behavioral repertoire. Recent studies have shown that these variations of signal transmission play an important role in intraspecific communication, for both male and female interactions. Beyond the communication modes, an anatomical signal, as body coloration or vocal sac vibration during the call, could transmit a secondary cue to the conspecific' individuals. Given these points, we propose to explore the role of body color on intraspecific communication in three hylids species, with different levels of color polymorphism, Boana albomarginata, Hyla cinerea, and H. versicolor. We hypothesized that the body color characteristics (brightness, hue, and, saturation) are used as a visual cue to other individuals, so it is related to individuals' health parameters and other communication modes. Additionally, we intend to evaluate whether the Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) infection influences behavior and whether infected individual differ in body color relative to uninfected individuals. Bd is currently considered to be a major contributor to the decline of amphibian populations, but little is known about the sublethal effect of this fungus on anuran communication, and our results will help to better understanding this effect. (AU)