The role of parental care in the survivorship of the offspring of Boana faber (Anura, Hylidae): nest traits and facultative nest guarding

• Grant number: 24/12264-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Cynthia Peralta de Almeida Prado
• Grantee: Julia Laura Pompeu de Abreu
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/10639-5 - Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, AP.CEPID

Abstract

Parental care is highly diverse among anurans, encompassing nest construction, egg guarding, tadpole or juvenile care, internal incubation, and provisioning of food, which can be performed by males, females, or both. The evolution of parental care is favored when the fitness benefits for the parents outweigh the costs, with increased offspring survival being the primary associated advantage. Steroid hormones influence parental care behavior of vertebrates; however, there are few studies on the influence of these hormones in anurans. The species Boana faber is a hylid from the Atlantic Forest, with members commonly known as gladiator frogs and nest builders. Males construct nests at the margins of water bodies, where eggs are deposited. Nest construction may have evolved as a strategy to avoid aquatic predators of eggs and larvae, despite the risks posed by predation, evaporation of water from the basin, and low dissolved oxygen levels. In addition to the parental care of nest building, males of Boana faber may guard the spawn, a facultative behavior dependent on male density. However, there are few detailed studies on the factors related to the survival of the offspring of Boana faber. In this context, the present study aims to investigate the influence of parental care, considering nest construction and facultative nest guarding, on the survival of the offspring of Boana faber. We will also evaluate whether there is a relationship between steroid levels and parental care by comparing caring males with non-caring males. We believe that the results generated by this project will not only enhance our knowledge about the biology of the species, but will also be extremely useful for studies on the factors involved in the evolution and maintenance of parental care in anuran amphibians.