Relationships between parasite intensity and calling behavior of Boana albopunctata (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae)

• Grant number: 24/23098-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Animal Behavior
• Principal Investigator: Fábio Perin de Sá
• Grantee: Victor Spakauskas
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/10639-5 - Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, AP.CEPID

Abstract

In anuran amphibians, vocalizations play a crucial role in intraspecific communication. Male advertisement calls serve to maintain territories and attract females, with females selecting males also based on their calls - which are under sexual selection pressures. Calling males health status can influence their calling performance. Parasites eventually associated with wild populations may reach high abundances, affecting the hosts physiological aspects, potentially affecting their calling behaviors. Thus, parasite composition and abundance are factors that may compromise acoustic communication and the reproductive success of calling males. This project aims to investigate if there is a relationship between helminth parasitism and calling in males of Boana albopunctata (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae). The central hypothesis is that higher parasite loads reduce call efficiency, hindering female attraction and reproductive success. The specific goals of this study are to determine: (i) the species composition of helminth parasites associated with calling males of Boana albopunctata; (ii) if males with higher parasite loads exhibit impairments in key call parameters (dominant frequency, call rate, and call duration); and (iii) if males with higher parasite loads show changes in body condition and reproductive investment. Understanding the potential relationships between parasites and calls is essential for uncovering how biological factors can interfere with the behavior and reproductive success of Neotropical anuran amphibians. (AU)