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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Sex difference in homing: males but not females return home despite offspring mortality in Ikakogi tayrona, a glassfrog with prolonged maternal care

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Author(s):
Navarro-Salcedo, P. [1] ; Arcila-Perez, L. F. [1] ; Perez-Gonzalez, J. L. [2, 3] ; Rueda-Solano, L. A. [2, 3] ; Rada, M. [4, 5] ; Vargas-Salinas, F. [1]
Total Authors: 6
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Quindio, Programa Biol, Grp Invest Evoluc Ecol & Conservac EECO, Armenia - Colombia
[2] Univ Magdalena, Fac Ciencias Basicas, Grp Invest Biodiversidad & Ecol Aplicada, Santa Marta - Colombia
[3] Fdn Atelopus, Santa Marta - Colombia
[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, Sao Paulo - Brazil
[5] Inst Invest Recursos Biol Alexander von Humboldt, Bogota - Colombia
Total Affiliations: 5
Document type: Journal article
Source: BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY; v. 76, n. 1 JAN 2022.
Web of Science Citations: 0
Abstract

Parental care directly affects the fitness of individuals because it increases the probability of offspring survival. Therefore, it is expected that parents be particularly motivated to return (i.e., exhibit homing behavior) and resume care if they are moved away from offspring by disturbances. Yet, despite several studies on the behavioral ecology of homing in vertebrates, aspects underlying the relationship between movement and offspring care in anurans remain largely unknown. We tested the relative importance of parental care as a driver of homing in Ikakogi tayrona, the only glassfrog with demonstrated prolonged maternal care. We carried out translocation experiments in 58 calling males, 23 gravid females, and 19 females caring for eggs. Contrary to expectations, females did not exhibit homing despite the risk of increased offspring mortality. On the other hand, males exhibit homing (they returned from translocation distances up to 320 m), possibly to recover a specific territory that is important for attracting mates. Taken together, our work documents a paradoxical result that may lead to future research testing specific hypothesis about the causes of sex differences in homing and the associated cognitive process. Significance statement Studying the relationship between parental care and homing behavior provides a better understanding of how diverse ecological and evolutionary factors influence movement patterns in animals. However, such relationship has been almost untested in anurans, even though their homing behavior and diversity of parental care strategies have separately received great attention from behavioral ecologists. In this study, we found sex differences in homing for the glassfrog Ikakogi tayrona. Males are highly motivated to return to a specific territory, possibly to recover a particular place from which they increase mating opportunities. Interestingly, females caring for eggs did not exhibit homing, even if that behavioral decision results in higher mortality rates of offspring in their clutches, as demonstrated in this and other glassfrogs. This work is one of the few studies on homing in anurans that includes a large sample size of females and accounts for both gravid females and females already caring for offspring. Altogether, this study broadens our understanding of how ecological and evolutionary factors can influence homing behavior in vertebrates. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 08/50928-1 - Speciation of frogs in high-altitude environments
Grantee:Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad
Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants