Acoustic ecology of an anuran assemblage in the arid Caatinga of northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Differences in advertisement calls and calling sites are important mechanisms that regulate interactions in anuran assemblages. Individuals might have preferences for ranges of acoustic parameters and calling sites that reduce overlap and ensure coexistence. Herein, acoustic and ecological data were used to investigate the relationships among 12 anurans that co-occur in temporary ponds in the Caatinga, Cabaceiras municipality, Paraíba state, Brazil. Anurans exhibited calling activity correlated with rainfall, but were also spatially dispersed. High overlap levels in calling microhabitats and acoustic parameters were observed, especially among pairs of closely related species. Analysis of null models showed a lack of structure in the spatial and acoustic niche, indicating the lack of detected competition. Results suggest that the calling activity of the species is strongly influenced by rainfall, moreover, the temporal partition appears to ensure coexistence. Finally, strong historical effects were detected in Leiuperinae, Leptodactylidae and in the partition Hylidae-Leptodactyliformes.

Anurans from the Middle Jaguaribe River Region, Ceará State, Northeastern Brazil

“…Dermatonotus muelleri, Physalaemus cicada, Pleurodema diplolister and Proceratophrys cristiceps) depend of specific rainy events. Nevertheless, we have recorded such species considered explosive breeding or opportunistic (Protá zio et al 2014).…”

“…The species richness at the Jaguaribe Region (19 species) can be considered high for a semiarid sensu stricto Caatinga (17) in state of Bahia (Arzabe 1999, Protá zio et al 2014, Vieira et al 2007, Xavier and Napoli 2011. Considering this high richness and lack of protected areas in eastern Ceará State, the region is considered important for the conservation of Caatinga anuran species.…”

“…In addition, the effort for research in non-protected areas within the domain is quite inexpressive (e.g. Azarbe 1999, Vieira et al 2007, Protá zio et al 2014. Only seven areas of the State of Ceará have published data on amphibian inventories (Borges-Nojosa & Cascon 2005, Borges-Nojosa 2007, Borges-Nojosa et al 2010, Loebmann & Haddad 2010, Ribeiro et al 2012, Borges-Leite et al 2014, and most of these areas, despite being included within the Caatingas domain, do not harbour Caatinga vegetation sensu stricto (Ab'Sá ber 2003), being in fact areas that are better characterized as Rain Forest and/or Cerrado enclaves, Coastal areas, or a mosaic of these.…”

Acoustic Repertoire and Calling Behavior of the Gliding Treefrog, Agalychnis spurrelli (Anura: Hylidae)

“…Acoustic repertoire and calling behavior of the gliding treefrog, Agalychnis spurrelli (Anura: Hylidae). South American Journal of Herpetology 17: 71-78. http://doi.org/10.2994/SAJH-D-18-00040.1 1970; Cannatella, 1980;Pimenta et al, 2007;Hertz and Lotzkat, 2010;Vilela et al, 2015). The vocal repertoire of A. spurrelli includes an advertisement call, described as a single, low-pitched groan (Duellman, 1970), and a second call, reported by Scott and Starret (1974).…”

Composição da Anurofauna em ambiente semiárido do Brasil com observações sobre atividade reprodutiva

“…About the knowledge of the anurans of the semi-arid region of the state of Paraíba, few studies were held, highlighting Vieira et al (2007), Protázio et al (2015) and Costa et al (2016). Within this context, our aim in this work was to analyses the community composition of anuran amphibians in an area inserted in the Caatinga biome, in Northeast Brazil, evaluating also whether there is a relationship between number of species and vocal activity vs. precipitation.…”