Interspecific variation in the phenology of advertisement calling in a temperate Australian frog community

Abstract

Spatial and temporal partitioning of resources underlies the coexistence of species with similar niches. In communities of frogs and toads, the phenology of advertisement calling provides insights into temporal partitioning of reproductive effort and its implications for community dynamics. This study assessed the phenology of advertisement calling in an anuran community from Melbourne, in southern Australia. We collated data from 1432 surveys of 253 sites and used logistic regression to quantify seasonality in the nightly probability of calling and the influence of meteorological variables on this probability for six species of frogs. We found limited overlap in the predicted seasonal peaks of calling among these species. Those shown to have overlapping calling peaks are unlikely to be in direct competition, due to differences in larval ecology (Crinia signifera and Litoria ewingii) or differences in calling behavior and acoustics (Limnodynastes dumerilii and Litoria raniformis). In contrast, closely related and ecologically similar species (Crinia signfera and Crinia parinsignifera;Litoria ewingii and Litoria verreauxii) appear to have staggered seasonal peaks of calling. In combination with interspecific variation in the meteorological correlates of calling, these results may be indicative of temporal partitioning of reproductive activity to facilitate coexistence, as has been reported for tropical and temperate anurans from other parts of the globe.

Multi‐species occupancy modeling provides novel insights into amphibian metacommunity structure and wetland restoration

“…We assumed that the frog metacommunity was closed over the 2 yr during the study (i.e., the species pool remained constant), but added a year effect to account for potential variation in frog activity (detection) between the two seasons due to annual fluctuations in seasonality (see Zipkin et al 2009). Survey date (time since September) has been shown to influence detection probabilities for several frog species in southeastern Australia (Canessa et al 2012, Heard et al 2015). High water levels and higher temperatures have been shown to increase the probability of detection for Lit.…”

Effects of agriculture and topography on tropical amphibian species and communities

“…Because precipitation influences the calling activity of many anurans (Heard et al. ), it can play an important role for detection probability of species (Johnson et al. ).…”

“…The coefficients b1 and b2 were the linear and quadratic effects of day of year (we assumed the first day as the beginning of Southern Hemisphere spring), and b3 was the effect of daily precipitation. Because precipitation influences the calling activity of many anurans (Heard et al 2015), it can play an important role for detection probability of species (Johnson et al 2016). We standardized all continuous covariates for both ecological and survey processes to have a mean of 0 and a standard deviation equal to 1 (Zipkin et al 2009, K ery andRoyle 2015).…”

Calling phenology of four anurans in tropical Mexico

“…By investigating calling behavior over time, the calling phenology can be analyzed. Differences in the phenology of anuran breeding and calling activity of species within a community can facilitate temporal partitioning of resources and, therefore, favor their coexistence (Canavero et al, 2008;Heard et al, 2015). Temporal partition is not the only factor relevant to the calling behavior in an anuran community; the spatial arrangement of males also plays an important role in defining the reproductive strategy of the species.…”

“…Both strongly influence the reproductive activity of tropical anurans, being decisive on the beginning and end of the reproductive season, the density of reproductive individuals and many other aspects of anuran's biology. For this reason, temperature and rainfall are the main abiotic factors analyzed in phenology studies of anurans' reproduction (Akmentins et al, 2015;Bertoluci & Rodrigues, 2002;Caldart et al, 2016;Heard et al, 2015;Schalk & Saenz, 2016).…”