Intraspecific variation in advertisement call characteristics and acoustic strategies among male forest green tree frogs

Abstract

Frogs are a representative taxon that use advertisement calls to aid in reproduction. In most frog species, calls vary with body size, and allometric constraints between body size and call frequency have been widely reported among anuran species. Although this variation is an important driver of sexual selection in frogs, male advertisement call strategies may also vary according to body size. In this study, we conducted playback experiments on the male forest green tree frog (Zhangixalus arboreus) to determine whether male advertisement call characteristics and strategies vary according to body size and the amplitude of intraspecific chorus noise. The results indicated that the calls of larger individuals are louder and lower than those of smaller ones, who call more frequently; moreover, the calls become lower, and the number of calls decreases, as noise levels increase. These findings suggest that forest green tree frog emits lower calls or refrains from calling when chorus noise increases, and that intraspecific variation in advertisement call characteristics can induce different strategies in response to chorus noise. Because advertisement call variation with body size is common among frog species, intraspecific variation in male advertisement call strategies may also be a common phenomenon.