Seasonal variation in abundance and diversity of eavesdropping frog‐biting midges (<scp>D</scp>iptera, <scp>C</scp>orethrellidae) in a neotropical rainforest

Legett, Henry D.; Baranov, Viktor; Bernal, Ximena E.

doi:10.1111/een.12492

Cited by 30 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…This suggests that there is no general close species-level host specificity (based on distinct acoustic cues) in corethrellids in La Gamba. Similar observations from other investigations using sound traps also suggest that frog-biting midges use a more generalized acoustic template, allowing for a wide host spectrum and the ability of seasonal host switching (Legett, Baranov, & Bernal, 2018). However, for the three most common midge species, that is, those with numbers allowing meaningful comparison, the quantitative distribution of individuals across traps/frog calls was significantly different, suggesting some level of acoustic niche differentiation.…”

Section: Midge Diversity and Host Specificitysupporting

confidence: 82%

“…It should also be noted that the midge catches at our site were highly dominated by one species, C. ranapungens , which represented 96% of all catches in acoustic traps. Similarly, high abundance proportions for this species were found at Gamboa, Panama (Legett et al, ), indicating that it is at least locally highly abundant and potentially widespread throughout southern Central America. However, preliminary molecular data indicate that this species harbors multiple genetically distinct lineages (Virgo et al in prep.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

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The sound of a blood meal: Acoustic ecology of frog‐biting midges (Corethrella) in lowland Pacific Costa Rica

et al. 2019

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Animal communication systems are often exploited by eavesdropping antagonists, especially predators and ectoparasites. Female frog‐biting midges (Diptera: Corethrellidae) are known to use male anuran advertisement calls to locate their blood hosts, frogs. Here, we use acoustic midge traps broadcasting synthetic and recorded calls to identify those frog call parameters that affect midge attraction. At our study site in Pacific lowland Costa Rica, we found that overall midge attraction was influenced by both spectral and temporal acoustic parameters. Low dominant frequencies (below 1 kHz) and short pulse durations (between 125 and 500 ms) attracted the highest numbers of midges in tests with synthetic sinusoidal pure tones. These preferences partially explained the relative attractiveness of the advertisement calls of ten local frog species. The advertisement calls of the common and widespread Giant Bullfrog, Leptodactylus savagei (Anura: Leptodactylidae), attracted by far the largest number of midges, suggesting that this frog species might be a key resource for frog‐biting midges in Costa Rica. Although we found that calls of different frog species attracted different midge species/morphospecies in statistically different proportions, acoustic niche differentiation among midge species appeared to be moderate, suggesting either a limited degree of host specialization or the use of additional short‐range, that is, chemical, host recognition cues.

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Section: Midge Diversity and Host Specificitysupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

The sound of a blood meal: Acoustic ecology of frog‐biting midges (Corethrella) in lowland Pacific Costa Rica

et al. 2019

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“…Between 40 and 231 frogs were checked on each occasion. This sampling regime largely controls for seasonal effects that might influence midge activity patterns (Legett, Baranov & Bernal, ). Brunei experiences wet weather conditions year‐round.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Studying the sensory ecology of frog‐biting midges (Corethrellidae: Diptera) and their frog hosts using ecological interaction networks

et al. 2018

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Investigating species interaction networks has advanced the understanding of the robustness of ecosystems, the impact of species invasions, resource partitioning and the coevolution of interacting species. Here, we present a 10-year study of the relationships between frog-biting midges (Corethrella) and their frog hosts in tropical lowland forests across northern Borneo. We use quantitative bipartite host-ectoparasite networks to explore this unusual relationship. Across northern Borneo, nine species of frog-biting midges were found to bite 29 species of frogs. Overall, 378 individual Corethrella were found on 93 individual frogs. We compare the network structure between two forest types in Brunei Darussalam: a lowland mixed-dipterocarp rainforest and a peatswamp forest. Results indicate that both antagonistic interaction networks were relatively specialized at the community level and show significant nestedness. The degree of specialization was higher in the rainforest than in the peatswamp suggesting higher diversity of midge sensory perception and frog avoidance strategies in the rainforest. At the species level, the specialization of midges as well as their frog hosts was highly variable in both networks suggesting that some frog species are better at avoiding being bitten by Corethrella than others. Frog species parasitized by midges had calls of low dominant frequencies suggesting that the spectral bandwidth of hearing in midges could influence host selection. Despite this, some frog species that call above 4 kHz have not escaped parasitism. We explore the role of habitat filtering, behavior and coevolution in shaping network structure.

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“…Different eavesdroppers, however, are expected to respond differently to seasonal changes in prey availability. For example, unlike fringe‐lipped bats that have highly plastic behavioural strategies, frog‐biting midges that use frog mating calls to locate calling males and obtain a blood meal seem to have a generalized acoustic template to respond to frog calls, and do not vary their acoustic preferences with prey availability (Legett, Baranov, & Bernal, ). Further investigation is needed to understand the diverse strategies used by eavesdropping predators and the sensory and cognitive adaptations they have evolved to confront temporal and spatial fluctuations in the abundance of their prey.…”

Section: Private Information Usementioning

confidence: 99%

The challenge of detecting prey: Private and social information use in predatory bats

Page

Bernal

2019

Functional Ecology

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In the evolutionary arms race between predators and their prey, prey often evolve to be as cryptic as they can, while predators in turn hone their sensory strategies to detect prey. Examinations of the sensory strategies implemented by predators to detect their prey, as well as the ecological consequences of these interactions, are at the crux of understanding and predicting predator–prey dynamics. We review the sensory strategies used by predators that rely on private information (attending directly to cues and signals generated by their prey) and those that gather social information (attending to the signals and behaviours of others). We focus our enquiry on bats, an ideal group to shed light on these questions given their ecological diversity, varied foraging strategies and wide range of social behaviours. We discuss the costs and benefits of using private and social information for foraging. We investigate diverse strategies of information use and examine the effects different predatory strategies have on predator sensory systems. We provide an overview of the sensory ecology of information use in hunting in bats and, by identifying current gaps in knowledge, highlight fruitful directions for future research. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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Seasonal variation in abundance and diversity of eavesdropping frog‐biting midges (Diptera, Corethrellidae) in a neotropical rainforest

Abstract: This is the author manuscript accepted for publication and has undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as

Cited by 30 publications

References 42 publications

The sound of a blood meal: Acoustic ecology of frog‐biting midges (Corethrella) in lowland Pacific Costa Rica

The sound of a blood meal: Acoustic ecology of frog‐biting midges (Corethrella) in lowland Pacific Costa Rica

Studying the sensory ecology of frog‐biting midges (Corethrellidae: Diptera) and their frog hosts using ecological interaction networks

The challenge of detecting prey: Private and social information use in predatory bats

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