Temporal niche of acoustic activity in anurans: interspecific and seasonal variation in a neotropical assemblage from south-eastern Brazil

Abstract

Sympatric anuran species tend to differ in their temporal niche breadth and may also have considerable seasonal variation in diel activity patterns. We studied the temporal niche breadths of six anuran species during 24 consecutive months in an area of secondary forest at the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. Along hourly intervals, at each of three observation points along a stream, the number of calling males of Adenomera marmorata, Eleutherodactylus parvus, Physalaemus signifer, Aplastodiscus eugenioi, Scinax hayii and S. trapicheiroi was recorded. The influence of rainfall, air humidity and temperature on the variation in the niche breadth of each species was analysed. Mean niche breadth differed for all species. Scinax trapicheiroi had the broadest niche and S. hayii had the smallest. Temporal niche breadth varied seasonally for all species. Two species (E. parvus and S. hayii) showed strong variation in the temporal niche when compared to the other species. Eleutherodactylus parvus, A. eugenioi and S. hayii were significantly affected by rainfall, air humidity and temperature. Niche overlap among species pairs also varied annually with mean temporal niche overlap being greater during the rainy season than during the dry season.

Acoustic ecology of Antarctic pinnipeds

“…Sueur 2002). Partitioning of the acoustic environment or sequencing of acoustic activity, either based on time, space or frequency bandwidth of signals, is referred to as acoustic niche forming (Latimer & Broughton 1984, Mossbridge & Thomas 1999, Sueur 2002, Brumm 2006, Boquimpani-Freitas et al 2007 and has been observed to occur both intra-specifically and inter-specifically in orthopterans, amphibians and birds (e.g. Ficken & Hailma 1974, Gerhardt 1994.…”

Seasonality in anuran activity and calling season in a Brazilian subtemperate wetland

“…Given the divergent opinions regarding the effects of climatic factors on the activity patterns of anurans (Oseen and Wassersug 2002;Saenz et al 2006), transitional climatic regions represent an important natural laboratory for testing ecological hypotheses concerning the evolutionary process in ectotherms. In most Brazilian habitats (and other tropical areas), there is a small annual thermal amplitude (Maluf 2000), and precipitation appears to be the main determining factor of anuran activity patterns (Heyer 1973;Boquimpani-Freitas et al 2007;Oliveira et al 2013). However, in temperate climate regions, annual temperature variation appears to be the main factor that determines ectothermic activity (Gilbert et al 1994;Navas and Bevier 2001;Oseen and Wassersug 2002).…”

Diet and nematode infection in Proceratoprhys boiei (Anura: Cycloramphidae) from two Atlantic rainforest remnants in Southeastern Brazil

“…Aplectana delirae was originally described parasitizing Rhinella ornata (= Bufo crucifer, see Baldissera et al 2004) and was later registered in Crossodactylus gaudichaudii (Fábio 1971, Vicente et al 1990). It has also been reported in P. tupinamba (Boquimpani-Freitas et al 2001), where it was considered core species. All these accounts come from areas within the Atlantic rainforest Biome in Rio de Janeiro State.…”

“…Boquimpani-Freitas et al (2001) suggested that, since only larval specimens of Physaloptera are found in amphibians, these nematodes might not be able to complete their cycles in such hosts that probably act as intermediate/paratenic hosts of these parasites. Our results support the contention of Boquimpani-Freitas et al 2001 because we also found only larvae of Physaloptera infecting P. boiei.…”