10.5061/DRYAD.BC4SF
Muralidhar, Pavitra
Cornell University
de Sá, Fábio P.
Sao Paulo State University
Haddad, Célio F. B.
Sao Paulo State University
Zamudio, Kelly R.
Cornell University
Data from: Kin-bias, breeding site selection, and female fitness in a
cannibalistic Neotropical frog
Dryad
dataset
2013
cannibalism
Thoropa taophora
amphibian
Mate choice
kin avoidance
2013-11-14T18:10:11Z
2013-11-14T18:10:11Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.12592
48940 bytes
2
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Resource availability influences sexual selection within populations and
determines whether behaviours such as territoriality or resource sharing
are adaptive. In Thoropa taophora, a frog endemic to the Atlantic Coastal
Rainforest of Brazil, males compete for and defend limited breeding sites
while females often share breeding sites with other females; however,
sharing breeding sites may involve costs due to cannibalism by conspecific
tadpoles. We studied a breeding population of T. taophora to determine (i)
whether this species exhibits polygynous mating involving female choice
for territorial males and limited breeding resources; (ii) whether limited
breeding resources create the potential for male–male cooperation in
defence of neighbouring territories; and (iii) whether females sharing
breeding sites exhibit kin-biased breeding site choice, possibly driven by
fitness losses due to cannibalism among offspring of females sharing
sites. We used microsatellites to reconstruct parentage and quantify
relatedness at eight breeding sites in our focal population, where these
sites are scarce, and in a second population, where sites are abundant. We
found that at localities where the appropriate sites for reproduction are
spatially limited, the mating system for this species is polygynous, with
typically two females sharing a breeding site with a male. We also found
that females exhibit negative kin-bias in their choice of breeding sites,
potentially to maximize their inclusive fitness by avoiding tadpole
cannibalism of highly related kin. Our results indicate that male
territorial defence and female site sharing are likely important
components of this mating system, and we propose that kinship-dependent
avoidance in mating strategies may be more general than previously
realized.
Thoropa taophora Genotypes, Body Size, & Gosner Stages
Atlantic Coastal Forest
South America
São Paulo
Brazil
Neotropics