Oviposition in túngara frogs
Poster Number
07B
Format
Poster Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Marcos Gridi-Papp
Faculty Mentor Department
Biological Sciences
Abstract/Artist Statement
Physical stimulation by the male is currently regarded as a necessary trigger in order for oviposition to occur. Our preliminary experiments with túngara frogs have indicated otherwise, as females laid eggs without the presence of a male. In order to identify other contributing stimuli, we tested the relative importance of male presence, water, advertisement calls, and call complexity. We used a captive colony of túngara frogs. For each trial, we placed 12 females into individual sound-proof breeding chambers. In a series of experiments, they were exposed to: 1) the whine call or the whine-chuck call 2) male or male call 3) water or wet moss. Each trial lasted 48 h after which the females that did not lay eggs were exposed to the full stimulus (male + calls + water) for an additional 48 h. Throughout the 72 h trials, the females not utilized were housed with moss and males but no water. The oviposition rate with acoustic stimulation by the whine-only call was 35.4%, whereas for whine-chuck calls it was 23.2%. Females oviposited 42.3% of the times when there was a male present and 29.8% of the females oviposited with just male call recordings. The oviposition rate in the presence of both call and water was 18.5% while for call and wet moss it was 3.5%. Without water or sound, amplexus was rare and oviposition did not occur. With sound only, 30-60% of the males amplected a female but no eggs were laid. The 3 stimuli, water, sound, and males, do not need to be present simultaneously in order for oviposition to occur. Instead, only water coupled with either a call or the presence of a male is required for the female to lay eggs. Having all three stimuli increases the probability of oviposition occurring.
Location
DeRosa University Center, Ballroom
Start Date
29-4-2017 10:00 AM
End Date
29-4-2017 12:00 PM
Oviposition in túngara frogs
DeRosa University Center, Ballroom
Physical stimulation by the male is currently regarded as a necessary trigger in order for oviposition to occur. Our preliminary experiments with túngara frogs have indicated otherwise, as females laid eggs without the presence of a male. In order to identify other contributing stimuli, we tested the relative importance of male presence, water, advertisement calls, and call complexity. We used a captive colony of túngara frogs. For each trial, we placed 12 females into individual sound-proof breeding chambers. In a series of experiments, they were exposed to: 1) the whine call or the whine-chuck call 2) male or male call 3) water or wet moss. Each trial lasted 48 h after which the females that did not lay eggs were exposed to the full stimulus (male + calls + water) for an additional 48 h. Throughout the 72 h trials, the females not utilized were housed with moss and males but no water. The oviposition rate with acoustic stimulation by the whine-only call was 35.4%, whereas for whine-chuck calls it was 23.2%. Females oviposited 42.3% of the times when there was a male present and 29.8% of the females oviposited with just male call recordings. The oviposition rate in the presence of both call and water was 18.5% while for call and wet moss it was 3.5%. Without water or sound, amplexus was rare and oviposition did not occur. With sound only, 30-60% of the males amplected a female but no eggs were laid. The 3 stimuli, water, sound, and males, do not need to be present simultaneously in order for oviposition to occur. Instead, only water coupled with either a call or the presence of a male is required for the female to lay eggs. Having all three stimuli increases the probability of oviposition occurring.