The Homing Frog: High Homing Performance in a Territorial Dendrobatid Frog Allobates femoralis (Dendrobatidae)
Dendrobatidae (dart‐poison frogs) exhibit some of the most complex spatial behaviors among amphibians, such as territoriality and tadpole transport from terrestrial clutches to widely distributed deposition sites. In species that exhibit long‐term territoriality, high homing performance after tadpol...
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Published in | Ethology Vol. 119; no. 9; pp. 762 - 768 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Germany
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
01.09.2013
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Dendrobatidae (dart‐poison frogs) exhibit some of the most complex spatial behaviors among amphibians, such as territoriality and tadpole transport from terrestrial clutches to widely distributed deposition sites. In species that exhibit long‐term territoriality, high homing performance after tadpole transport can be assumed, but experimental evidence is lacking, and the underlying orientation mechanisms are unknown. We conducted a field translocation experiment to test whether male Allobates femoralis, a dendrobatid frog with paternal extra‐territorial tadpole transport, are capable of homing after experimental removal, as well as to quantify homing success and speed. Translocated individuals showed a very high homing success for distances up to 200 m and successfully returned from up to 400 m. We discuss the potential orientation mechanisms involved and selective forces that could have shaped this strong homing ability. |
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Bibliography: | ArticleID:ETH12116 ark:/67375/WNG-S778PRP1-P Austrian Science Fund - No. W1234-G17; No. P24788-B22 istex:D220423C3EE0B486367BA53525F099861CC501BF The copyright line for this article was changed on 24 June 2014 after original online publication. ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0179-1613 1439-0310 |
DOI: | 10.1111/eth.12116 |