@article {58425, title = {A Comparison of Mating Calls Recorded around the Type Localities of Rana tagoi and R. neba (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae)}, year = {2021}, abstract = {

Two species of frogs endemic to Japan, Rana neba and R. tagoi, have previously been separated based on differences in the number of chromosomes and the dominant frequencies of their advertisement calls. However, through a comparison of advertisement calls around the type localities of both species, we found that interspecific differences are instead apparent in the fundamental frequencies, not in the dominant frequencies. Additionally, the calls of R. neba are more easily distinguished by their unique first notes, which can be differentiated by the strong frequency modulation, longer and fewer pulses, and lower pulse rate. Compared with R. neba, the calls of R. tagoi are composed of notes with similar acoustic structure, although the last note is longer in duration, contains more pulses, and has longer inter-pulse intervals than in the other notes in the call. Based on these results, we present a new acoustic diagnosis for R. neba and R. tagoi.

}, doi = {10.5358/hsj.40.54}, url = {https://bioone.org/journals/current-herpetology/volume-40/issue-1/hsj.40.54/A-Comparison-of-Mating-Calls-Recorded-around-the-Type-Localities/10.5358/hsj.40.54.full}, author = {SHIMADA, TOMOHIKO and Sanda, Maki and Eto, Koshiro} } @article {53360, title = {Frogs adapt to physiologically costly anthropogenic noise}, journal = {Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences}, volume = {285}, year = {2018}, month = {Sep-15-20182197}, pages = {20182194}, abstract = {

Human activities impose novel pressures on amphibians, which are experiencing unprecedented global declines, yet population-level responses are poorly understood. A growing body of literature has revealed that noise is an anthropogenic stressor that impacts ecological processes spanning sub-cellular to ecosystem levels. These consequences can impose novel selective pressures on populations, yet whether populations can adapt to noise is unknown. We tested for adaptation to traffic noise, a widespread sensory \“pollutant\”. We collected eggs of wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) from populations from different traffic noise regimes, reared hatchlings under the same conditions, and tested frogs for differences in sublethal fitness-relevant effects of noise. We show that prolonged noise impaired production of antimicrobial peptides associated with defence against disease. Additionally, noise and origin site interacted to impact immune and stress responses. Noise exposure altered leukocyte production and increased baseline levels of the stress-relevant glucocorticoid, corticosterone, in frogs from quiet sites, but noise-legacy populations were unaffected. These results suggest noise-legacy populations have adapted to avoid fitness-relevant physiological costs of traffic noise. These findings advance our understanding of the consequences of novel soundscapes, and reveal a pathway by which anthropogenic disturbance can enable adaptation to novel environments.

}, issn = {0962-8452}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2018.2194}, url = {http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/lookup/doi/10.1098/rspb.2018.2194https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1098/rspb.2018.2194}, author = {Tennessen, Jennifer B. and Parks, Susan E. and Swierk, Lindsey and Reinert, Laura K. and Holden, Whitney M. and Rollins-Smith, Louise A. and Walsh, Koranda A. and Langkilde, Tracy} } @article {53246, title = {Comparative Call Characteristics in the Anuran Subgenus Nenirana}, journal = {Copeia}, volume = {106}, year = {2018}, month = {Jan-06-20182022}, pages = {575 - 579}, abstract = {

It is important that species descriptions be accurate. This is especially true with threatened and endangered species, where the scientific literature provides context for species identification and management decisions. In 1953, Bragg documented the advertisement calls of both Southern Crawfish Frogs (Lithobates a. areolatus) and Northern Crawfish Frogs (L. a. circulosus) and concluded L. a. areolatus have lower frequency calls. One of us (M.J.L.) has long felt this observation was incorrect, because adult L. a. areolatus are smaller than L. a. circulosus, and anurans with smaller body sizes tend to produce higher, not lower, frequency calls. Bragg\&$\#$39;s observations are not only the sole comparative assessment of advertisement call characteristics of L. areolatus in the primary literature, but also represent the only assessment of the advertisement calls of any of the four species comprising the subgenus Nenirana, which consists of threatened and endangered Gopher Frogs (L. capito and L. sevosus) and Pickerel Frogs (L. palustris). Given this dearth of information, the reliability of this information, and the conservation concerns surrounding this group, we felt it was necessary to reassess the advertisement calls of Crawfish Frogs and give them context by describing the calls of the Nenirana species L. capito and L. palustris. Our data revise Bragg\&$\#$39;s conclusions, but just as importantly, we show that the call characteristics of L. capito and L. palustris are similar by having long calls with long interpulse intervals, while both subspecies of L. areolatus have shorter calls with less interpulse separation. These results do not align with morphological and phylogenetic clustering within the Nenirana, but are consistent with call character displacement within this group. Additional data will be necessary to test this inference.

}, issn = {0045-8511}, doi = {10.1643/CE-18-019}, url = {http://www.bioone.org/doi/10.1643/CE-18-019}, author = {Lannoo, Michael J. and Stiles, Rochelle M. and Saenz, Daniel and Hibbitts, Toby J.} } @article {52834, title = {Noisy Neighbors: Acoustic Interference and Vocal Interactions between Two Syntopic Species of Ranid Frogs, Rana clamitans and Rana catesbeiana}, journal = {Journal of Herpetology}, volume = {52}, year = {2018}, month = {May-10-2018}, pages = {176 - 184}, chapter = {176}, abstract = {

American Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) and Green Frogs (Rana clamitans) share ranges and breeding seasons, are ecologically similar, and often occupy the same breeding ponds throughout the summer. Males of both species use vocalizations to defend territories and attract females; however, Bullfrogs have longer calls and call much more frequently than Green Frogs. The calls of the two species overlap in frequency; thus, Bullfrog calls are a likely source of acoustic interference for Green Frogs that could affect their ability to attract females. Nevertheless, in natural settings where these species co-occur, Green Frogs reproduce successfully. This suggests that Green Frogs respond to the calling patterns of Bullfrogs in ways that maximize Green Frog signal-to-noise ratio. We used long-term pond environment recordings and bioacoustics analyzing software to explore the influence of Bullfrog calling patterns on the vocal activity of syntopic Green Frogs. We found both species call most actively within the same seasonal and diel periods. Our results show that Green Frogs avoid overlapping their calls with Bullfrogs more often than expected by chance. Therefore, to avoid Bullfrog call overlap, Green Frogs use the fine-scale behavioral response of placing their calls in silent gaps between the calls of Bullfrogs. This pattern was even more pronounced in interactions between nearest neighbors in which there was no overlap observed between Bullfrogs and their nearest neighbor Green Frog.

}, issn = {0022-1511}, doi = {10.1670/17-04910.1670/17-049.S1}, url = {http://www.bioone.org/doi/10.1670/17-049}, author = {Herrick, Susan Z. and Wells, Kentwood D. and Farkas, Timothy E. and Schultz, Eric T.} } @article {52596, title = {Temporal variation in acoustic and visual signalling as a function of stream background noise in the Bornean foot-flagging frog, Staurois parvus}, journal = {Journal of Ecoacoustics}, volume = {1}, year = {2017}, month = {Jul-06-20172238}, pages = {X74QE0}, abstract = {

High background noise can interfere with signal detection and perception. Bornean foot-flagging frogs, Staurois parvus, live along noisy streams and use both acoustic and visual signals to communicate. It remains unclear why acoustic signalling is retained given that visual signalling appears to have clear advantages under these noisy conditions. We hypothesized that temporal dynamics in stream noise have shaped the multimodal communication system in S. parvus with acoustic signalling at an advantage under more quiet conditions, whereas visual signals will prevail when the noise of rushing water is high after rains. We found that as predicted, male S. parvus increased foot flagging and decreased advertisement calling when presented with playbacks of stream noise compared to less noisy pre-playback conditions. Such context-dependent dynamic-selection regimes are recently gaining wider attention and enhance our understanding of the flexibility seen in the use of multimodal signals in S. parvus.

}, doi = {10.22261/JEA10.22261/JEA.X74QE0}, author = {Grafe, T. Ulmar and Tony, Joremy A.} }