DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The evolution of advertisement calls in the phylogenetic context of other complex phenotypes in poison frogs

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

One of the central questions in biology is how diverse traits contribute to the survival and adaptation of species. Poison frogs in the family (Dendrobatidae), many of which are endangered, have an unusual defense against predators: a combination of skin toxins and bright coloration. After experience with the distasteful frog, a visual predator such as a snake or a bird, learns to avoid similar species. This combination of conspicuousness and unpalatability is aposematism. This research investigates behavioral traits, such as mating calls and metabolic rates, which appear to be related to aposematism. The hypothesis is that aposematic species have more conspicuous calls and higher metabolic rates; this allows them to advertise for mates frequently, and to forage for food continuously because they are protected against predators. This hypothesis will be tested by recording advertisement calls and physiological measurements from aposematic and non-aposematic species. The data will be analyzed with comparative methods that infer their evolutionary relationships and possible association based on DNA sequences. This research is broadly significant because it synthesizes many types of evidence (e.g., mating behavior, physiology) to understand the evolution of traits that contribute to species survival. The research is scientifically important because conclusions about these trait interactions are applicable to many other vertebrate and invertebrate species.