Title (eng)
Contrasting parental roles shape sex differences in poison frog space use but not navigational performance
Author
Matthias-Claudio Loretto
Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences, Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz
Bibiana Rojas
Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Alexandre B Roland
Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS - Paul Sabatier University
Alejandro Marcillo-Lara
Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University
Luis A Coloma
Centro Jambatu de Investigación y Conservación de Anfibios
Abstract (eng)
Sex differences in vertebrate spatial abilities are typically interpreted under the adaptive specialization hypothesis, which posits that male reproductive success is linked to larger home ranges and better navigational skills. The androgen spillover hypothesis counters that enhanced male spatial performance may be a byproduct of higher androgen levels. Animal groups that include species where females are expected to outperform males based on life-history traits are key for disentangling these hypotheses. We investigated the association between sex differences in reproductive strategies, spatial behavior, and androgen levels in three species of poison frogs. We tracked individuals in natural environments to show that contrasting parental sex roles shape sex differences in space use, where the sex performing parental duties shows wider-ranging movements. We then translocated frogs from their home areas to test their navigational performance and found that the caring sex outperformed the non-caring sex only in one out of three species. In addition, males across species displayed more explorative behavior than females and androgen levels correlated with explorative behavior and homing accuracy. Overall, we reveal that poison frog reproductive strategies shape movement patterns but not necessarily navigational performance. Together this work suggests that prevailing adaptive hypotheses provide an incomplete explanation of sex differences in spatial abilities.
Keywords (eng)
spatial behaviourhormonespoison frogsnavigationorientation
Type (eng)
Language
[eng]
Persistent identifier
Is in series
Title
eLife
Volume
11
ISSN
2050-084X
Issued
2022
Publication
eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Version type (eng)
Date issued
2022
Association (deu)
Access rights (eng)
License
- Citable links
- Content
- Managed byphaidra:ir.kug.ac.at
- DetailsUploaderObject typePDFDocumentFormatapplication/pdfCreated23.11.2022 11:10:12 UTC
- Usage statistics--
- Metadata
- Export formats