Stream noise, hybridization, and uncoupled evolution of call traits in two lineages of poison frogs: Oophaga histrionica and Oophaga lehmanni

PLoS One. 2013 Oct 23;8(10):e77545. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077545. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

According to the acoustic adaptation hypothesis, communication signals are evolutionary shaped in a way that minimizes its degradation and maximizes its contrast against the background noise. To compare the importance for call divergence of acoustic adaptation and hybridization, an evolutionary force allegedly promoting phenotypic variation, we compared the mate recognition signal of two species of poison frogs (Oophaga histrionica and O. lehmanni) at five localities: two (one per species) alongside noisy streams, two away from streams, and one interspecific hybrid. We recorded the calls of 47 males and characterized the microgeographic variation in their spectral and temporal features, measuring ambient noise level, body size, and body temperature as covariates. As predicted, frogs living in noisy habitats uttered high frequency calls and, in one species, were much smaller in size. These results support a previously unconsidered role of noise on streams as a selective force promoting an increase in call frequency and pleiotropic effects in body size. Regarding hybrid frogs, their calls overlapped in the signal space with the calls of one of the parental lineages. Our data support acoustic adaptation following two evolutionary routes but do not support the presumed role of hybridization in promoting phenotypic diversity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Biological / physiology*
  • Animals
  • Anura / genetics*
  • Anura / physiology
  • Biological Evolution*
  • Body Size
  • Colombia
  • Geography
  • Hybridization, Genetic*
  • Noise*
  • Rivers*
  • Sexual Behavior, Animal
  • Sound Spectrography
  • Vocalization, Animal / physiology*

Grants and funding

This research was supported by COLCIENCIAS (Project code 1204-452-21096 CT 266-2008) and the Faculty of Sciences at the Universidad de los Andes-Colombia (Proyecto Semilla a FVS convocatoria 2009-2). The Instituto Colombiano para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y la Tecnología “Francisco José de Caldas”COLCIENCIAS provided economic support during the doctoral studies of FVS. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.