How to translate text using browser tools
1 December 2006 BREEDING BEHAVIOR AND COLONIZATION SUCCESS OF THE CUBAN TREEFROG OSTEOPILUS SEPTENTRIONALIS
Fernando Vargas Salinas
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Breeding behavior of individuals can play an important role in the success of an invasive event. I studied the breeding behavior of the Cuban treefrog Osteopilus septentrionalis, an invasive anuran species endemic to Cuba, but accidentally introduced to Puerto Rico and other countries. Breeding events lasted only one night, the sex ratio was male-biased, and male mating behavior changed from acoustic competition to scramble searching over the breeding event. Most of the males had similar opportunities to mate with a large or small female. Males did not defend territories and did not exhibit parental care. Males of any size could fertilize most eggs of any female, although larger females produced more eggs than smaller females. Thus, there were no direct adaptive benefits for high mating selectivity by females. This absence of high selectivity by females can increase the invasive capacity of O. septentrionalis because it can reduce the strength of Allee effect (fitness reduction in small population primarily to the difficult of finding mates).

Fernando Vargas Salinas "BREEDING BEHAVIOR AND COLONIZATION SUCCESS OF THE CUBAN TREEFROG OSTEOPILUS SEPTENTRIONALIS," Herpetologica 62(4), 398-408, (1 December 2006). https://doi.org/10.1655/0018-0831(2006)62[398:BBACSO]2.0.CO;2
Accepted: 1 June 2006; Published: 1 December 2006
KEYWORDS
anuran
breeding behavior
Cuban Treefrog
invasive species
Osteopilus septentrionalis
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top