A1 Journal article (refereed)
From habitat use to social behavior : natural history of a voiceless poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius (2019)
Rojas, B., & Pašukonis, A. (2019). From habitat use to social behavior : natural history of a voiceless poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius. PeerJ, 7, Article e7648. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7648
JYU authors or editors
Publication details
All authors or editors: Rojas, Bibiana; Pašukonis, Andrius
Journal or series: PeerJ
eISSN: 2167-8359
Publication year: 2019
Volume: 7
Article number: e7648
Publisher: PeerJ, Ltd.
Publication country: United Kingdom
Publication language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7648
Research data link: https://doi.org/10.17011/jyx/dataset/65265
Publication open access: Openly available
Publication channel open access: Open Access channel
Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/65581
Abstract
Descriptive studies of natural history have always been a source of knowledge on which experimental work and scientific progress rely. Poison frogs are a well-studied group of small Neotropical frogs with diverse parental behaviors, distinct calls, and bright colors that warn predators about their toxicity; and a showcase of advances in fundamental biology through natural history observations. The dyeing poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius, is emblematic of the Guianas region, widespread in the pet trade, and increasingly popular in research. This species shows several unusual behaviors, such as the lack of advertisement calls and the aggregation around tree-fall gaps, which remain poorly described and understood. Here, we summarize our observations from a natural population of D. tinctorius in French Guiana collected over various field trips between 2009 and 2017; our aim is to provide groundwork for future fundamental and applied research spanning parental care, animal dispersal, disease spread, habitat use in relation to color patterns, and intra-specific communication, to name a few. We report sex differences in habitat use and the striking invasion of tree-fall gaps; describe their courtship and aggressive behaviors; document egg development and tadpole transport; and discuss how the knowledge generated by this study could set the grounds for further research on the behavior, ecology, and conservation of this species.
Keywords: animal behaviour; reproductive behaviour; habitat; frogs
Free keywords: agonistic behavior; courtship; parental care; habitat use; treefall; tadpole transport; Amazon
Contributing organizations
Ministry reporting: Yes
Reporting Year: 2019
JUFO rating: 1