Temporal Patterns of Mating Activity in Alpine Newts, Ichthyosaura alpestris
| Autor: | Katharina Foerster, Deike U. Lüdtke |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
photoperiodism Courtship display media_common.quotation_subject 010607 zoology Zoology Biology biology.organism_classification 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Courtship Mate choice Spermatophore behavior and behavior mechanisms Animal Science and Zoology Mating Ichthyosaura alpestris Sensory cue reproductive and urinary physiology Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics media_common |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Herpetology. 53:245 |
| ISSN: | 0022-1511 |
| DOI: | 10.1670/18-129 |
| Popis: | Many amphibians in temperate zones need to time their reproduction in spring carefully, as they need to find a partner, mate, and oviposit in good time to ensure that their offspring metamorphose before the terrestrial phase starts. Therefore, embracing as many mating opportunities as possible, especially early in the mating period, would be advantageous. Here we examine the temporal pattern of mating activity in Alpine Newts, Ichthyosaura alpestris. Males exhibit a highly complex courtship ritual, during which both olfactory and visual signals play a prominent role. The aim of this ritual is a close coordination between the movements of the male and the courted female, a prerequisite for successful spermatophore transfer. We observed mating activity in a large, group aquarium with a natural photoperiod. We recorded the number of mating pairs at every full hour over the course of 4 d, during light and dark conditions. We observed most courtship behavior during light conditions when males were able to guide females properly with visual cues to the spermatophore. Although greatly reduced, we also found some mating activity in dark conditions on the first experimental day; however, mating activity decreased drastically during the following dark phases. Our findings demonstrate that Alpine Newt males that have access to females over several days use mating opportunities predominantly during light conditions, when visual cues can be utilized optimally. Although olfactory cues might be important during mating, our data suggest that visual cues may confer an adaptive advantage during mate choice. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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