Poison frog social behaviour under global change : potential impacts and future challenges

Abstract
The current and cascading effects of global change challenges the interactions both between animal individuals (i.e. social and sexual behaviour) and the environment they inhabit. Amphibians are an ecologically diverse class with a wide range of social and sexual behaviours, making them a compelling model to understand the potential adaptations of animals faced with the effects of human-induced rapid environmental changes (HIREC). Poison frogs (Dendrobatoidea) are a particularly interesting system, as they display diverse social behaviours that are shaped by conspecific and environmental interactions, thus offering a tractable system to investigate how closely related species may respond to the impacts of HIREC. Here, we discuss the potential impacts of global change on poison frog behaviour, and the future challenges this group may face in response to such change. We pay special attention to parental care and territoriality, which are emblematic of this clade, and consider how different species may flexibly respond and adapt to increasingly frequent and diverse anthropogenic stress. More specifically, we hypothesise that some parents may increase care (i.e. clutch attendance and distance travelled for tadpole transport) in HIREC scenarios and that species with more generalist oviposition and tadpole deposition behaviours may fare more positively than their less flexible counterparts; we predict that the latter may either face increased competition for resources limited by HIREC or will be forced to adapt and expand their natural preferences. Likewise, we hypothesise that human-driven habitat alteration will disrupt the acoustic and visual communication systems due to increased noise pollution and/or changes in the surrounding light environment. We highlight the need for more empirical research combining behavioural ecology and conservation to better predict species’ vulnerability to global change and efficiently focus conservation efforts.
Main Authors
Format
Articles Review article
Published
2022
Series
Subjects
Publication in research information system
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
The permanent address of the publication
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202208254323Use this for linking
Review status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0873-9749
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-022-00400-6
Language
English
Published in
Acta ethologica
Citation
  • Schlippe Justicia, L., Fouilloux, C. A., & Rojas, B. (2022). Poison frog social behaviour under global change : potential impacts and future challenges. Acta ethologica, Early view. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-022-00400-6
License
CC BY 4.0Open Access
Additional information about funding
Open Access funding provided by University of Jyväskylä (JYU).
Copyright© The Author(s) 2022

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