Multi-night territorial behavior, chorus attendance, and mating success in red-eyed treefrogs

For many frog species that aggregate around ponds or streams, chorus attendance, the percentage of time or nights a given male is present and actively calling at an aggregation, is the strongest documented predictor of inter-male variation in reproductive success in the wild. Males are, thus, thought to compete via endurance rivalry, where available energetic reserves and individual physiology interact to determine chorus tenure. Frogs often exhibit territorial behavior within these aggregations, and territorial status is likely to influence a male’s rate of energy expenditure. While males of several anuran species have been shown to hold territories across nights, it is not well understood whether such calling site fidelity is correlated with chorus attendance or mating success. Using subdermal RFID (PIT) tags, to minimize disturbance to chorus structure, we quantified site fidelity, chorus attendance, and mating success for all male red-eyed treefrogs (Agalychnis callidryas) within a ...