The Inter-Lineage Recognition Through Acoustic Signals And Female Preferences For Call Propertise In Quasipaa Spinosa

In anurans, vocal behavior is the primary means of information transmission and communication, and plays an important role in their survival and reproduction, also is the most important biological characteristics of anuran. The researches for vocal behavior help us parse its biological meaning (interspecific recognition and female preference) and reveal the evolutionary development.Quasipaa spinosa, is a large frog with high economic and nutritional value, which is widely distributed in south of Yangtze River in China. The present data showed that the frog can be divided into three lineages, and suggested that the frog existed cryptic species. Further research is needed to test whether the variation in the call can cause difficulty on the inter-lineage recognition. On the other hand, the male have acoustic signals to convey information and female use the signal to evaluate prospective mates. Whether it exists preferences on female choose the mates, and whether the female preferences would affect the male’s vocal behavior, is the fundamental issue on the vocal behavior research. We will check the variation of calls from different lineages, and investigate female preferences for call properties, and analysis the variation of the calls which are emitted at different breeding stages. It can provide beneficial exploration for vocal behavior research of Q. spinosa. The main results of the research are as follows:We record the male advertisement calls of Q. spinosa from eastern lineage (Lanxi and Cangnan) and central lineage (Liuyang and Taining), and analysis the call properties. We use two-choice discrimination test to investigate the phonotaxis of the frog of CN for the calls from different lineages. The females exhibited a strong preference for their own lineage’s call over the calls of the other lineage, but not over the calls from other site which is in the same lineage. There exists significant variation in call properties and the frogs probably use the call trait First Formant to discriminate between lineage-specific advertisement call.We use single-stimulus design to analysis the phonotactic response to the stimulus, and estimate the female preference function for call duration and call rate. The results show that, females exert stabilizing functions on call duration and call rate, preferring calls with 4-note and with a call rate of 15n/min to calls with long call duration and high call rate.We record the male calls of Q. spinosa which are emitted at different breeding stages and analysis the change rule of the call properties. We find that there is variation in the call of Q. spinosa which are emitted at different breeding stages, and the properties show different change rule; there also exists correlations between the call properties, pulse rate is positive correlation with fundamental frequency and negative correlation with dominant frequency.