Intraspecific divergence of sexual size dimorphism and reproductive strategies in a polytypic poison frog

Type Article
Acceptance Date 2023-12-02 IN PRESS
Language English
Author(s) Schlippe Justicia Lia1, Mayer Martin2, 3, Lorioux-Chevalier Ugo4, Dittrich Carolin1, 5, Rojas Bibiana1, 5, Chouteau Mathieu4
Affiliation(s) 1 : Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1, 1160, Vienna, Austria
2 : Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Anne Evenstads Vei 80, 2480, Koppang, Norway
3 : Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Nordre Ringgade 1, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark
4 : LEEISA, UAR 3456, CNRS, IFREMER, Université de Guyane, Cayenne, GF, French Guiana
5 : Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyvaskyla, Finland
Source Evolutionary Ecology (0269-7653) (Springer Science and Business Media LLC) In Press
DOI 10.1007/s10682-023-10280-2
Keyword(s) Body size, Dendrobates tinctorius, Dyeing poison frog, Life history, Tropical ecology
Abstract

Intraspecific variation in body size, both among populations and between sexes, is an important factor influencing life-history strategies. This variation might be the response to different environmental conditions, as well as natural and sexual selection, and can result in differences in behavior and reproductive strategies among populations. Here, we use the dyeing poison frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) as a model to investigate how interpopulation variation in body size and sexual size dimorphism affects reproductive strategies. As body size increased, sexual size dimorphism also increased, i.e., females were larger than males, and more so in populations with overall larger frogs. This indicates that there is a stronger selection for body size in females than in males, likely as a response to divergent reproductive investment between the sexes. Females from larger-bodied populations produced larger clutches, but the overall number of froglets produced per clutch did not differ among populations. We discuss potential causes and mechanisms that might be responsible for the observed divergence in body size, sexual size dimorphism, and reproductive strategies among populations that likely represent local adaptations. Our findings demonstrate the importance of cross-population studies, cautioning against drawing general conclusions about a species’ ecology without accounting for intraspecific variation.

Licence CC-BY
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Supplementary Material 1 261 KB Open access
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