RUI: Sexual Conflict and Parental Care in Poison Frogs

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The relationship between mating strategies and patterns of parental care is a central theme in the study of animal behavior. Recently interest has centered on conflict between the sexes over the control and distribution of parental care to offspring (sexual conflict). Most studies of this issue have focused on avian systems, and there is an important need for comparative analyses of other taxa (e.g. amphibians). The research covered under this proposal centers on two species of Peruvian poison frogs that appear to have pronounced differences in mating and parental behaviors, associated with differences in sexual conflict. This offers the opportunity to investigate the influence of specific ecological differences on suites of behaviors involved in mating (e.g. courting behavior) and parental care (e.g. tadpole transport). The proposal also involves collaboration with a young Peruvian scientist to investigate these issues in a third species in southern Peru, to provide a broader comparative context to the ecological and social factors investigated. This research will involve a three-pronged approach. First, behavioral observations will be used to characterize reproductive strategies in the field. Second, molecular genetic analyses will be used to characterize genetic relationships within families. Third, experimental manipulations of reproductive resources (small pools) will be used to characterize the effect of ecological factors (such as pool size) on the reproductive strategies of adults (e.g. the tadpole deposition strategies used by adults). The results from these three approaches will be combined to allow a detailed comparative analysis of the effect of specific ecological factors on strategies of mating and parental care, and on sexual conflict. Broader Impacts: This research will have numerous impacts beyond the scientific merit of the research goals. First, it will provide research opportunities to a number of undergraduate students at a predominantly undergraduate institution, and funding for a graduate student. Second, it will provide a research opportunity for a young Peruvian scientist, enhancing his career and in turn providing solid evidence of the benefits and importance of collaborative research between scientists from the USA and Peru to both Peruvian government officials and citizens. Third, this project will involve fieldwork in collaboration with local residents in the Cainrachi Valley in northern Peru. This will highlight the value of the resources under their control for scientific research, and hence the importance of local rainforest conservation efforts.This project is funded by the Division of Integrative Organismal Biology and the Office of International Science and Engineering.