Investigating Xenopus laevis social structure through an analysis of clasping behavior
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1
Denison University, Biology, United States
Male Xenopus laevis frogs frequently engage in amplexus-like clasping with other males, but the function of this male-male behavior in Xenopus social structure or reproductive competition is not clear. We tested whether analyses of clasping behavior support (1) an indiscriminate clasping model where males clasp all conspecifics regardless of sex, (2) a dominance hypothesis, in which male-directed clasping in the absence of a female grants future success in competition for mates, or (3) a “tag-along” hypothesis, in which inferior males clasp more attractive males and thus tag along to a breeding event secured by the claspee. Pairs of males were video-recorded for one night then a female was introduced for a second night of recording. The time each male spent in male-directed and female-directed clasping was quantified. Frogs preferentially clasped tankmates of a particular sex, showing that clasping was not indiscriminate. The amount of male-directed clasping displayed by a frog in the absence of a female was negatively correlated with the time that particular frog spent clasping the female on the second night, but was positively correlated with its time spent clasping the other male on that second night. This suggests that clasping another male does not secure greater success in future competitions for females, refuting the dominance hypothesis. The data are consistent with, but cannot yet confirm, the “tag-along” hypothesis. Further testing is needed to analyze behavior during oviposition and reproductive success among competing males.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the Denison University Department of Biology and the Anderson Endowment Program.
Keywords:
clasping,
social structure,
Xenopus laevis
Conference:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Poster (but consider for student poster award)
Topic:
Social Behavior
Citation:
Stevenson
R and
Rhodes
HJ
(2012). Investigating Xenopus laevis social structure through an analysis of clasping behavior.
Conference Abstract:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00106
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Received:
24 Apr 2012;
Published Online:
07 Jul 2012.
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Correspondence:
Ms. Rachel Stevenson, Denison University, Biology, Granville, Ohio, 43023, United States, stevenson.rachel2@gmail.com