Two main theories of female mate choice, that females either pick the best from the n closest males (best-of-n) or the closest with some minimum quality (min-threshold), make different behavioral predictions in some cases, yet both are supported by biological data. We present a computational agent-based model that is well-suited for investigating the differences between the two strategies for t...

Most amphibians examined so far show undifferentiated sex chromosomes. The heterogametic sex's identity, usually revealed through indirect means, often varies among closely related species or even populations (as do sex-linkage groups), suggesting great evolutionary instability of the sex-determining genes. Here we take advantage of a sex-specific marker that amplifies in several related specie...

IIn June 2021, parasitism by leeches of the genus Helobdella was observed for first time in Hyla eximia during an irrigation canal monitoring. This event occurred shortly after canals were opened to supply agroecosystem The Cerrillo, Piedras Blancas, Toluca de Lerdo, State Mexico, Mexico. frog trapped one beds, which had abundant presence duckweed (Lemna minor). We analyzed load and distributio...

Accidental matings happen in real environments where females end up with males they did not choose. In this paper, we investigate the frequency and changes in mated male fitness in accidental matings specifically in the context of the female choice of the gray treefrogs hyla versicolor based on the best-of-n and minthresh strategy, which are both hypothesized to be widely used in nature. Theore...

Carotenoids are considered beneficial nutrients because they provide increased immune capacity. Although carotenoid research has been conducted in many vertebrates, little research has been done in amphibians, a group that is experiencing global population declines from numerous causes, including disease. We raised two amphibian species through metamorphosis on three carotenoid diets to quantif...

Prey assessing risk may miss cues and fail to defend themselves, or respond unnecessarily to false alarms. Error rates can be ameliorated with more information, but sampling predator cues entails risk. Red-eyed treefrogs have arboreal eggs and aquatic tadpoles. The embryos use vibrations in snake attacks to cue behaviorally mediated premature hatching, and escape, but vibrations from benign sou...

Sequence analysis of the mtDNA control region of four samples (n=195) of Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda) collected along the northern Mediterranean reveals two clades about 8.1% divergent distributed in an east-west cline that fits an isolation by distance (IBD) model. The vicariant origin of this genetic discontinuity is proposed, supported in addition to the cline, by evidence of distinct histo...