Maternal care and nest searching behavior in Chirixalus eiffingeri (Rhacophoridae)

• Main Authors: Chia-Te Chiu, 邱嘉德
• Other Authors: Wei-Lung Wang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2003
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/16240530527374843700

碩士 === 國立彰化師範大學 === 生物學系 === 91 === Nest searching behavior of female Chirixalus eiffingeri to feed tadpoles was studied through a series of manipulated experiments at the Experimental Forest of National Taiwan University at Chitou from March 2000 to May 2003. Replacement of tadpoles by non-kins and of others bamboo stumps with similar external morphology or different height did not affect nest searching of female frogs. Displacement of bamboo stumps by 1 m did not affect the nest searching of females but it was affected as the bamboo stumps were displaced by 3 m. Results suggest that location of bamboo stumps is critical to the nest searching of female frogs. When a bamboo stump displaced 1 m and a new bamboo stump with or without tadpoles in the original spot was added, the spatial concept of the nest of female frogs was disturbed as evidenced by females feed tadpoles either in the displaced stumps or stumps at the original spot. However, this phenomenon did not occur in natural conditions in that the addition of tadpoles in a stump that adjacent to a tadpole-occupied stump resulted in no feeding. Results suggest that female frogs may use the bamboo stumps near the tadpole-occupied nest as cues or landmarks for nest searching. Furthermore, addition of bamboo stumps would disturb the spatial concept of females, but once a female frog return to a bamboo stump and feed the tadpoles, the new spatial concept might be established. I presume that the reconstruction of spatial concept of nest might be associated with the stimulus of egg-begging behavior from the tadpoles.