Calling perch selection and body condition in Dendropsophus jimi (Anura: Hylidae).

Calling is a key behavior in anuran ecology, associated with individual reproductive success and territory maintenance. Sites that allow better sound propagation, with higher intensity and less energy consumption, are a resource that males will compete for. We used body condition (BC) as a proxy for competitive performance to test the hypothesis that Dendropsophus jimi males with superior BC occupied better perches for calling in a pond with simple vegetative structure. Because grassy layer density and height are inversely correlated, presumably facilitating sound propagation, we expected a positive correlation between BC and perch height in open-field specialists. We also identified which morphological features were associated with higher perching. In addition, if calling males are depleting energy reserves during the breeding season, they should maintain BC through food consumption. To test this hypothesis, we performed a correlation between stomach volume and food item abundance with BC. We found perch height to be positively correlated with BC. Higher calling males were also characterized by having longer legs, shorter carpus and smaller heads. However, we found no correlation between BC and food intake. We suggest that calling males are depleting previously accumulated energy stocks. Higher calling perches are apparently actively disputed by D. jimi, as superior BC males are using mainly higher perches. We suggest that our findings on the small D. jimi are also expected for other open field Hylinae in the Cerrado. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]