Yu Tong Lei, Sharma Manmohan D
Department of Biology, College of Life Science, Xinyang Normal University, SD 464000, China.
Zoolog Sci. 2012 Jun;29(6):347-50. doi: 10.2108/zsj.29.347.
Mate choice is important for successful reproduction, and consequently species have evolved various ways to choose potential high-quality mates. Anuran mate choice and underlying processes have been the subject of several recent investigations, however we are far from a complete understanding of mate choice in this system. In the present study, when given a simultaneous choice between a male and a female of identical size, males did not discriminate between the sexes, and attempted to clasp a male or a female with equal frequency. Test males only released the stimulus toad when a release call was emitted by the stimulus male. When two males with distinct size differences were provided with a male, the male chose the larger one. Moreover, males discriminated between gravid females that differed in body size, choosing larger gravid females over smaller ones. These results suggest that male Bufo gargarizans can discriminate between the sexes, probably based on male release calls, and prefer to mate with larger individual using visual cues.
配偶选择对成功繁殖至关重要，因此物种进化出了各种方式来选择潜在的高质量配偶。无尾两栖类的配偶选择及其潜在过程是最近几项研究的主题，然而我们对该系统中的配偶选择仍远未完全理解。在本研究中，当在大小相同的雄性和雌性之间进行同时选择时，雄性没有对性别进行区分，并且以相同的频率试图抱住雄性或雌性。受试雄性仅在刺激雄性发出释放叫声时才放开刺激蟾蜍。当向两只体型差异明显的雄性提供一只雄性时，雄性选择了较大的那只。此外，雄性能够区分体型不同的怀孕雌性，选择体型较大的怀孕雌性而非较小的。这些结果表明，中华大蟾蜍雄性可能基于雄性释放叫声来区分性别，并且倾向于利用视觉线索与体型较大的个体交配。
