Auditory and Distance Cues Interact to Modulate Female Gray Treefrog Preferences for Male Advertisement Calls

**Auditory and Distance Cues Interact to Modulate Female Gray Treefrog Preferences for Male Advertisement Calls** Sunny K. Boyd (Corresponding author; ORCID ID: 0000-0002-8982-6524) University of Notre Dame, Department of Biological Sciences, Notre Dame, IN 46556 Boyd.1@nd.edu; phone: 574-631-5021 Noah M. Gordon (ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4021-9931) University of Evansville, Department of Biology, Evansville, IN 47722 Keywords: Hyla versicolor; mate choice; phonotaxis; anuran; acoustic signal Affiliated Paper: Boyd, S.K., Gordon, N.M. Auditory and distance cues interact to modulate female gray treefrog preferences for male advertisement calls. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 75, 95 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-021-03037-w **Abstract:** Social interactions of animals depend on a complex interplay of signals, receivers, and internal and external information available to the participants. Mate choice decisions in breeding aggregations, in particular, represent some of the most consequential such interactions. As a measure of female mate preferences, we examined the strength of positive phonotaxis toward male advertisement calls that is shown by female gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor). We varied two temporal features of the call stimuli (pulse number and intercall interval (ICI)) and observed the response of females from a distance of 6.4 m. Response strength was doubled or more, compared to control trials from 1 m. However, earlier described preferences for higher pulse number calls were not observed. Our design did uncover significant effects of the ICI on response strength, with stronger responses as the ICI increased. Latency of females to depart from the origin toward sound stimuli was also increased at greater distances, compared to tests from 1 m, suggesting changes in sampling behavior by females. Lastly, prior experience of female treefrogs with the more distant stimuli significantly influenced later trials, depending on rest periods outside the arena and the ICI of the prior stimuli. Overall, female gray treefrog phonotaxis responses from greater distances, more typical of field conditions, reveal different patterns of preference for stimulus temporal features. These differences may at least partially account for poor correspondence between field and lab female gray treefrog mate choices. **Characteristics of datasets:** The first dataset (FemalePhonotaxisCompositeJan302021.csv) is a file (53 KB) containing the results of female phonotaxis experiments described in the article referenced above. It contains 30 columns and 484 rows (1 header row plus 483 rows of data). The second dataset (LatencyJan302021.csv) contains the latency data (23 KB) for the same study. It contains 17 columns and 319 rows (1 header row plus 318 rows of data). **Descriptions of Column Headings:** PN = pulse number of stimulus female was exposed to ICI = intercall interval of the stimulus female was exposed to DCtmt = the duty cycle of the stimulus female was exposed to (call duration/call period) frogIDmixed = original frog numbers, some of which are alphanumeric frogIDnum = frog ID numbers, all converted to numbers trialnumb = the sequential number of each trial the female participated in; thus, first trial (1), then second trial (2), etc trialsused = the total number of trials each female participated in GAP = whether or not a female had a 5 min 'time out' between trials; Y = yes and N = no date = the date of the trial; MM/DD/YR format control1 = the elapsed time in seconds of the first control trial; from female's initial position to the speaker 6m = the elapsed time in seconds that the female crossed the line 6 m from the speaker; from her initial position at 6.4 m away on the test trial 5m = the elapsed time in seconds that the female crossed the line 5 m from the speaker; from initial position on the test trial 4m = the elapsed time in seconds that the female crossed the line 4 m from the speaker; from initial position on the test trial 3m = the elapsed time in seconds that the female crossed the line 3 from the speaker; from initial position on the test trial 2m = the elapsed time in seconds that the female crossed the line 2 m from the speaker; from initial position on the test trial 1m = the elapsed time in seconds that the female crossed the line 1 m from the speaker; from initial position on the test trial spkr = the elapsed time in seconds from a female's initial position to the speaker on the test trial control2 = the elapsed time in seconds of the second control trial; from female's initial position to the speaker meanbothcontrols = control1 + control2 / 2 6to5m = elapsed time in seconds from the 6m line to the 5m line, on the test trial 5to4m = elapsed time in seconds from the 5m line to the 4m line, on the test trial 4to3m = elapsed time in seconds from the 4m line to the 3m line, on the test trial 3to2m = elapsed time in seconds from the 3m line to the 2m line, on the test trial 2to1m = elapsed time in seconds from the 2m line to the 1m line, on the test trial 1tospkr = elapsed time in seconds from the 1m line to the speaker, on the test trial Sumof6m = total travel time from 6 m to the speaker on the test trial testtrialmean = total travel time from 6 m to the speaker on the test trial divided by 6 phonoscoreboth = meanbothcontrols divided by testtrialmean phonoOn1 = control1 divided by testtrialmean latcontr1 = latency to leave the origin on the first control trial of a set lattesttrial = latency to leave the origin on the test trial latcontr2 = latency to leave the origin on the second control trial of a set