Summary
-
1.
Wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) are one of the earliest anurans to breed in spring. Their breeding behavior is ‘explosive’, with most oviposition occurring within 2 to 6 days. Early breeding may reduce predation and ensure adequate developmental time for larvae, but it is accompanied by the risk of substantial egg mortality due to cold temperature.
-
2.
Males amplex females throughout breeding ponds, and pairs move toward a communal oviposition site. Females usually deposit eggs on submerged twigs or vegetation directly contiguous to other egg masses. Late breeders oviposit at the edge of the growing clump, thus surrounding the egg masses of earlier breeders.
-
3.
Egg masses in the center of a clump are insulated from thermal extremes in the surrounding water. Within a clump, central egg masses were warmer than peripheral egg masses, but egg masses at the edge of a clump were warmer than single egg masses deposited outside the clump.
-
4.
Central egg masses had significantly greater hatching success than peripheral egg masses. Central egg masses also had significantly more eggs than peripheral egg masses, suggesting that larger females obtained central sites.
-
5.
Because central egg masses have the greatest survivorship to hatching, wood frogs should be selected to breed early to obtain optimal oviposition sites. Breeding synchrony may result from this selection for early oviposition, with the ultimate limiting factors being how quickly frogs can emerge in the spring and when ice on ponds melts.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Banta AM (1914) Sex recognition and the mating behavior of the wood frog, Rana sylvatica. Biol Bull 26:171–183
Beattie RC (1980) A physico-chemical investigation of the jelly capsules surrounding eggs of the common frog (Rana temporaria temporaria). J Zool (Lond) 190:1–25
Bellis ED (1961) Growth of the wood frog, Rana sylvatica. Copeia 1961:74–77
Berven KA (1981) Mate choice in the wood frog, Rana sylvatica. Evolution 35:707–722
Calef GW (1973) Natural mortality of tadpoles in a population of Rana aurora. Ecology 54:741–758
Collins JP (1975) A comparative study of the life history strategies in a community of frogs. PhD thesis, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Cory L, Manion JJ (1953) Predation on eggs of the woodfrog, Rana sylvatica, by leeches. Copeia 1953:66
Dominey WJ (1981) Anti-predator function of bluegill sunfish nesting colonies. Nature 290:586–588
Emlen ST, Demong NJ (1975) Adaptive significance of synchronized breeding in a colonial bird: a new hypothesis. Science 188:1029–1031
Emlen ST, Oring LW (1977) Ecology, sexual selection, and the evolution of mating systems. Science 197:215–223
Gosner KL (1960) A simplified table for staging anuran embryos and larvae with notes on identification. Herpetologica 16:183–190
Gross MR, MacMillan AM (1981) Predation and the evolution of colonial nesting in bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 8:163–174
Hassinger DD (1970) Notes on the thermal properties of frog eggs. Herpetologica, 26:49–51
Hassinger DD (1972) Early life history and ecology of three congeneric species of Rana in New Jersey. PhD thesis, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Herreid CF II, Kinney S (1967) Temperature and development of the wood frog, Rana sylvatica, in Alaska. Ecology 48:579–590
Heusser H (1970) Laich-Fressen durch Kaulquappen als mögliche Ursache spezifischer Biotoppräferenzen und kurzer Laichzeiten bei europäischen Froschlurchen (Amphibia, Anura). Oecologia (Berl) 4:83–88
Heyer WR, McDiarmid RW, Weigmann DL (1975) Tadpoles, predation and pond habitats in the tropics. Biotropica 7:100–111
Hoogland JL, Sherman PW (1976) Advantages and disadvantages of bank swallow (Riparia riparia) coloniality. Ecol Monogr 46:33–58
Horn HS (1968) The adaptive significance of colonial nesting in the Brewer's blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) Ecology 49:682–694
Howard RD (1978) The influence of male-defended oviposition sites on early embryo mortality in bullfrogs. Ecology 59:789–798
Howard RD (1980) Mating behaviour and mating success in woodfrogs, Rana sylvatica. Anim Behav 28:705–716
Huheey JE, Stupka A (1967) Amphibians and reptiles of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee
Kruuk H (1964) Predators and anti-predator behaviour of the black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus L.). Behaviour (Suppl) 11:1–129
Licht LE (1971) Breeding habits and embryonic thermal requirements of the frogs, Rana aurora aurora and Rana pretiosa pretiosa, in the Pacific Northwest. Ecology 52:116–124
Merrell DJ (1970) Migration and gene dispersal in Rana pipiens. Am Zool 10:47–52
Moore JA (1939) Temperature tolerance and rates of development in the eggs of Amphibia. Ecology 20:459–478
Moore JA (1940) Adaptive differences in the egg membranes of frogs. Am Nat 74:89–93
Obert H-J (1975) The dependence of calling activity in Rana esculenta Linné 1758 and Rana ridibunda Pallas 1771 upon exogenous factors (Ranidae, Anura). Oecologia (Berl) 18:317–328
Salthe SN, Duellman WE (1973) Quantitative constraints associated with reproductive mode in anurans. In: Vial JL (ed) Evolutionary biology of the anurans. University of Missouri Press, Columbia, Missouri, pp 229–249
Savage RM (1950) A thermal function of the envelope of the egg of the common frog, Rana temporaria temporaria (Linn.) with observations on the structure of the egg clusters. Br J Herpetol 1:57–66
Savage RM (1961) The ecology and life history of the common frog. Pitman, London
Seale DB (in press) Physical factors influencing oviposition by the woodfrog. Rana sylvatica, in Pennsylvania. Copeia
Waldman B, Ryan MJ (in press) Thermal advantages of communal egg mass deposition in wood frogs (Rana sylvatica). J Herpetol
Ward P, Zahavi A (1973) The importance of certain assemblages of brids as “information-centres” for food-finding. Ibis 115:517–534
Wells KD (1977) The social behaviour of anuran amphibians. Anim Behav 25:666–693
Wright AH (1914) North American Anura. Life-histories of the Anura of Ithaca, New York. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC
Wright AH, Wright AA (1949) Handbook of frogs and toads. Comstock, Ithaca, New York
Zweifel RG (1977) Upper thermal tolerances of anuran embryos in relation to stage of development and breeding habits. Am Mus Novit 2617:1–21
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Waldman, B. Adaptive significance of communal oviposition in wood frogs (Rana sylvatica). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 10, 169–174 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00299681
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00299681