Journal
CURRENT ZOOLOGY
Volume 59, Issue 6, Pages 740-746Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/czoolo/59.6.740
Keywords
Amphibia; Bufonidae; Bufo gargarizans; Duttaphrynus melanostictus; Mating pattern; Fecundity; Reproductive output; Body size
Categories
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [30970435, 31270443]
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We examined sexual size dimorphism (SSD), mating pattern, fertilization efficiency and female reproductive traits in two bufonid toads (Bulb gargarizans and Duttaphrynus melanostictus) to test the idea that importance of male body size for egg fertilization success depends on the mating pattern. Female-biased SSD was evident only in D. melanostictus. Female B. gargarizans laid fewer larger eggs nearly three months earlier than did female D. melanostictus. Fertilization efficiencies on average were higher in B. gargarizans (95%) than in D. melanostictus (91%). Though differing in the degree of SSD, body size, breeding season, clutch size, egg size and fertilization efficiency, the two toads were similar in four aspects: (1) both showed size-assortative mating; (2) females did not tradeoff egg size against egg number; (3) male size, clutch size and clutch dry mass were greater in male-larger than in female-larger pairs after accounting for female snout-vent length (SVL); and (4) the ratio of male to female SVL did not affect fertilization efficiency. Our data show that: (1) a female preference for large males is likely not important in terms of egg fertilization success; (2) a male preference for large females is likely important because larger females are more fecund; and (3) size-assortative mating arises from a male preference for large females. Our study demonstrates that male size is not always important for egg fertilization success in anurans that show size-assortative mating.
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