Data from: A treefrog with reproductive mode plasticity reveals a changing balance of selection for non-aquatic egg-laying

Touchon, Justin C. , Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Publication date: July 10, 2012 Publisher: Dryad https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8j1hb

Citation Touchon, Justin C. (2012), Data from: A treefrog with reproductive mode plasticity reveals a changing balance of selection for non-aquatic egg-laying, Dryad, Dataset, https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8j1hb

Abstract

Non-aquatic reproduction has evolved repeatedly, but the factors that select for laying eggs on land are not well understood. The treefrog Dendropsophus ebraccatus has plasticity in reproductive mode, laying eggs that successfully develop in or out of water. This permits the first experimental comparison of the selective agents that shape adult oviposition behavior and embryo developmental capacity. I quantified the sources and strength of arboreal and aquatic egg mortality, how mortality varies with weather patterns, and assessed 39 years of daily rainfall patterns to infer historic levels of egg mortality and effects of climate change on the selective balance between aquatic and non-aquatic egg deposition. Aquatic predators and desiccation were the strongest selective agents in water and air, respectively. Egg mortality varied with weather such that aquatic oviposition was advantageous when rainfall was low, but laying eggs out of water increased survival when rainfall was high. Additionally, I found that since 1972 there have been significant changes in the patterns of rainfall in central Panama, which has altered the selective landscape acting on egg-laying behavior. This work provides insight into both the evolution and maintenance of adaptive phenotypic plasticity as well as historic and current selection on reproduction.

Usage Notes

TerrAqEggs_DRYAD The data in this file are from an experiment conducted in the fall of 2010 in Gamboa, Panama. The experiment used naturally laid egg masses of the treefrog Dendropsophus ebraccatus, which were then placed above or below the surface of the water and placed inside a small cage to exclude predators or were left exposed to predators. Survival and developmental stage were recorded after 24 and 48 hours, as well as the amount of rainfall that fell, the mean and max temperature and minimum humidity during the preceeding 24 hours. PredictedBreeding_DRYAD The data in this file were generated from an R script that estimated the mortality of D. ebraccatus eggs that would have been laid between 1972-2010. The script used the experimental data in TerrAqEggs_DRYAD.csv to create functions of aquatic and terrestrial egg mortality based on the rain falling on eggs during the 48 h post-oviposition (figures 1D-F of the ms). Combining these functions, specific to each pond used in the study, egg mortality was estimated for each rainstorm 5mm or greater between 1972-2010 (data available from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, as described above). ACP.rain.summary_DRYAD The data in this file are summarized rainfall data for each year between 1972-2010. Rainfall data are from the Panama Canal Authority weather station in Gamboa, Panama, and are freely available for download from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. For the purposes of analyses, I defined the rainy season as May 15-November 15.

Location