Abstract

Oviposition site selection was investigated in Pleurodema borellii, a leptodactylid frog from Northern Argentina. We monitored the breeding activity of P. borellii during six months at two different sized pools, which were 15 m apart. Calling males, mating pairs, number of foam nests, and metamorphosing tadpoles were recorded. When a pool filled with growing tadpoles, females avoided it and went to the other pool. Two experiments, foam nest transfers to the pool filled with tadpoles and the creation of artificially tadpole-dense populations, were conducted. Results suggest that females may be assessing whether to oviposit at a specific location, based on tadpole presence and tadpole density.