Biology subjects

Ringler, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Ringler, E..

8 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Parental transport induces a dormant state while maintaining oxytocin recruitment in poison frog tadpoles

Parental care can have pervasive effects on offsprings neurodevelopment. Parent-offspring interactions are often modulated by the neuropeptide oxytocin, which is responsible for the development of social bonds. The development of the oxytocinergic system is dependent on the quality of parental care during the post-natal phase. However, it is yet unknown how post-natal direct interactions can influence the development of the oxytocinergic pathway. Here we tested how an obligate parental care behaviour, tadpole transport in poison frogs, influences the development of the oxytocinergic pathway. To this end, we quantified whole brain expression of oxytocin receptor and oxytocin precursor throughout three developmental stages of A. femoralis tadpoles, before, during and after tadpole transport. Our results show an overall downregulation during tadpole transport, which indicates that during transport tadpoles enter a dormant state to slow down development until they are placed in water. Interestingly, the expression of oxytocin precursor did not vary between the three developmental stages. This might indicate that oxytocin is being recruited during transport, but does not lead to neurodevelopmental changes. In sum, here we present the first evidence of a dormant state during tadpole transport which might be an adaptive response to the terrestrial reproduction in poison frogs.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Paternal care as a source of key skin microbiota in a poison frog

Parental care is a well-established mechanism for the vertical transfer of gut microbiota, yet its role in shaping offspring skin microbial communities remains largely unexplored. Using a cross-fostering experiment in a Neotropical poison frog, we demonstrate that paternal tadpole transport is a critical vector for the transmission of skin microbiota. Tadpoles transported by both biological and foster fathers acquired microbial communities that persisted through metamorphosis, maintaining a stable membership despite shifts in relative abundance. Notably, the paternal contribution included multiple bacterial genera known to inhibit the lethal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). In contrast, tadpoles deprived of paternal transport and manually transferred to water bodies exhibited depauperate communities with a significantly lower prevalence of these protective bacteria. Our findings reveal that parental care is a multifaceted behaviour that not only ensures offspring survival but also actively provisions them with a tailored, protective skin microbiome, highlighting a novel mechanism by which parental care influences offspring fitness and resilience to disease.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Is there a right place? The effect of oviposition site selection on offspring survival in a glassfrog

The choice of where to breed can have fundamental consequences for offspring development and survival. In amphibians, desiccation is one of the biggest threats to survival, especially in species that deposit their clutches in terrestrial habitats. In several species, hydration of the clutch is ensured by a caregiving parent, but in species without extended care, it might be the selection of a suitable oviposition location that helps secure a constant external source of hydration. We used Teratohyla spinosa, a Neotropical glassfrog without extended parental care, to test the effect of oviposition site selection on offspring development and survival. Previous observations have revealed that this species preferentially deposits eggs on the underside of leaves close to their margins. We hypothesized that T. spinosa strategically chooses this position on the leaves to ensure clutch hydration during embryonic development. To this end, we performed a clutch translocation experiment where we manipulated the location of clutches and compared their level of hydration, hatching time, and mortality rate to control clutches. We found that clutch hydration and mortality were not affected by the location on the leaf. These findings suggest that the oviposition site selection in T. spinosa does not affect clutch survival - at least under high humidity conditions.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2023

The influence of partner presence and association strength on neophobia in tokay geckos

Neophobia, the avoidance of a novel stimulus, demonstrates the cognitive process of distinguishing novelty from familiarity. Different factors affect neophobia such as evolutionary background, cognitive skills or the social and non-social environment. Individuals from social species often change their neophobic response depending on the presence of a conspecific. Their response might even depend on their social relationship but the directionality of the change varies. To better understand the role of the social environment for neophobia, we tested the effect of the presence/ absence of a mating partner and pair association strength on neophobia across three contexts in the tokay gecko (Gekko gecko), a facultative social species with independent offspring. Geckos expressed neophobia similarly when housed singly and in pairs. However, we found that pairs that associated less entered a novel environment faster than those with a strong association while in pair housing. Our study adds important new insights into the relationship between social context and neophobia in a social lizard. Our results highlight that, even in species that express little affiliative behaviour, presence/ absence of a conspecific is insufficient to understand the complex relationship between the social environment and neophobia.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2022

Contrasting parental roles shape sex differences in poison frog space use but not navigational performance

Sex differences in vertebrate spatial abilities are typically interpreted under the adaptive specialization hypothesis, which posits that male reproductive success is linked to larger home ranges and better navigational skills. The androgen spillover hypothesis counters that enhanced male spatial performance may be a byproduct of higher androgen levels. Animal groups that include species where females are expected to outperform males based on life-history traits are key for disentangling these hypotheses. We investigated the association between sex differences in reproductive strategies, spatial behavior, and androgen levels in three species of poison frogs. We tracked individuals in natural environments to show that contrasting parental sex roles shape sex differences in space use, where the sex performing parental duties shows wider-ranging movements. We then translocated frogs from their home areas to test their navigational performance and found that the caring sex outperformed the non-caring sex only in one out of three species. In addition, males across species displayed more explorative behavior than females. Furthermore, androgen levels correlated with explorative behavior and homing accuracy. Our findings suggest that poison frog reproductive strategies shape space use patterns but not navigational performance, providing counterevidence to the prevailing view of adaptive sex differences in spatial abilities.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2022

Fear of the new? Geckos hesitate to attack novel prey, feed near objects and enter a novel space

Neophobia, the fear of novelty, is an ecologically important response which enables animals to avoid potentially harmful situations. Low levels of neophobia have been linked to elevated dispersal/ migration, invasiveness and living in human modified landscapes albeit only in birds and mammals. In this study, we assessed neophobia in captive Tokay geckos (Gekko gecko). We expected to find low neophobia in our geckos because they are invasive and adopt well to anthropogenic environments. This species is, however, also both predator and prey in the wild which might select for higher neophobia. We tested neophobia in three contexts: attacking novel prey, foraging near novel objects and entering a novel space. We aimed to quantify (1) neophobia in these contexts, (2) individual consistency across trials using different novel stimuli, and (3) correlation of individual responses across the three contexts. We found that geckos hesitate to attack novel prey and prey close to objects (familiar and novel). Geckos hesitated the most when entering novel space and repeatability of behaviour across contexts was low (R = 0.12) indicating that neophobia might not be a single trait. The strength of a neophobic response can indicate how anxious or curious an individual is. This test has great potential to help answer questions about how captivity, enrichment, rearing environment and cognition affect fear responses in different contexts in lizards. By studying reptiles, we can better understand the universality of what is known about the causes leading to difference in neophobia across individuals and species.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2021

First evidence towards chemical self-recognition in a gecko

Self-recognition is the ability to recognise stimuli originating from oneself. Humans and most great apes show evidence of true self-recognition in the mirror test. They use their reflection to remove a mark that is only visible in the mirror. Not all animals, however, rely primarily on vision. In lizards, chemical cues are important in social interactions. A number of lizard species show chemical self-recognition but it has never been investigated in a gecko species. Here, we test the tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) a territorial species with parental care on their ability to discriminate their own skin and faecal chemicals from those of same-sex, unfamiliar conspecifics. Geckos show a higher response rate towards chemicals from unfamiliar individuals compared to self-produced chemicals and a water control. Lizards showed self-directed behaviour, responded stronger to skin chemicals and females responded more than males. Our study provides first evidence towards self-recognition and for a social function of chemical present on faeces in tokay geckos but further tests are needed to confirm true self-recognition. Tokay geckos are an excellent model species to investigate individual recognition to demonstrate more sophisticated social cognitive abilities than have previously been attributed to reptiles.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2020

Androgen responsiveness to simulated territorial intrusions in Allobates femoralis males: evidence supporting the challenge hypothesis in a territorial frog

Territorial behaviour has been widely described across many animal taxa, where the acquisition and defence of a territory are critical for the fitness of an individual. Extensive evidence suggests that androgens (e.g. testosterone) are involved in the modulation of territorial behaviour in male vertebrates. Short-term increase of androgen following a territorial encounter appears to favour the outcome of a challenge. The "Challenge Hypothesis" proposed by Wingfield and colleagues outlines the existence of a positive feedback relationship between androgen and social challenges (e.g. territorial intrusions) in male vertebrates. Here we tested the challenge hypothesis in the highly territorial poison frog, Allobates femoralis, in its natural habitat by exposing males to simulated territorial intrusions in form of acoustic playbacks. We quantified repeatedly androgen concentrations of individual males via a non-invasive water-borne sampling approach. Our results show that A. femoralis males exhibited a positive behavioural and androgenic response after being confronted to simulated territorial intrusions, providing support for the Challenge Hypothesis in a territorial frog.

animal behavior and cognition↗