Behavioral, ecological, and molecular genetic analyses of reproductive strategies in the Amazonian dart-poison frog, Dendrobates ventrimaculatus

We report the first field and genetic studies of the reproductive strategies of the Amazonian dart-poison frog Dendrobates ventrimaculatus, a species with biparental care. Neither males nor females are strictly monogamous. Males are aggressively territorial, but some females interact without aggression. Monitoring of breeding pools revealed high rates of multiple clutch deposition and high levels of larval cannibalism. Laboratory experiments confirmed larval cannibalism and suggested a benefit to cannibals in increased growth rate. Genetic analyses indicate that offspring from different clutches in or above the same pool vary in relatedness and are on average intermediate in relatedness between individuals from the same clutch and unrelated individuals (from different pools). These data suggest that reproductive parasitism may be common in this species.