Environmental Drivers of Calling Activity in a Southern Subtropical Anuran Assemblage: Insights from Passive Acoustic Monitoring

Abstract

In anurans, acoustic communication is a crucial reproductive behavior shaped by individual traits, social interactions, and environmental cues. External factors such as temperature, rainfall, and photoperiod can elicit physiological responses that drive behavioral rhythms at individual and population scales. While temperature and rainfall effects on anuran calling activity are well-established, photoperiodic influences remain comparatively understudied, particularly within southern subtropical assemblages. We assessed hourly calling activity of Boana pulchella in Uruguay over a 12-month period using Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) and validated semi-automated data processing methods to examine environmental drivers in a subtropical permanent pond. Calling behavior increased during the warmer months, showing a clear seasonal pattern. Peak activity timing remained consistent across seasons, but the temporal window of vocalizations expanded during winter (long nights) and contracted during summer (long days), reflecting photoperiodic variation. Linear regression analyses showed significant effects of photoperiod, temperature and their interaction on calling activity, while rainfall and atmospheric pressure showed no effect. These findings underscore the regulatory role of photoperiod in shaping reproductive acoustic behavior and highlight the need to further explore its physiological and adaptive significance, especially within underrepresented subtropical assemblages.