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<p>Female choice within resource-defense mating systems shapes sexual selection, yet the relative contributions of male phenotype, territory quality, and paternal investment remain incompletely understood. We focused on the Chinese endemic anuran <i>Leptobrachium boringii</i>, a stream-breeding species with exclusive male parental care, and integrated full-season behavioural monitoring and microsatellite parentage analyses to evaluate female mate choice patterns. Our results indicate that resource quality dominates female reproductive decisions, with stronger effects than male phenotypic traits. Among resource variables, nest type—specifically nests containing prior clutches—was the strongest correlate of female nest choice. Clutch number per nest was positively associated with hatching success and offspring survival, suggesting that prior clutch occupancy signals higher reproductive potential. Paternal care duration emerged as a key predictor of female choice, and male body mass served as an indirect phenotypic correlate: larger males provided prolonged guarding, which in turn improved offspring survival. Overall, these findings clarify correlational patterns of female choice in <i>L. boringii</i>, provide empirical evidence for resource-driven female choice, and help refine current sexual-selection frameworks for resource-defense mating systems in amphibians.</p>

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Female mate choice in Leptobrachium boringii: polygynous nest type outweighs male phenotype in a resource-defense mating system

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月6日

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  • Raziya Abliz,
  • Wei Zhang,
  • Shuang Liu,
  • Rufeng Xiong,
  • Chunhua Huang,
  • Jun Li,
  • Mian Zhao,
  • Zhirong Gu,
  • Wei Liu,
  • Hua Wu

摘要

Female choice within resource-defense mating systems shapes sexual selection, yet the relative contributions of male phenotype, territory quality, and paternal investment remain incompletely understood. We focused on the Chinese endemic anuran Leptobrachium boringii, a stream-breeding species with exclusive male parental care, and integrated full-season behavioural monitoring and microsatellite parentage analyses to evaluate female mate choice patterns. Our results indicate that resource quality dominates female reproductive decisions, with stronger effects than male phenotypic traits. Among resource variables, nest type—specifically nests containing prior clutches—was the strongest correlate of female nest choice. Clutch number per nest was positively associated with hatching success and offspring survival, suggesting that prior clutch occupancy signals higher reproductive potential. Paternal care duration emerged as a key predictor of female choice, and male body mass served as an indirect phenotypic correlate: larger males provided prolonged guarding, which in turn improved offspring survival. Overall, these findings clarify correlational patterns of female choice in L. boringii, provide empirical evidence for resource-driven female choice, and help refine current sexual-selection frameworks for resource-defense mating systems in amphibians.