Authors:
Grant, Rachel1; Halliday, Tim2; Chadwick, Elizabeth2
Source: Behavioral
Ecology, Volume 24, Number 1, 17 October 2013 , pp. 53-62(10)
The
date of the issue is not a typo on my part but as it was printed.
Abstract:
The
way in which amphibians respond to the geophysical changes brought about by the
lunar synodic cycle is a neglected area of their ecology, but one which has
recently generated interest. Knowledge of how amphibians respond to lunar phase
is of intrinsic interest and also may be important for conservation and
monitoring of populations. We surveyed the literature on amphibians' responses
to the lunar cycle and found 79 examples where moon phase in relation to
amphibian behavior and ecology had been studied, across diverse amphibian taxa.
Of the examples reviewed, most of them show some type of response to lunar
phase, with only a few species being unaffected. We found that there is no
significant difference between the numbers of species which increase, and those
that decrease activity or reproductive behavior (including calling) during a
full moon. The responses to the lunar cycle can not be generalized across
taxonomic group, but instead are highly species specific and relate directly to
the species' ecology. The primary reasons for changes in amphibian behavior in
response to the lunar cycle appear to be temporal synchronization of breeding
and predator avoidance. Responses to changes in prey availability, facilitation
of visual signalling and use of lunar cues in navigation and homing are less
prevalent but merit further investigation. Comparisons between studies are
hampered by differences in field and analytical methods; we therefore make a
number of recommendations for future collection and analysis of data related to
lunar phase.
Keywords: amphibians; circular
statistics; light; lunar cycle; moon phase; predator
avoidance; reproductive synchronization
Document
Type: Research article
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/beheco/ars135
Affiliations:
1: Department of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, CB1
1PT UK and, 2: ,
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