Mate choice decisions of female serrate-legged small treefrogs are affected by ambient light under natural, but not enhanced artificial nocturnal light conditions.

Abstract Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a widespread anthropogenic stimulus that can significantly alter nocturnal animals’ behavior, from migration to foraging to vocal communication. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the mate choice decisions of female serrate-legged small treefrogs (Kurixalus odontotarsus) were influenced by ambient light intensity. Standard two-speaker phonotaxis tests were conducted in a sound attenuating chamber. We set four light treatments (I-IV, from low to high) based on a range of light intensities from the maximum natural light at night (i.e., full moon) to that of the actual calling sites, which had artificial light. Contrary to our prediction, female frogs showed a preference for calls on the bright side in treatment I when they were exposed to identical stimuli. However, females preferred longer calls on the dim side to shorter calls on the bright side in this treatment. In addition, there were no significant effects of choice side, light treatment or their interaction on leave time or choice time. Our results suggest that females are more attracted to mates in bright light under natural nocturnal light conditions, but the preference for longer calls is not altered in serrate-legged small treefrogs.