Bimodal breeding phenology in the Parsley Frog Pelodytes punctatus as a bet-hedging strategy in an unpredictable environment despite strong priority effects

Abstract

When environmental conditions are unpredictable, expressing alternative phenotypes spreads the risk of failure, a mixed strategy called bet-hedging. In the southern part of its range, the Parsley Frog Pelodytes punctatus breeds both in autumn and in spring. Our aim was to study the breeding phenology and reproductive success associated with the use of those two seasonal niches to understand how this breeding strategy can be maintained. Field surveys revealed that breeding phenology was typically bimodal with a higher breeding effort in autumn. More importantly, in spring, the survival rate of offspring was severely reduced by the presence of autumn tadpoles, indicating a clear priority effect. However, the autumn cohort often failed to survive over winter, in which case spring cohorts were often successful. Based on those results, we constructed a model in which females can allocate a variable portion of eggs to each season and added a priority effect. We conclude that the existence of the two breeding seasons may indeed constitute a bet-hedging strategy.