Life History of the Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) in Western Tennessee

Abstract

Selected life history traits were studied in a breeding population of gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis) in western Tennessee. The breeding season lasted four mo (mid-April to mid-August 1988) with choruses taking place at night, during or after periods of rainfall, when the air temperature exceeded 15.5 C. The minimum size of males in choruses was 39.0 mm SVL while the minimum size of gravid females was 45.0 mm. Mean SVL (54.2 mm) and mass (11.2 g) of females were significantly greater than those of males (45.9 mm, 7.6 g). During the breeding season, marked females mated 0-3 times (.hivin.x = 1.24). Average clutch size (number of eggs per clutch), including second and third clutches, was 2060 eggs (range = 628-4208). There was a significant correlation between female body size and clutch size, but most of the variation in clutch size was not accounted for by body size (r2 = 0.26). On average, clutches accounted for 45% of the female''s post-gravid body mass. For females of the same size, second and third clutches were smaller than iniital clutches. A female''s ability to produce multiple clutches was not related to body size, but females ovipositing their first clutch earlier in the breeding season had a relatively greater chance of producing multiple clutches.