Benefits and costs of female and male care in amphibians: a meta-analytical approach

Abstract

The origin of parental care is a central question in evolutionary biology, and understating the evolution of this behaviour requires quantifying benefits and costs. To address this subject, we conducted a meta-analysis on amphibians, a group in which parental care has evolved multiple times. We found that both male and female parents increase egg survival, regardless of whether the breeding site is concealed or exposed. Parental care also increases survival and growth of tadpoles and juveniles, independent of the caring sex. However, parental care reduces parental body condition, particularly when parents remain stationary near the offspring. Females tend to experience higher reproductive costs, but sample size is restricted to few species. In some frog species, paternal care increases male reproductive success because females prefer caring males. The benefits of parental care in amphibians resembles those reported for arthropods but differ from fish, in which parental care does not improve offspring survival. Moreover, the decrease in body condition, which is not found in fish, is influenced by the form of parental care, suggesting a trade-off between caring and foraging, as already reported for certain arthropods. Finally, the reproductive costs of parental care for both sexes remain unexplored and deserve further research.