The functionality of female reciprocal calls in the Iberian midwife toad (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Alytes cisternasii</Emphasis>): female-female acoustic competition?

Female midwife toads (genus Alytes) emit highly variable reciprocal calls of unclear function prior to and during courtship. In some species, female-female competition, expressed as physical fighting, has been reported. Males of Majorcan midwife toads (Alytes muletensis) show phonotactic response to female calls, and females of Iberian midwife toads (Alytes cisternasii) respond differently according to the male call characteristics. In this study, I test the hypothesis of female-female acoustic competition as an additional function of female reciprocal calls. Playback tests indicate that female calls are not clearly involved in female acoustic competition in the Iberian midwife toad, therefore female calls could be directed at males rather than towards competitive females.     

Initial Homotypic Cell Pair Adhesion in Regenerating Hydra Facilitates Subsequent Adhesion of Homotypic Cells

 In Hydra vulgaris at the level of dissociated single cells endodermal cells adhere to each other more readily than to ectodermal cells at the initial adhesion. The time required for adhesion to occur between two adjacent cells is shorter for both endodermal and ectodermal homotypic cell adhesions once the initial adhesion of the first pair of cells has been established. It is confirmed that contact of an aggregated pair with additional homotypic cells facilitates the occurrence of homotypic adhesions; heterotypic adhesions are discouraged. This suggests that adhesion of homotypic cells contributes to an increased readiness for subsequent homotypic cells to adhere. Received: 25 August 1999 / Accepted in revised form: 11 January 2000