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Understudied and unheard: Female frogs receive little research attention for their calls

A trio of biologists from Universidade de São Paulo, Red Ecoacústica Colombia and the University of Missouri System has found that researchers conduct only a fraction of studies of female frog calls compared to male frog calls. In their study, in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Erika Santana, Angela Mendoza-Henao and Johana Goyes Vallejos compiled research from multiple previous studies for their meta-study.

The researchers first noticed that little research has been conducted on calls made by female frogs. To learn more, they conducted a systematic review of available literature, carrying out multiple searches on Google Scholar and Web of Science. They found 2,919 documents or papers with relevant information.

After further filtering, the number was reduced to 108, which they studied for frog call information. They found 132 instances of female frog calls over 112 species—numbers that represented just 1.43% of all known species. That meant, the researchers note, that little to nothing is known about the calls of approximately 98.6% of female frog calls. They also found that most of the descriptions were anecdotal, suggesting little was learned from those calls that were studied.

The researchers point out that, in addition to other factors, there is a likely explanation for the disparity given to male frog calls—they are much louder. Thus, when in the field studying frog calls, observers may find that the softer calls of female frogs are drowned out. They suggest that improved research practices are required, noting that scientists currently do not know what is being missed. Why do females make calls, for example, and when?

As the world continues to change due to climate change, the researchers note that some species are likely to be impacted sooner rather than later. Frogs and other amphibians are already under threat, which means that if they are to be helped, more research is required. If the female calls are related to reproduction, conservationists would likely want to know more about it.