Life History Correlates of a Color Polymorphism in the Ornate Chorus Frog, Pseudacris ornata

The ornate chorus frog, Pseudacris ornata, is a small hylid from the coastal plain of the United States. The background color of most individuals is brown or gray, but those bearing a rare, dominant allele are bright green. Explanations for the persistance of such polymorphisms include selection on color itself and selection on traits genetically correlated with color. There is evidence that length of larval period is correlated with dorsal color or pattern in other frog species. However, individually raised P. ornata bearing the green allele do not differ from those not bearing the allele in length of larval period or in three other fitness-related traits: larval growth rate, size at metamorphosis, and juvenile growth rate. MANY species of frogs exhibit conspicuous polymorphisms for back pattern or color