Breeding range variation between Korean hylids (Dryophytes sp.)

Abstract

Home ranges represent the space where individuals eat, mate, and shelter. Breeding ranges are the area in which breeding activities are conducted, and in calling anurans, they generally include a territory with a calling site. There are two competing treefrog species in the Korean Peninsula, the endangered Suweon treefrog (Dryophytes suweonensis) and the common Japanese treefrog (D. japonicus). These two species are known to have a significant impact on each other’s behavior, and in this study, we test for variations in breeding range and displacement distance. Data were collected through Harmonic Direction Finder tracking for 26 D. japonicus and 6 D. suweonensis, aiming at 72-h tracking per individual. We determined that despite the absence of variation in the two species’ breeding range, there was a significant variation in mean average displacement, with D. japonicus moving more than D. suweonensis. This result matches with our expectation as D. japonicus has been demonstrated to be bolder and more exploratory and also uses a larger variety of microhabitats between nocturnal periods of call production. These results are important in the larger framework of D. suweonensis conservation and the determination of the ecological space of these two species.