Temporary Water Holes May Benefit the Breeding of the Common Skipper Frog Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis (Anura: Dicroglossidae)

Mohammad Abdul Wahed Chowdhury,Md Mizanur Rahman,Shimu Rani Shil

doi:10.3390/ecologies2010007

Abstract

Seasonal fluctuations in adult Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis density were recorded in two permanent ponds in Southeastern Bangladesh. From a two-year dataset of seven habitat parameters, the seasonal suitability of two different pond habitats was examined to understand these fluctuations of frog density. The combined influence of the parameters on the density was significant in all three seasons. One combination was found to be optimal: water temperature of 24 °C, a pH of approximately 6, and a water depth of 2.29 m. These conditions supported more than 24 frogs per acre in the round pond. In the forestry pond, the optimal parameters were a water temperature of 27 °C and a water depth of less than 1 m, which accommodated 27 frogs per acre. The result indicates that a slight increase in any of these parameters was found to sharply lower the accommodation capacity of the studied ponds to less than half of the aforesaid densities, especially in the rainy season. During this season, the adults were found to breed in the small waterholes adjacent to the ponds. This may be the response of anuran to temporal unsuitability, for example, the depth of water and the pH of the permanent ponds.

Highlights

Ecologies 2021, 2, 138–149. https://Studies on amphibian populations and habitats have become a major research interest of ecologists in order to uncover the reasons for the rapid extinction of amphibians globally [1,2]
Basic conservation activities should focus on preventing changes in suitable habitat conditions that result in poor accommodation capacity of a habitat
Ponds were distinct with no overlapping of observations with respect to discriminant function 1, which consisted of a significant contribution of pH and depth of the water body

Summary

Introduction

Studies on amphibian populations and habitats have become a major research interest of ecologists in order to uncover the reasons for the rapid extinction of amphibians globally [1,2]. How amphibian populations behave over a short period, viz., seasons, in a variety of habitats has been studied [3,4]. The seasonal conditions of habitats can explain anuran population fluctuations [5]. Unfavorable habitat conditions may affect the metamorphosis of tadpoles [6], which may cause the low abundance of a population [7]. This can lead to the sudden extinction of amphibians in a habitat [8]. Basic conservation activities should focus on preventing changes in suitable habitat conditions that result in poor accommodation capacity of a habitat

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Conclusion