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2026 Vol.13, Issue 1 Preview Page

Original Article

Thermal Responses of Peak Calling Activity in Forest Ponds: When the Optimal Time is for Encountering Anuran Amphibians
Hong-Suk Koh1*
,
Jia Lee2
,
Choong-Ho Ham3
1Research Scientist, National Ecosystem Survey, National Institute of Ecology, Seocheon 33657, Korea
2Assistant Manager, Cheongnok Environmental Ecology Research Institute, Anyang 14071, Korea
3Researcher, Biological Sciences and Technology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
*Corresponding Author
31 March 2026. pp. 22-37
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Abstract

Changes in anuran population dynamics can be assessed by monitoring the advertisement calls that males emit to attract females during the breeding season. Using the Population Size Index (PSI) — a modification of the Call Index from the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program, along with autonomous recording devices, we indirectly quantified the abundance of four anuran species by analyzing their daily nocturnal call patterns. In both the northern and southern regions of the Republic of Korea, three pond-dwelling anuran species — Rana uenoi, Bombina orientalis, and Hyla japonica — showed a right-skewed PSI distributions throughout the night. Their calling activity increased from evening until around 21:00 to 22:00 hours, then gradually declined to dawn. In contrast, Pelophylax nigromaculatus maintained peak calling activity until early dawn. Notably, the timing of peak calls varied slightly among cohabiting species within the same forest pond, indicating species-specific differences in peak calling periods. Rana uenoi began and ended its peak calling activity earlier than the other three species. Regardless of geographic region, all species exhibited distinct, species-specific PSI distribution patterns throughout the night. These findings suggest that monitoring nocturnal call phenology with autonomous recording devices can help human surveyors determine efficiently optimal time for recognizing nocturnal species and estimating their abundance in Korean forest ecosystems.

Keywords
Autonomous recording devices
Forests
Frogs
Peak calls
Ponds
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Information
  • Publisher :Korean Society of Ecology and Infrastructure Engineering
  • Publisher(Ko) :응용생태공학회
  • Journal Title :Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
  • Journal Title(Ko) :응용생태공학회 논문집
  • Volume : 13
  • No :1
  • Pages :22-37
  • Received Date : 2025-11-27
  • Revised Date : 2025-12-09
  • Accepted Date : 2025-12-09
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.17820/eri.2026.13.1.022
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