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Seasonal Migration and Reproductive Behaviour of the Common River Frog (Amietia Quecketti)

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Seasonal Migration and Reproductive Behaviour of the Common River Frog (Amietia Quecketti) Seasonal migration and reproductive behaviour of the Common River Frog (Amietia quecketti) J. Viviers Seasonal migration and reproductive behaviour of the Common River Frog (Amietia quecketti) J. Viviers 21186103 Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Environmental Sciences at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University Supervisor: Professor L.H. Du Preez April 2013 If you can't be a frog, marry a prince Loesje Declaration I, Joanita Viviers, declare that this dissertation is my own, unaided work, except where otherwise acknowledged. It is being submitted for the degree of M.Sc. to the North-West University, Potchefstroom. It has not been submitted for any degree or examination in any other university. ________________________ (Joanita Viviers) 29 April 2013 Abstract The Common River Frog Amietia quecketti is a well-known and widely distributed species in southern Africa. Despite the fact that it is a common species and quite prevalent in urban areas little is known about its behaviour. The North-West University Botanical Gardens was selected as study area as it supports a healthy population of Common River Frogs at a series of 18 water bodies. Each pond in the Garden was assigned a reference number and the surface area, depth and vegetation were noted. Frogs were located with the aid of strong flashlights. Specimens were caught by hand and transferred to clear plastic bags. Frogs were sexed and their mass and their snout-vent length (SVL) were determined. Frogs were subsequently individually marked by means of injecting a micro-transponder (pit-tag) subcutaneously. Field observations were conducted over two consecutive evenings every two weeks for a period of one year. On the first night all sites were visited and all frogs were scanned and their position, orientation and activity were noted. During the second night focus was on Pond 6 as it sustained the biggest population. Observation started at 19:15 and continued until 02:30. All frogs in and around the pond were scanned and detailed notes were taken, focusing on their orientation, behaviour, calling activity and distance to the nearest other frog. Results showed that limited movement between ponds in the Garden does occur. A number of individuals were recorded regularly. Some males had preferred call sites, and clear circadian and seasonal patterns with regards to males and females exist. The complex call structure consist of a chuck and a whine and then a combination of the two. Keywords: Amietia quecketti; Behaviour; Seasonal activities; Call structure; Mark- recapture. i Acknowledgements I would like to express my deepest thanks to: • My Heavenly Father, who has put me on earth for the purpose of loving and enjoying His creation. I also am grateful to Him for giving me the ability to observe and learn from His wonderful creation. • My parents, Pieter and Elsabe Viviers, who encouraged me through all my years of study. Thank you for the opportunities you afforded me. Your unfailing love and encouragement is deeply appreciated. • My supervisor, Prof Louis du Preez, for continually supporting and motivating me. Thank you for your patience and your contagious enthusiasm. • Donnavan Kruger, thank you for your unconditional support and assistance. Thank you for staying up with me till 02:30 am when I had to do fieldwork. • Dr Mathieu Badets, for his encouragement and assistance with the processing of data and statistics and his French jokes. Merci! • Prof Ché Weldon for assistance. • Dr Suria Ellis, and Dr Gordon O‟Brien for statistic analysis. • Mr Chris van Niekerk for support and giving us permission to work in the Botanical Garden. • Fellow students in the African Amphibian Conservation Research Group (AACRG) for help, encouragement or just a good laugh. • Mr Theuns de Klerk for assistance with maps. • Daneel du Preez for practical assistance and that memorable night when you broke the deck in the Botanical Gardens while helping me. • The South African Weather Services for assistance. ii Contents Abstract --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- i Acknowledgements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ii Chapter 1: Introduction & Literature Review ------------------------------------------ 1 1.1. Amphibians ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 1.2. Family Pyxicephalidae and the Genus Amietia ------------------------------------ 2 1.3. Amietia quecketti --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 1.3.1. Distribution ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 1.3.2. Appearance ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 1.3.3. Reproduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 1.3.4. Tadpole ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8 1.4. Importance of Monitoring Amphibians ------------------------------------------------ 9 1.5. Seasonal Movements --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 1.6. Acoustic communication ----------------------------------------------------------------- 12 1.7. Pit tagging and toe clipping ------------------------------------------------------------- 13 1.8. Study aims ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 Chapter 2: Material and Methods --------------------------------------------------------- 16 2.1. Study area ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 2.2. Materials and Methods ------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 2.2.1. Collecting of frogs ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 2.2.2. Sex, measurements & mass --------------------------------------------------------- 23 2.2.3. Marking River Frogs -------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 2.2.4. Scanning ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 2.2.5. Bi-weekly monitoring ------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 2.2.6. Temperature readings and rainfall measurements ----------------------------- 29 2.2.7. Call recordings and call analysis ---------------------------------------------------- 30 2.2.8. Statistical analysis ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Chapter 3: Results ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32 3.1. Environmental conditions ---------------------------------------------------------------- 32 3.1.1. Temperature ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 32 3.1.2. Rainfall ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33 3.2. Frog species community ----------------------------------------------------------------- 33 iii 3.3. Amietia quecketti seasonal distribution ---------------------------------------------- 34 3.3.1. Frog numbers recorded ---------------------------------------------------------------- 34 3.3.2. Seasonal activity and spatial orientation at Pond 6 (long-night data) ----- 37 3.4. Observation frequency at Pond 6 ------------------------------------------------------ 45 3.5. Movement of frogs within Pond 6 ------------------------------------------------------ 47 3.6. Movement between ponds in the Garden (May 2010–January 2012) ------- 53 3.7. Analysis of frog activity ------------------------------------------------------------------- 53 3.7.1. Activity versus time of evening ------------------------------------------------------- 53 3.7.2. Activity versus season ----------------------------------------------------------------- 55 3.7.3. Activity versus moon phase ---------------------------------------------------------- 56 3.8. Frog activity and spatial orientation --------------------------------------------------- 57 3.8.1. Distance to nearest frog --------------------------------------------------------------- 57 3.9. Nearest frog – Other species ----------------------------------------------------------- 60 3.10. Vocal communication ------------------------------------------------------------------- 63 3.10.1. Call structure ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 63 3.10.2. Call duration ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 63 3.10.3. Call intensity related to different mass classes -------------------------------- 64 3.10.4. Male orientation when calling ------------------------------------------------------- 65 3.10.5. Male call sites --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 67 Chapter 4: Discussion and Conclusion ------------------------------------------------- 70 4.1. Frogs around us ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 70 4.2. Environmental conditions ---------------------------------------------------------------- 70 4.3. Frog species community ----------------------------------------------------------------- 71 4.4. Male:female ratio and seasonal fluctuation ----------------------------------------- 71 4.5. Movement between ponds -------------------------------------------------------------- 74 4.6. Population numbers -----------------------------------------------------------------------
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