AUTHOR=Borzée Amaël , Choi Yoojin , Kim Ye Eun , Jablonski Piotr G. , Jang Yikweon 

TITLE=Interspecific Variation in Seasonal Migration and Brumation Behavior in Two Closely Related Species of Treefrogs

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2019.00055

DOI=10.3389/fevo.2019.00055

ISSN=2296-701X

ABSTRACT=<p>Most amphibians migrate between flooded habitats for breeding and dry habitats for non-breeding activities, however, differences in closely related species may highlight divergent evolutionary histories. Through field surveys, Harmonic Direction Finder tracking and laboratory behavioral experiments during the wintering season, we demonstrated differences in seasonal migration and hibernation habitats between <italic>Dryophytes suweonensis</italic> and <italic>D. japonicus</italic>. We found that <italic>D. japonicus</italic> migrated toward forests for overwintering and then back to rice paddies for breeding in spring. By contrast, <italic>D. suweonensis</italic> was found to hibernate buried in the vicinity of rice paddies, its breeding habitat. We also found that the difference in migrating behavior matched with variation in microhabitat use during brumation and hibernation between the two species. Our findings highlight different ecological requirements between the two species, which may result from their segregated evolutionary histories, with speciation potentially linked to species use of a new breeding habitat. Additionally, the use of rice paddies for both breeding and hibernation may contribute to the endangered status of <italic>D. suweonensis</italic> because of the degradation of hibernation sites in winter.</p>