| 초록 |
This study aims to assess habitat feature on the large-scale spawning ground of the Boreal Digging Frog Kaloula borealis in Daemyung retarding basin of Daegu, and to analyze the relationships between species abundance and meteorological factors for each habitat. Fifty-seven(57) pitfalls were installed to collect species abundance of 4 survey regions, and high-resolution satellite image, soil sampling equipment, digital topographic map, and GPS were used to develop habitat features such as terrain, soil, vegetation, human disturbance. The analysis shows that the frog is most abundant in sloped region with densely herbaceous cover in southern part of the retarding basin. In the breeding season, lowland regions, where Phragmites communis and P. japonica dominant wetlands and temporary ponds distributed, are heavily concentrated by the species for spawning and foraging. Located in between legally protected Dalsung wetands and lowland regions of the retarding basin, riverine natural levee is ecologically important area as core habitat for Kaloula borealis, and high number of individuals were detected both breeding and non-breeding seasons. Temperate- and pressure-related meteorological elements are selected as statistically significant variables in species abundance of non-breeding season in lowland and highland regions. However, in sloped regions, only a few variables are statistically significant during non-breeding season. Moreover, breeding activities in sloped regions are statistically significant with minimum temperature, grass minimum temperature, dew point temperature, and vapor pressure. Significant meteorological factors with habitat features are effectively applied to establish species conservation strategy of the retarding basin and to construct for avoiding massive road-kills on neighboring roads of the study sites, particularly post-breeding movements from spawning to burrowing areas. |
