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Responses in the diet composition of the Common frog (Rana temporaria) to the stochastic gradation of Autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata) larvae

Kovács, Tibor and Herczeg, Gábor and Hettyey, Attila (2017) Responses in the diet composition of the Common frog (Rana temporaria) to the stochastic gradation of Autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata) larvae. ACTA ZOOLOGICA ACADEMIAE SCIENTIARUM HUNGARICAE, 63 (1). pp. 115-122. ISSN 1217-8837

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Abstract

We studied the feeding ecology of the common frog Rana temporaria in a population located at the subarctic taiga-tundra frontier in Finland over two consecutive years (2002, 2003). In the summer of 2003, an unexpected gradation of autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata) larvae occurred at our study site. This situation allowed us to study the changes in the diet composition of the same common frog population between a presumably average and an extraordinary year with respect to the gradation of one of the prey species. We found clear evidence for the opportunistic feeding behaviour of common frogs in a natural population, as reflected by the mass appearance of Epirrita autumnata larvae in the frogs’ stomach content in 2003. Further, our results draw attention to the fact that a one-year study on the feeding ecology of an opportunistic species can result in flawed conclusions.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: opportunistic feeding behaviour, Anura, Finnish Lappland
Subjects: Q Science / természettudomány > QL Zoology / állattan
SWORD Depositor: MTMT SWORD
Depositing User: MTMT SWORD
Date Deposited: 28 Apr 2017 10:43
Last Modified: 08 Mar 2024 10:37
URI: https://real.mtak.hu/id/eprint/52216

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