Modern Farming Practices in Paddy Fields Negatively Affect an Endemic Frog, Glandirana susurra , in Japan
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WETLANDS CONSERVATION
Modern Farming Practices in Paddy Fields Negatively Affect an Endemic Frog, Glandirana susurra, in Japan Taqumori R. Miyu 1 & Maldwyn J. Evans 1,2 & Masashi Soga 1 & Raita Kobayashi 3 & Kunio Sekiya 4 & Tadashi Miyashita 1 & Kaoru T. Yoshida 1 Received: 19 December 2019 / Accepted: 12 March 2020 # Society of Wetland Scientists 2020
Abstract Paddy fields play an important role as alternative habitats for various wetland-dependent species. Agricultural intensification in paddy fields, however, presents serious threats to these species. Here, we examined the environmental factors, including those related to modern farming practices, affecting the distribution of the Sado wrinkled frog (Glandirana susurra) in paddy fields on Sado Island, Japan. We recorded the abundance of frogs at 42 sites in early and late June 2014 and investigated the species’ responses to several local and landscape-scale variables. We found that frog abundances decreased sharply following the drainage of paddy fields in mid-June and were negatively associated with deep concrete irrigation ditches that surrounded the paddies. The addition of conservation ditches built into rice paddy fields, however, was shown to mitigate against the effects of the drainage. Our results suggest that conservation ditches serve as refuges for G. susurra. We propose that decreasing the depth of irrigation ditches or providing structures for frogs to use and traverse the ditches could be useful approaches that help conserve G. susurra. We also suggest the increased use of conservation ditches and implementation of aquatic biotopes in the surrounding landscape might serve to aid this species’ long-term conservation. Keywords Agriculture . Amphibians . Biodiversity conservation . Connectivity . Wildlife-friendly farming
Introduction Natural wetlands support unique and rich biota (Gibbs 2000) and provide important ecological services (Zedler and Kercher 2005). Wetlands are decreasing worldwide, with most being converted into urban or agricultural areas (Brinson and Malvárez 2002; Donald 2004; Herzon and Helenius 2008). Many wetland habitats have been converted to paddy fields, and while these paddy fields are not as ideal as the wetlands that they replace, they have been recognised as providing * Taqumori R. Miyu [email protected] 1
Department of Ecosystem Studies, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
2
Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
3
Tokyo College of Environment, Tokyo, Japan
4
Department of Science and Environment, Faculty of Science, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
alternative habitats for various wetland-dependent organisms (Elphick 2000; Kiritani 2000; Amilhat and Lorenzen 2005; Pierluissi 2010). Consequently, the conservation of biodiversity in paddy fields has become increasingly recognised as an essential component of wetland biodiversity conservation (Washitani 2007; Natuhara
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