Diet composition of post-metamorphic bullfrogs
() in the Zhoushan
archipelago, Zhejiang Province, China

doi:10.1007/s11515-008-0036-8

Front. Biol.

0, Vol.

Issue () : 219-226 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11515-008-0036-8

Diet composition of post-metamorphic bullfrogs () in the Zhoushan archipelago, Zhejiang Province, China

WANG Yanping¹, WANG Yihua¹, LU Ping¹, ZHANG Fang¹, LI Yiming²

1.Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences；Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; 2.Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences;

Download: PDF(247 KB) HTML
Export: BibTeX | EndNote | Reference Manager | ProCite | RefWorks

Abstract Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) are listed as one of the 100 worst invasive alien species in the world. They are generalist predators and thus may affect native species through predation. In previous studies, the food contents of bullfrogs were mostly examined at a single site. In the present study, the diet composition of post-metamorphic bullfrogs on eight islands (Daishan, Liuheng, Xiushan, Fodu, Taohua, Xiashi, Cezi, and Putuoshan) in the Zhoushan Archipelago, Zhejiang Province of China, were examined by using the stomach flushing method from June 30 to August 11 in 2005. A total of 391 individual frogs were measured, including 113 adults and 278 juveniles. The analysis of the stomach contents shows that, for adult bullfrogs, the most important prey (by diet volume) overall were Decapoda, Coleoptera, Odonata, Mesogastropoda, Raniformes, and Cypriniformes. For juvenile bullfrogs, these were Decapoda, Coleoptera, Cypriniformes, Odonata, Orthoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera larvae, Mesogastropoda, and Raniformes. Moreover, the prey size and diet volume increased with the body size of both adult and juvenile bullfrogs. The diet composition of primary preys of bullfrogs was significantly different among the islands. The results indicate that bullfrogs exert different predatory influences on native fauna at different sites and that bullfrogs are generalist predators with extensive ecological impacts on native fauna.

Issue Date: 05 June 2008

Cite this article:

WANG Yanping,WANG Yihua,LI Yiming, et al. Diet composition of post-metamorphic bullfrogs () in the Zhoushan archipelago, Zhejiang Province, China[J]. Front. Biol., 0, (): 219-226.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fib/EN/10.1007/s11515-008-0036-8
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fib/EN/Y0/V/I/219

1	Albertini G Lanza B 1987 Rana catesbeiana Shaw, 1802 in ItalyAlytes6117129
2	Bury R B Luckenbach R A 1976 Introducedamphibians and reptiles in CaliforniaBiologicalConservation10114. doi:10.1016/0006‐3207(76)90020‐3
3	Bury R B Whelan J A 1984 Ecology andManagement of the BullfrogWashington,DCU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
4	Clarkson R W Devos J M 1986 The bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana Shaw, in the lower ColoradoRiver, Arizona-CaliforniaJournal of Herpetology204249. doi:10.2307/1564123
5	Cohen N W Howard W E 1958 Bullfrog foodand growth at the San Joaquin Experimental Range, CaliforniaCopeia1958223225. doi:10.2307/1440602
6	Compilation Committeeof Annals of Zhoushan City. 1992 Annals ofZhoushan CityHangzhouZhejiang People Press (in Chinese)
7	Corse W A Metter D E 1980 Economics,adult feeding and larval growth of Rana catesbeiana on a fish hatcheryJournal of Herpetology14231238. doi:10.2307/1563544
8	Cronk Q C B Fuller J L 1995 Plant InvadersLondonChapmanand Hall Ltd
9	D'Antonio C M Dudley T L 1995 Biologicalinvasions as agents of change on islands versus mainlandsIn: Vitousek P MLoopeL LAdsersen HIslands: Biodiversity and Ecosystem FunctionBerlinSpringer-Verlag103121
10	Dickerson M C 1931 The Frog BookNew YorkDoubleday, Doran and Company, Inc
11	Elton C S 1958 The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and PlantsLondonMethuen
12	Fisher R N Shaffer H B 1996 The declineof amphibians in California's great Central ValleyConservation Biology1013871397. doi:10.1046/j.1523‐1739.1996.10051387.x
13	Flores-Nava A 2000 Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana farming in Latin America: an overviewWorld Aquaculture312229. doi:10.1111/j.1749‐7345.2000.tb00694.x
14	Frost S W 1935 The food of Rana catesbeianaCopeia19351518. doi:10.2307/1436630
15	Gibbons J D 1985 Nonparametric Methods for Quantitative Analysis. 2nd edColumbus, OhioAmerican Sciences Press
16	Gu H Q Jin Y L 1985 Studies ongeographical distribution of the amphibians of the Zhoushan ArchipelagoActa Herpetologica Sinica43035 (in Chinese)
17	Hammerson G A 1982 Bullfrog eliminating leopard frogs in Colorado?Herpetological Review13115116
18	Hewitt O H 1950 The bullfrog as a predator on ducklingsJournal of Wildlife Management14244
19	Hirai R 2004 Diet composition of introduced bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, in the Mizorogaike Pondof Kyoto, JapanEcological Research19375380. doi:10.1111/j.1440‐1703.2004.00647.x
20	Howard W E 1950 Birds as bullfrog foodsCopeia1950152. doi: 10.2307/1438964
21	Howard R D 1978 The evolution of mating strategies in bullfrogs, Rana catesbeianaEvolution32850871. doi:10.2307/2407499
22	IUCN (InternationalUnion for Conservation of Nature). 2003 100 of theWorld's Worst Invasive Alien SpeciesTheInvasive Species Specialist Group, Auckland, New Zealand
23	Janzen D H Schoener T W 1968 Differencesin insect abundance and diversity between wetter and drier sites duringa tropical dry seasonEcology4996110. doi:10.2307/1933565
24	Korschgen L J Moyle D L 1955 Food habitsof the bullfrog in central Missouri farm pondsAmerican Midland Naturalist54332341. doi:10.2307/2422571
25	Legler J M Sullivan L J 1979 The applicationof stomach flushing to lizards and anuransHerpetologica35107110
26	Li C Xie F 2004 Invasion ofbullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) inChina and its management strategiesChineseJournal of Applied and Environmental Biology109599 (in Chinese). doi: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2003.07.005
27	Li Y M Niemelä J Li D M 1998 Nested distribution of amphibians in theZhoushan archipelago, China: can selective extinction cause nestedsubsets of species?Oecologia113557564. doi:10.1007/s004420050409
28	Li Y M Wu Z J Duncan R P 2006 Why islands are easier to invade: humaninfluences on bullfrog invasion in the Zhoushan archipelago and neighboringmainland, ChinaOecologia148129136. doi:10.1007/s00442‐006‐0355‐x
29	Li Z Y Xie Y 2002 Invasive AlienSpecies in ChinaBeijingChina Forestry Publishing House (in Chinese)
30	Lopez-Flores M Cruz-Burgos J A Vilella F J 2003 Predation of a white-cheeked pintail (Anas bahamensis) duckling by a bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)Caribbean Journal of Science2240242
31	Magnusson W E Lima A P Silva W A D Araújo M C D 2003 Use of geometric forms to estimate volume of invertebratesin ecological studies of dietary overlapCopeia20031319. doi:10.1643/0045‐8511(2003)003[0013:UOGFTE]2.0.CO;2
32	McAlpine D F Dilworth T G 1989 Microhabitatand prey size among three species of Rana (Anura: Ranidae) sympatric in eastern CanadaCanadian Journal of Zoology6722442252
33	Measey G J 1998 Diet of feral Xenopus laevis (Daudin) in South Wales, U.K.Journalof Zoology (London)246287298. doi:10.1111/j.1469‐7998.1998.tb00159.x
34	Minton E J 1949 Coral snake preyed upon by the bullfrogCopeia1949288. doi: 10.2307/1438384
35	Mirco S Beckmann O Pelz B Kwet A Engels W 2005 Stomach-flushing for dietanalysis in anurans: an improved protocol evaluated in a case studyin Araucaria forests, southernBrazilStudies on Neotropical Fauna andEnvironment402328. doi:10.1080/01650520400025704
36	Moyle P B 1973 Effects of introduced bullfrogs, Rana catesbeiana, on the native frogs of the San JoaquinValley, CaliforniaCopeia19731822. doi:10.2307/1442351
37	Nussbaum R A Brodie E D Storm R M 1983 Amphibians and Reptiles of the PacificNorthwestMoscow, IdahoUniversity Press of Idaho
38	Penn G H 1950 Utilization of crawfishes by cold-blooded vertebrates inthe eastern United StatesAmerican MidlandNaturalist44643658. doi:10.2307/2421826
39	Sheng H L 1981 Fur animals in the Zhoushan and Shengsi islandsChinese Journal of Zoology16(4)4548 (in Chinese)
40	Stumpel A H 1992 Successful reproduction of introduced bullfrogs Rana catesbeiana in northwestern Europe:a potential threat to indigenous amphibiansBiological Conservation606162. doi:10.1016/0006‐3207(92)90800‐3
41	The General Officeof the State Council of China. 2003 List of thefirst batch of alien invasive species in ChinaGazette of the State Council of the People's Republic of China234146(in Chinese)
42	Telford S R J r 1960 The American bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, in JapanCopeia1960155. doi: 10.2307/1440224
43	Werner E E Wellborn G A McPeek M A 1995 Diet composition in post-metamorphic bullfrogsand green frogs: implications for interspecific predation and competitionJournal of Herpetology29600607. doi:10.2307/1564744
44	Wolda H 1988 Insect seasonality: why?AnnualReview of Ecology and Systematics19118
45	Wu Z J Wang Y P Li Y M 2004 National population of bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) and their potential threatin the east of Zhejiang ProvinceBiodiversityScience12441446 (in Chinese)
46	Wu Z J Li Y M Wang Y P Adams M J 2005 Diet of introduced bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana): predation on and diet overlap with native frogs on Daishan Island,ChinaJournal of Herpetology39668674. doi:10.1670/78‐05N.1
47	Zheng L Y Gui H 1999 Insect ClassificationNanjingNanjingNormal University Press (in Chinese)
48	Zhou W Li M H Zhang X Y He J F 2005 Food comparison between tadpoles of Ranacatesbeiana and R. chaochiaoensis collected from the same habitatZoologicalResearch268995 (in Chinese)
49	Zhuge Y Jiang S R Zheng Z W Fang W G 1986 Preliminary studies on geographical ecology of birds and mammalson some islands of Zhejiang ProvinceActaZoologica Sinica327485 (in Chinese)
50	Zhu X 1990 Ecological birds geography of Zhoushan archipelagoJournal of Zhejiang Forestry College7153160 (in Chinese)

Viewed

Full text

Abstract

Cited

Shared

Discussed