Anuran colonization of newly constructed ponds: The importance of time and distance to source populations

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Dispersal is an important factor in animal ecology. Anurans (frogs and toads) are often philopatric (home loving) but some specimens in a population usually have the capacity to disperse relatively long distances. In this study I investigated the colonization of newly constructed ponds in the southwest of Sweden by three anuran species: The common toad (Bufo bufo), the moor frog (Rana arvalis) and the common frog (Rana temporaria). The ponds were constructed between two and five years ago and were now as frequently occupied as older source ponds in the area. For the common toad and the common frog there was no correlation between distance to source populations and degree of colonization. The moor frog was more common in ponds that were situated in the vicinity of older source ponds with ample populations. The main impression was that these species rapidly colonize newly constructed ponds, at least within moderate distances from source populations. There were some differences between the s...