Breeding preferences in the treefrogs <i>Dryophytes japonicus</i> (Hylidae) in Mongolia

When a species occurs over a broad range of climates and landscapes, the breeding ecology of that species is expected to vary locally. Additionally, a basic knowledge of breeding ecology is required before other types of studies may be conducted, such as physiology or conservation. In North East Asia, <i>Dryophytes japonicus</i> is distributed from Japan to Mongolia, where its breeding ecology is unknown. The objectives of this study were to understand the breeding requirements of <i>D. japonicus</i> in this part of its range. We collected data for <i>Dryophytes japonicus</i> at 56 sites located within 23 independent localities in Northern Mongolia during the breeding season 2017. The data collected included habitat type and co-occurring amphibian, fishes and bird species. Our results show that the species prefers <i>circa</i> 70 m long oxbow lakes for breeding, while habitat characteristics, water quality and co-occurring species were not significantly associated with the occurrence of the species. We therefore conclude that <i>D. japonicus</i> is behaviourally plastic in Mongolia, as it is in other portions of its range, and that the species can use several types of environments and co-occur with different species at its breeding sites. <i>Corvus dauuricus</i> was the only bird species significant predicting the occurrence of <i>D. japonicus</i>, likely because of overlapping ecological preferences.