Fish richness and predation by non-native fish correlate with declines of the Common Toad (Bufo bufo)

This is an anonymized version of the dataset repository for the scientific paper titled "Fish richness and predation by non-native fish correlate with declines of the Common Toad (Bufo bufo)". Once reviewed and published, this dataset will become open access. This study investigates aquatic community structure in breeding ponds of Common Toads (Bufo bufo) across Flanders (Belgium). Across ten declining and ten non-declining toads, we used environmental DNA (eDNA) and fyke trapping in combination with a predation experiment to assess the effects of aquatic community structures on Common Toad populations. We found non-declining populations to be typically associated with fishless ponds. Furthermore, we demonstrated a higher predation effect of non-native fish on both eggs and tadpoles of Common Toads. Altogether, this shows the importance of aquatic communities and the management of (non-native) fish in breeding ponds of amphibians, Common Toads specifically.