Study on Rana Pipiens essays

Study on Rana Pipiens essays Distribution: Found throughout Ontario but more abundant in southern and central Americas. Range: Adults maintain small home ranges (up to 500 m2) in fields or open forest during the summer. Where terrestrial habitats are quite dry, home ranges include some shoreline. A minimum of 4 ha of terrestrial habitat is recommended for the vicinity of breeding sites, however, individual adults may move several kilometres away. Most recently metamorphosed froglets stay within 20 m of shoreline although some froglets begin dispersal before metamorphosis is entirely complete. Diet: Larvae eat algae, phytoplankton, periphyton and detritus. Adults eat mainly invertebrates but will also take tadpoles or very small froglets. Reproduction: Successful breeding sites are permanent ponds, marshes, or pools or backwaters of streams. Eggs and tadpoles require warm (prefer 18o - 28o C), shallow, sunny areas. Breeding occurs from mid-March to mid-May in southern Ontario, and a few weeks later further north. Metamorphosis occurs in 2-3 months. Tadpoles require minimum oxygen concentrations of 3 ppm. Habitat: Relative to bullfrogs and green frogs, leopard frogs use open fields more and prefer denser terrestrial vegetation. In aquatic habitats, submerged vegetation, detritus and soft mud are used for cover. Froglets require muddy shorelines, lily pads, rocks, logs or beaver dams with clear access to deeper water. Adults prefer unmowed fields (15 - 30 cm high, no more than 1 m high vegetation) or open forest in the vicinity of Corridors may be required among breeding, hibernation and summeringhabitats, within 2 km. These may be either aquatic (streams or rivers) or terrestrial (field or forest, usually not cropland except during periods of irrigation). Hibernate in deep or running water that will not freeze solid ...