A New Design Concept of an Ecological Corridor for Frogs to Improve Ecological Conservation

Abstract

Ecological corridors are an essential element in conserving the biodiversity and proper functioning of ecosystems. Without their connectivity, a very large number of species would not have access to all of the habitats needed for their life cycles. Although the concept of an ecological corridor has been discussed for many years, few studies on ecological corridors for frogs have been conducted. Frogs are often considered to be a keystone species. They are a good indicator of habitat health, and they are often the first to be harmed by pollution or ecosystem deterioration. However, there have been reports of frogs crossing ecological corridors and being attacked or consumed by natural enemies. It is vital to create ecological corridors for frogs that allow them to migrate quickly and safely. The purpose of this study was to propose a new ecological corridor design concept for frogs to address the limitations mentioned above. In this paper, grey system theory was employed to offer the necessary information for the frog ladder’s design. In addition, the frog’s high jump capacity and its defense mechanisms against natural enemies were used to determine the rest space and shelter.

Using Behavioral Characteristics to Design Amphibian Ladders for Concrete-Lined Irrigation Channels

“…China is a large agricultural country with >3,000,000 km of irrigation channels [26]. Green and sustainable development of irrigated agriculture and protection of agricultural biodiversity are the inevitable requirements for the construction of modern irrigated districts in China [27,28]. However, in order to ensure the efficient utilization of irrigation water, the construction of irrigation channels has been dominated by hard engineering, which has caused 2-3 amphibians (mostly frogs, but also toads and snakes) to die in every 100 m of irrigation channels in Tongxiang County [29].…”