Comparison of Health Status of Japanese Tree Frog (Hyla japonica) in a Rural and an Urban Area, in Korea

초록

Urbanization is considered to be a major factor of global decrease in amphibian population. For the study on the effect of urbanization on amphibians, we compared the snout-vent length (SVL), body weight (BW), head width (HW), and health condition of Hyla japonica in paddy field where in an urban area of Incheon and a rural area of Gapyeong, Korea. The SVL and BW of Hyla japonica in the urban area were smaller than those in the rural area. We measured the health status using a condifion factor, BM/SVL × ?10?^3. There was no significant difference between the health statuses in the two areas. Our study suggested that further research is needed to explain how the urbanization affects the health status of amphibians.