Tadpoles in the rock pools!

The final paper from our Konkan lateritic plateau fieldwork in 2022 is out now in the journal Aquatic Ecology!

We found presence of tadpoles and their abundances were negatively associated with monsoon progression, and not associated with predator abundances for all species, while they were positively associated with rock pool size, species-specifically.

In this work, we looked at the freshwater rockpools on the rocky outcrops, to see how their size, monsoon progression and presence of predators influence the tadpoles in them.

These pools, formed due to erosion and weathering in outcrops are critical frog breeding habitats. We observed tadpoles of three species of frogs: Jaladhara Skittering Frog (Euphlyctis jaladhara), Nilphamari Narrow-mouthed Frog (Microhyla nilphamariensis), and Common Indian Treefrog (Polypedates maculatus).

Our previous studies have recommended conservation of existing rock pools and restoration or creation of rock pools for amphibian conservation, in light of reduced rock pool availability due to rapid conversion of outcrops to orchards. This necessitated more knowledge of tadpole ecology for further research and conservation actions.

We found presence of tadpoles and their abundances were negatively associated with monsoon progression, and not associated with predator abundances for all species, while they were positively associated with rock pool size, species-specifically.

This study was funded by On the Edge Conservation (UK), Bombay Environmental Action Group, The Habitat Trust, and Nature Conservation Foundation (India).

We thank the Maharashtra Forest Department, particularly the Chief Wildlife Warden, Sunil Limaye, for giving us the necessary permits (Letter No. Desk-22(8)/WL/Research/CR-53(20-21) /3361/22-22) to conduct the study. Our sincere thanks to Pooja Pawar, Jahnavi Joshi, Aparna Watve, Varad B. Giri, Manali Rane, and Arpitha Jayanth for useful discussions and support during the study; Aditya Gadkari, Ajay Nachinekar, Chandrakanth Gurav, Harshad Tulpule, Kamalakar Gurav, Pooja Ghate, Poorva Joshi, Pradeep Dingankar, Rakesh Patil, Rashmi Karandikar, Ravindra Karandikar, Santosh Padhye, Shailesh Joshi, Suhas Gurjar, Sujan Dandekar, and Yash Vichare for support during fieldwork. RN thanks Anand Osuri, Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi, Suri Venkatachalam, and Madhura Niphadkar for useful discussions. We thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments that have helped improve the manuscript.

See the full-research article here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-025-10195-w or the read-only access link from publisher: https://rdcu.be/egsgc

A pre-print version is available here: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.13.589092

Also enjoy some of our best field photographs during this work in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America here, including some beautiful tadpole photographs by Rohit Naniwadekar: https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.2208 

Citation: Jithin, V., Naniwadekar, R. Effects of abiotic and biotic factors on tadpole occurrence and abundance in seasonal rock pools of rock outcrops, northern Western Ghats. Aquat Ecol  (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-025-10195-w