Effect of Temperature on the Reproductive Activity and Mating Calls of Spring Peepers, Pseudacris crucifer

• Emily K. Stahl

  Juniata College

  Author

Spring peeper frogs (Pseudacris crucifer) become active in Pennsylvania come the middle of March when temperatures begin to rise, and they are able to come out of hibernation. It is not long after they emerge from their hibernation that their mating season begins, and their characteristic high-pitched characteristic peeping call can be heard, often considered one of the first signs of spring. Their calls are used by male peeper frogs to attract a female to reproduce with and the louder and more frequently the male frog is able to call, the better his chances are of successfully reproducing. This study used the decibels of male spring peeper calls as a proxy for successful reproductive activity in relation to nightly low temperatures, daily high temperatures, and the temperature at the time of data collection. Data was collected for a week from April 20th, 2020 until April 26th, 2020 in the evenings from a single pond. The recorded decibels were compared to the corresponding temperature data collected using scatter plots and a linear trendline was fitted to each plot. None of the plots proved to have significant data which could be because the data set was not large enough, the data collected was skewed by additional variable noises such as roosting birds and wind, outside addition factors like rainfall were not considered. The best correlation was seen between the nightly low temperatures and the calls. Repeated studies with larger data sets must be done to make any significant claims about the relationship of spring peeper calling and temperature.

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