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The ecology and evolution of the northern pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae) and the importance of its conservation in England / THOMAS LYONS

Swansea University Author: THOMAS LYONS

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Abstract

Pool frogs (Pelophylax lessonae) in northern Europe provide an intriguing opportunity to study a species complex in a conservation context. They form part of a species complex with the marsh frog (P. ridibundus) and the edible frog (P. kl. esculenta), with hybrid populations common across mainland E...

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Published: Swansea University, Wales, UK 2025
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Master of Research
Degree name: MRes
Supervisor: Nichols, H., and Arbuckle, K.
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69052
first_indexed 2025-03-06T16:44:44Z
last_indexed 2025-03-07T05:49:40Z
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spelling 2025-03-06T16:59:33.5840726 v2 69052 2025-03-06 The ecology and evolution of the northern pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae) and the importance of its conservation in England 7984c9575f33f4befc62fe522915b340 THOMAS LYONS THOMAS LYONS true false 2025-03-06 Pool frogs (Pelophylax lessonae) in northern Europe provide an intriguing opportunity to study a species complex in a conservation context. They form part of a species complex with the marsh frog (P. ridibundus) and the edible frog (P. kl. esculenta), with hybrid populations common across mainland Europe. However, small, isolated, single-species populations of a distinct northern clade exist along the coasts of the North and Baltic seas, including an extinct, and since reintroduced, population in England. These northern populations are of high conservation priority due to their declining numbers and ecological distinctness. This study employed maximum likelihood phylogenetic methods on 50 cytochrome B sequences to infer a phylogeny for the species, supporting previous theories that suggest pool frogs originated in the Italian Peninsula before migrating into Central Europe, where they rapidly spread and diversified. Sequences from Denmark and Italy appear ancestral, though limited genetic structure complicates further colonization inferences. Species Distribution Models (SDMs) assessed the climatic niche of pool frogs across Europe, revealing that northern populations occupy a narrower climatic niche, confined to low-lying coastal areas with low precipitation, compared to their hybrid counterparts. SDMs predict suitable climates for northern pool frogs in eastern and southeastern England, aligning with historical records. Conservation efforts should focus on restoring the species to East Anglia, southern Lincolnshire, and the Thames estuary, while mitigating the risks of hybridization with non-native Pelophylax species. E-Thesis Swansea University, Wales, UK Reintroduction, Species Distribution Models, Phylogeny, Herpetology, Pool Frog 7 2 2025 2025-02-07 A selection of content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis to protect sensitive and personal information. COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Nichols, H., and Arbuckle, K. Master of Research MRes 2025-03-06T16:59:33.5840726 2025-03-06T14:09:02.7702593 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences THOMAS LYONS 1 69052__33755__4f689fd54d3e4c1eac25d641bd32373c.pdf 2024_Lyons_T.final.69052.pdf 2025-03-06T16:59:12.0462034 Output 1069828 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true Copyright: The Author, Thom Lyons, 2024 Distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY 4.0). true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title The ecology and evolution of the northern pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae) and the importance of its conservation in England
spellingShingle The ecology and evolution of the northern pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae) and the importance of its conservation in England
THOMAS LYONS
title_short The ecology and evolution of the northern pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae) and the importance of its conservation in England
title_full The ecology and evolution of the northern pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae) and the importance of its conservation in England
title_fullStr The ecology and evolution of the northern pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae) and the importance of its conservation in England
title_full_unstemmed The ecology and evolution of the northern pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae) and the importance of its conservation in England
title_sort The ecology and evolution of the northern pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae) and the importance of its conservation in England
author_id_str_mv 7984c9575f33f4befc62fe522915b340
author_id_fullname_str_mv 7984c9575f33f4befc62fe522915b340_***_THOMAS LYONS
author THOMAS LYONS
author2 THOMAS LYONS
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Pool frogs (Pelophylax lessonae) in northern Europe provide an intriguing opportunity to study a species complex in a conservation context. They form part of a species complex with the marsh frog (P. ridibundus) and the edible frog (P. kl. esculenta), with hybrid populations common across mainland Europe. However, small, isolated, single-species populations of a distinct northern clade exist along the coasts of the North and Baltic seas, including an extinct, and since reintroduced, population in England. These northern populations are of high conservation priority due to their declining numbers and ecological distinctness. This study employed maximum likelihood phylogenetic methods on 50 cytochrome B sequences to infer a phylogeny for the species, supporting previous theories that suggest pool frogs originated in the Italian Peninsula before migrating into Central Europe, where they rapidly spread and diversified. Sequences from Denmark and Italy appear ancestral, though limited genetic structure complicates further colonization inferences. Species Distribution Models (SDMs) assessed the climatic niche of pool frogs across Europe, revealing that northern populations occupy a narrower climatic niche, confined to low-lying coastal areas with low precipitation, compared to their hybrid counterparts. SDMs predict suitable climates for northern pool frogs in eastern and southeastern England, aligning with historical records. Conservation efforts should focus on restoring the species to East Anglia, southern Lincolnshire, and the Thames estuary, while mitigating the risks of hybridization with non-native Pelophylax species.
published_date 2025-02-07T08:30:35Z
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score 11.501582

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