Abstract
Hibernation is an important strategy that allows amphibian species to survive in cold weather conditions by minimizing their metabolic activities. This study reports unusual activity patterns of 7 different amphibian species across Türkiye. The findings, based on 16 different observation data, reveal that these species exhibit different behaviors during the winter period, a time when they are typically inactive. During the observations, it was found that soil and air temperatures are related to the timing of the species, activities. The data suggests that the movement of these species during this period could be triggered by local temperature increases or other environmental variables. Notably, some species were observed to surface or become active in response to short-term temperature increases. This phenomenon is important for studying the effects of global climate change on amphibian species. However, the ecological consequences of these behaviors, such as their impact on energy expenditure and predation risk, have not yet been fully understood. The findings of this study aim to contribute to the understanding of the ecological and environmental impacts of unusual activity during the hibernation period. Furthermore, they provide valuable insights into the ecology of amphibian species in Türkiye, offering important clues for conservation biology.
Thanks
The authors would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the students of Hacettepe University and amateur naturalists who generously contributed their winter activity records, as well as those identified from their personal social media profiles, to support this research. A special thanks to Ahmet Taşçı and Özgün Sipahioğlu for establishing the "Türkiye Wildlife Association" Facebook group, which served as the main repository for the majority of the data used in this paper. This study was presented on 7th National Zoology Congress (12-15 December 2024). We sincerely thank the reviewers for their insightful comments and constructive suggestions, which have significantly contributed to improving the clarity and scholarly rigor of the first draft of our manuscript.
References
- Altunışık A, Kara Y (2021). Unusual winter activity of Bufo bufo (Anura: Bufonidae). Turkish Journal of Biodiversity, 4(2): 105-107.
- Altunışık A (2019). A case study on earlier activation of the variable toad, Bufotes variabilis (Pallas, 1769). Biological Diversity and Conservation, 12(2): 38-40.
- Bülbül U, Koç H (2020). The unusual winter activity and negative effects of pollution on breeding of Ommatotriton ophryticus (Berthold, 1846) in Turkey. Sinop Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi, 5(1): 77-83.
- General Directorate of Meteorology (2025). https://www.mgm.gov.tr/. Accessed date: 10/01/2025.
- Iturra-Cid M, Vidal M, Labra A, Ortiz JC (2014). Winter thermal ecology of Pleurodema thaul (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae). Gayana, 78(1): 25-30.
- Kurnaz M, Şahin MK (2021). Unusual winter activity observations of two newt species (Ommatotriton ophryticus & Triturus ivanbureschi) from the Anatolian Peninsula. Uluslararası Tarım ve Yaban Hayatı Bilimleri Dergisi, 7(2): 337-342.
- López-Alcaide S, Macip-Ríos R (2011). Effects of climate change in amphibians and reptiles. Biodiversity Loss in a Changing Planet, (2011): 163-184.
- Podhajský L, & Gvoždík L (2016). Variation in winter metabolic reduction between sympatric amphibians. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 201: 110-114.
- Reading CJ (1998). The effect of winter temperatures on the timing of breeding activity in the common toad Bufo bufo. Oecologia, 117: 469-475.
- Root TL, Price JT, Hall KR, Schneider SH, Rosenzweig C, Pounds JA (2003). Fingerprints of global warming on wild animals and plants. Nature, 421: 57-60.
- Schmidt R, Zummach C, Sinai N, Sabino‐Pinto J, Künzel S, Dausmann KH, Ruthsatz K (2024b). Physiological responses to a changing winter climate in an early spring‐breeding amphibian. Ecology and Evolution, 14(7): e70042.
- Schmidt R, Zummach C, Sinai N, Sabino-Pinto J, Künzel S, Dausmann KH, Ruthsatz K (2024a). Between a Warm Winter and a Cold Spell: Physiological Responses to Changing Winter Climate in Amphibians. bioRxiv, 2024(01): 1-30.
- Şensoy S, Demircan M, Ulupinar Y, Balta I (2008). Climate of turkey. Turkish state meteorological service, 401: 1-13.
- Soil Temperature App (2025) https://soiltemperature.app/. Accessed date: 10/02/2025.
Abstract
Hibernasyon, amfibi türlerinin soğuk hava koşullarında metabolik aktivitelerini en aza indirerek hayatta kalmalarını sağlayan önemli bir stratejidir. Bu çalışma, Türkiye genelinde 7 farklı amfibi türünün alışılmadık aktivite örüntülerini rapor etmektedir. 16 farklı gözlem verisine dayanan bulgular, genellikle hareketsiz oldukları kış döneminde bu türlerin farklı davranışlar sergilediğini ortaya koymaktadır. Gözlemler sırasında, türlerin aktivitelerinin zamanlaması ile toprak ve hava sıcaklıklarının ilişkili olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Veriler, bu dönemdeki hareketlerin yerel sıcaklık artışları veya diğer çevresel değişkenler tarafından tetiklenebileceğini göstermektedir. Özellikle, bazı türlerin kısa süreli sıcaklık artışlarına yanıt olarak yüzeye çıktığı veya aktif hale geldiği gözlemlenmiştir. Bu olgu, küresel iklim değişikliğinin amfibi türleri üzerindeki etkilerinin incelenmesi açısından önem taşımaktadır. Ancak, bu davranışların enerji harcaması ve avlanma riski üzerindeki ekolojik sonuçları henüz tam olarak anlaşılmamıştır. Çalışmanın bulguları, hibernasyon dönemindeki alışılmadık aktivitelerin ekolojik ve çevresel etkilerinin anlaşılmasına katkı sağlamayı hedeflemektedir. Ayrıca, Türkiye’deki amfibi türlerinin ekolojisine dair değerli bilgiler sunarak koruma biyolojisi açısından önemli ipuçları sağlamaktadır.
References
- Altunışık A, Kara Y (2021). Unusual winter activity of Bufo bufo (Anura: Bufonidae). Turkish Journal of Biodiversity, 4(2): 105-107.
- Altunışık A (2019). A case study on earlier activation of the variable toad, Bufotes variabilis (Pallas, 1769). Biological Diversity and Conservation, 12(2): 38-40.
- Bülbül U, Koç H (2020). The unusual winter activity and negative effects of pollution on breeding of Ommatotriton ophryticus (Berthold, 1846) in Turkey. Sinop Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi, 5(1): 77-83.
- General Directorate of Meteorology (2025). https://www.mgm.gov.tr/. Accessed date: 10/01/2025.
- Iturra-Cid M, Vidal M, Labra A, Ortiz JC (2014). Winter thermal ecology of Pleurodema thaul (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae). Gayana, 78(1): 25-30.
- Kurnaz M, Şahin MK (2021). Unusual winter activity observations of two newt species (Ommatotriton ophryticus & Triturus ivanbureschi) from the Anatolian Peninsula. Uluslararası Tarım ve Yaban Hayatı Bilimleri Dergisi, 7(2): 337-342.
- López-Alcaide S, Macip-Ríos R (2011). Effects of climate change in amphibians and reptiles. Biodiversity Loss in a Changing Planet, (2011): 163-184.
- Podhajský L, & Gvoždík L (2016). Variation in winter metabolic reduction between sympatric amphibians. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 201: 110-114.
- Reading CJ (1998). The effect of winter temperatures on the timing of breeding activity in the common toad Bufo bufo. Oecologia, 117: 469-475.
- Root TL, Price JT, Hall KR, Schneider SH, Rosenzweig C, Pounds JA (2003). Fingerprints of global warming on wild animals and plants. Nature, 421: 57-60.
- Schmidt R, Zummach C, Sinai N, Sabino‐Pinto J, Künzel S, Dausmann KH, Ruthsatz K (2024b). Physiological responses to a changing winter climate in an early spring‐breeding amphibian. Ecology and Evolution, 14(7): e70042.
- Schmidt R, Zummach C, Sinai N, Sabino-Pinto J, Künzel S, Dausmann KH, Ruthsatz K (2024a). Between a Warm Winter and a Cold Spell: Physiological Responses to Changing Winter Climate in Amphibians. bioRxiv, 2024(01): 1-30.
- Şensoy S, Demircan M, Ulupinar Y, Balta I (2008). Climate of turkey. Turkish state meteorological service, 401: 1-13.
- Soil Temperature App (2025) https://soiltemperature.app/. Accessed date: 10/02/2025.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Terrestrial Ecology, Vertebrate Biology |
| Journal Section | Research Articles |
| Authors | |
| Early Pub Date | June 30, 2025 |
| Publication Date | June 30, 2025 |
| Submission Date | February 18, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | April 25, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025 Volume: 7 Issue: 1 |
Cite
The articles in KMUJENS are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Commercial use of the content is prohibited. Articles in the journal can be used as long as the author and original source are cited.