Introducing water frogs - Is there a risk for indigenous species in France?

The ecological success of introduced species in their new environments is difficult to predict. Recently, the water frog species Rana ridibunda has raised interest, as different genetic lineages were introduced to various European countries. The aim of the present study was to analyze the potential invasiveness of R. ridibunda and assess the risk of replacement for indigenous water frog species. The investigation of over 700 water frogs from 22 locations in southern France and four locations in Spain shows that the competition with indigenous species is mainly limited to a particular habitat type, characterized by high-oxygen and low-salinity freshwater. The competitive strength of R. ridib…