Open AccessSmooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris and common toad Bufo bufo populations persisting in the unusually small area of Sommers Island in the Baltic Sea
Author(s) -
Igor Popov
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
herpetological bulletin
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.303
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 2634-1387
pISSN - 1473-0928
DOI - 10.33256/hb156.610
Subject(s) - bufo , toad , habitat , population , ecology , amphibian , biology , geography , reproduction , zoology , fishery , demography , sociology
Sommers Island is an abandoned 20 ha patch of land in the Baltic Sea. It is inhabited by isolated populations of smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) and common toad (Bufo bufo). The island demonstrates the small area in which it is possible to have a stable population of newts and toads for a period of at least several decades, probably much longer. Most reproduction of both species occurred in one pool with an area of about 100 m². The total area of optimal terrestrial habitat is about 2.5 ha, with an additional 3.5 ha of sub-optimal habitat available. The island is inhabited by about 123 adult newts and several dozen adult toads.