The coexistence strategy during the breeding season—the acoustic niche partitioning of Pelophylax terentievi and P. nigromaculatus in Xinjiang, China

Sympatric vocal species may compete for acoustic environment resources, thereby elevating the risk of interspecific interference and mismatch in the breeding season. P. nigromaculatus , primarily distributed in East Asia, is a non-native species in Xinjiang. It was introduced to the region through aquaculture activities and now occurs sympatrically with the native species P. terentievi . This study explored the acoustic niche partitioning between the two species by analyzing the differences in the advertisement calls’ time, vocalization location and call parameters. The results showed that there were significant differences in the call parameters of the two species, and there was a clear partitioning in the choice of vocal time, which might effectively reduce interspecific interference and improve species recognition efficiency. However, there was no difference in the choice of vocalization location. In addition, temperature had an impact on the vocal rhythms and call parameters of two species. Therefore, the acoustic niche partitioning of the two was the partitioning of vocal time and call parameters. This study provided a basis for understanding the adaptive mechanisms of vocal behavior of desert amphibians and also offered scientific support for biodiversity conservation and ecological monitoring in this region.