• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.575-581
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• 2018

The relationship between the body size of species and the environment has been an active research subject for many years. Until recently, studies had focused on the relationship between the body size and environment based on the ecogeographic rule for various animal groups. In this study, we examined the relationship between body size of Hyla japonica and the habitat environment in Jeju island located at the southernmost part of the Korean peninsula. We collected H. japonica from three breeding sites, Cheonji, Bonggae, and Aewol, and measured SVL, BW, and HW of the species. We also measured the altitude, longitude, latitude, annual mean temperature, and annual mean precipitation of each site to analyze the relationship between the body size and the habitat environment. The analysis results showed that there was the clear difference of the body size according to the habitat and the body size in Aewol was significantly bigger than others, while the body size in Cheonji was the smallest. The altitude was the most important environmental variable and showed a positive correlation with body size. The body size of H. japonica increased as the altitude increased, and this results were consistent with Bergmann's rule, one of the biological laws related to body size. In conclusion, the environment could affect the body size of H. japonica, and the body size has a certain direction according to the environment.