start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=16 cd-vols= no-issue=3 article-no= start-page=369 end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2026 dt-pub=20260123 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Impact of the July 2018 Heavy Rain Disaster on the Endangered Nagoya Daruma Pond Frog (Pelophylax porosus brevipodus) in Rice Fields of Mabi Town, Kurashiki City, Western Japan: Changes in Population Structure over Five Years en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Rice paddy fields (referred to below as rice fields) are important not only for food production, but also as habitats for various species. The Nagoya Daruma Pond Frog (Pelophylax porosus brevipodus) is an endangered frog species endemic to Japan, mainly living in and around rice field areas. In July 2018, heavy rainfall caused severe flooding in Mabi Town of Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, submerging numerous rice fields and affecting local frog populations, including P. porosus brevipodus. To clarify whether the population structure of P. porosus brevipodus changed following the flood disaster in the rice fields of Mabi Town, we conducted quantitative field surveys in a rice fallow field in mid-October before (2017) and after (2018, 2020?2022, excluding 2019) the flood. The number of frogs declined sharply after the 2018 flood, reaching only a few individuals by 2020, but showed a substantial recovery in 2021 following the resumption of rice cultivation, although numbers decreased again in 2022. This recovery, despite fluctuations, indicates that habitat restoration through rice farming played a key role in enabling the population to rebound. Our findings underscore the importance of maintaining and restoring rice field environments after natural disasters for the survival and long-term recovery of P. porosus brevipodus. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=NakajimaRyo en-aut-sei=Nakajima en-aut-mei=Ryo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=AzumiDaisuke en-aut-sei=Azumi en-aut-mei=Daisuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=TadaMasakazu en-aut-sei=Tada en-aut-mei=Masakazu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=NakaichiJunya en-aut-sei=Nakaichi en-aut-mei=Junya kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=KatsuharaKoki R. en-aut-sei=Katsuhara en-aut-mei=Koki R. kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=NakataKazuyoshi en-aut-sei=Nakata en-aut-mei=Kazuyoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Okayama Prefectural Public Interest Incorporated Foundation for Environmental Conservation kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University kn-affil= en-keyword=agroecosystem kn-keyword=agroecosystem en-keyword=conservation ecology kn-keyword=conservation ecology en-keyword=endangered amphibian kn-keyword=endangered amphibian en-keyword=paddy field kn-keyword=paddy field en-keyword=post-disaster habitat recovery kn-keyword=post-disaster habitat recovery END