Editing Spring peeper (section)

==Predation==

Spring peepers predators include [[Dytiscus|great diving beetle]] larvae (when in tadpole form), [[snake]]s, [[skunk]]s, and larger frogs.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spring Peeper ''Pseudacris crucifer'' |url=https://nhpbs.org/wild/springpeeper.asp |website=Wildlife Journal Junior |publisher=New Hampshire PBS |access-date=28 April 2022}}</ref>

Drying periods of ponds typically align before or during the metamorphic larval stage of spring peepers due to their slower growth rates. This suggests that higher mortality rates may be an effect.<ref name="Skelly-1996" /> Salamanders and particular kinds of fish are seen to have profound impacts on the survivorship of spring peeper tadpoles. Each type of pond typically hosts different predators: temporary ponds host beetle larvae and dragonflies, intermediate ponds host salamanders and beetle larvae, and permanent ponds host fishes and dragonfly larvae. Each predator plays a role as a potential predator to the spring peeper, depending on which type of pond they inhabit.<ref name="Skelly-1996">{{Cite journal |last=Skelly |first=David K. |date=1996-08-01 |title=Pond Drying, Predators, and the Distribution of Pseudacris Tadpoles |journal=Copeia |volume=1996 |issue=3 |pages=599–605 |doi=10.2307/1447523 |jstor=1447523 }}</ref>

Spring peeper larvae are thought to be poor competitors in environments where other anurans are present. This is typically due to the larval spring peepers' small size and lower levels of activity. The small size of the larval allows them to be able to deal with their depressed resource density. Larval spring peepers harvest smaller amounts of resources, resulting in them having lower metabolic costs and a maintained growth rate. Spring peepers are said to occupy locations where predators have previously gotten ridden of bigger competitors.<ref name="Skelly 1995 203–207"/>