9,366 research outputs found

    The reproductive dynamics of temperate amphibians: a review

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    The annual life cycle of pond breeding amphibians is characterized by periodical migrations between three critical habitats: breeding, post breeding - feeding - and hibernating. The breeding season starts with the migration of the reproductive adults toward the breeding site and is characterized by intense manifestations in behavior and development of secondary sexual characters. Time spent in the water is strongly influenced by the outcome of success in courtship, insemination and/or fertilization. The aim of this review is to summarize some major findings of the main research directions regarding the reproductive dynamics of temperate (and especially European) amphibians. These are presented in detail for the most studied European species: Triturus vulgaris, Bufo bufo, B. calamita and Rana temporaria

    Effects of within-patch heterogeneity on connectivity in pond-breeding amphibians studied by means of an individual-based model

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    The metapopulation framework presumes the habitat of a local population to be continuous and homogenous, and patch area is often used as a proxy for population size. Many populations of pond-breeding amphibians are assumed to follow metapopulation dynamics, and connectivity is mostly measured between breeding ponds. However, the habitat of pond-breeding amphibians is not only defined by the pond but, typically, consists of a breeding pond surrounded by clusters of disjoint summer-habitat patches interspersed with an agricultural/semi-urban matrix. We hypothesise that the internal structure of a habitat patch may change connectivity in two ways: (i) by affecting animal movements and thereby emigration and immigration probabilities; and (ii) by affecting habitat quality and population size. To test our hypotheses, we apply a spatially explicit individual-based model of Moor frog dispersal. We find that the realised connectivity depends on internal structure of both the target and the source patch as well as on how habitat quality is affected by patch structure. Although fragmentation is generally thought to have negative effects on connectivity, our results suggest that, depending on patch structure and habitat quality, positive effects on connectivity may occur

    WOODLAND POND SALAMANDER ABUNDANCE IN RELATION TO FOREST MANAGEMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS IN NORTHERN WISCONSIN

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    Woodland ponds are important landscape features that help sustain populations of amphibians that require this aquatic habitat for successful reproduction. Species abundance patterns often reflect site-specific differences in hydrology, physical characteristics, and surrounding vegetation. Large-scale processes such as changing land cover and environmental conditions are other potential drivers influencing amphibian populations in the Upper Midwest, but little information exists on the combined effects of these factors. We used Blue-spotted (Ambystoma laterale Hallowell) and Spotted Salamander (A. maculatum Shaw) monitoring data collected at the same woodland ponds thirteen years apart to determine if changing environmental conditions and vegetation cover in surrounding landscapes influenced salamander movement phenology and abundance. Four woodland ponds in northern Wisconsin were sampled for salamanders in April 1992-1994 and 2005-2007. While Bluespotted Salamanders were more abundant than Spotted Salamanders in all ponds, there was no change in the numbers of either species over the years. However, peak numbers of Blue-spotted Salamanders occurred 11.7 days earlier (range: 9-14 days) in the 2000s compared to the 1990s; Spotted Salamanders occurred 9.5 days earlier (range: 3 - 13 days). Air and water temperatures (April 13- 24) increased, on average, 4.8 oC and 3.7 oC, respectively, between the decades regardless of pond. There were no discernible changes in canopy openness in surrounding forests between decades that would have warmed the water sooner (i.e., more light penetration). Our finding that salamander breeding phenology can vary by roughly 10 days in Wisconsin contributes to growing evidence that amphibian populations have responded to changing climate conditions by shifting life-cycle events. Managers can use this information to adjust monitoring programs and forest management activities in the surrounding landscape to avoid vulnerable amphibian movement periods. Considering direct and indirect stressors such as changing habitat and environmental conditions simultaneously to better understand trends in space and time can help improve monitoring programs for this taxa, which is at major risk of continued declines

    Choosing the best of both worlds

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    The great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) is dependent on two environments for its survival: the aquatic habitat necessary for breeding and development, and the terrestrial habitat required for post-breeding and juvenile activities. For a population to be able to survive in a landscape, both habitat types must be present within migration distance from each other. The overall aim of this thesis is to find and describe prerequisites of environments and landscapes that make them sufficient as habitats for the great crested newt. The purpose is also to present the results in a conservation perspective and to discuss them in relation to practical examples. In five separate studies, performed in Ă–rebro County, south-central Sweden, the aquatic and terrestrial habitats of the species were examined. The first study examined aquatic plants in a variety of ponds and landscapes, to determine if the diversity of plant species was higher in ponds where great crested newts were present. I found that ponds with newts had a significantly higher mean number of plant species than ponds without the species. The second study focused on the question if there are chemical and physical characteristics that determine occurrence of great crested newts. The results showed that temperature and nutrient levels (nitrogen and phosphorus) were important in distinguishing between ponds with and without newts, whereas other physical variables were less important. My results also suggest that the great crested newt selects ponds with low nutrient levels for breeding, while the species may also be present in ponds with higher nutrient levels. The third study used radio-telemetry in an attempt to determine how the great crested newt moved in its terrestrial habitat and which micro-habitats it used while the focal point of study four was the landscape and if landscape composition may predict use of ponds as aquatic habitats. Combined, studies three and four suggest that management of the species should to a greater extent include terrestrial habitat, with special attention given to older, deciduous-rich forest within approximately 200 m of breeding ponds. The aim of the last study was to describe and evaluate a project concerning translocation of a great crested newt population. I point out the necessity of long-term monitoring to distinguish any possible success with respect to site sustainability and population size

    AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE COLONIZATION OF RECLAIMED COAL SPOIL GRASSLANDS

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    While habitat loss is a major driver of amphibian and reptile declines globally, a subset of post-industrial landscapes, reclaimed and restored, are creating habitat for these animals. In a previous work, we showed that amphibians and reptiles use reclaimed and restored grasslands. In the present work we quantify captures at drift-fence/pitfall trap arrays over two consecutive years and show that several species of amphibians are not only successfully reproducing but that juveniles are being recruited into the population. In particular, 15,844 amphibians and 334 reptiles representing 25 species (14 amphibians, 11 reptiles) were captured at drift fences in 2009 and 2010. Nine additional reptile species were found opportunistically while conducting other research activities at the study site. Out of a total of 8,064 metamorphosing juveniles we detected 126 malformations, a 1.6% rate. The major malformation types were limbs missing (amelia) or foreshortened (ectromely), eye discolorations, and digits foreshortened (ectrodactyly) or small (brachydactyly). Our data show that reclaimed, restored, and properly managed landscapes can support reproducing populations of amphibians and reptiles with low malformation rates, including species in decline across other portions of their range

    Creation of temporary ponds for amphibians in northern and central Europe

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    More than 4000 ponds have been created or restored in Denmark since 1985 as part of a large-scale pond-digging programme to protect endangered amphibians in particular and pond flora and fauna in general. Most ponds are created on private land with public financing. The programme was triggered by, among other factors, a drastic decline in amphibian populations in Denmark between 1940 and 1980. However, in recent years there has been an increased awareness in Denmark that temporary ponds are important for the conservation of some of the most rare amphibian species, such as fire-bellied toad Bombina bombina, natterjack toad Bufo calamita and green toad Bufo viridis. Other rare species such as moor frog Rana arvalis and European tree frog Hyla arborea also benefit from temporary ponds. The last 15 years of work on the conservation of endangered species and their habitats has resulted in a last-minute rescue and a subsequent growth in the size of most Danish populations of fire-bellied toad and green toad; some populations of the relatively more common natterjack toad have also increased. The creation of temporary ponds plays an important role in the success of these three species. The creation of ponds to help restore viable populations of the most rare amphibians has not been easy. To study the conditions that may need to be created, Danish herpetologists searched for areas with temporary ponds that had good water quality, natural hydrological conditions and a management regime influenced by traditional agricultural methods. The paper gives an overview of pond creation and restoration projects in Denmark and Poland and their significance for amphibian diversity

    USING CALLING ACTIVITY TO PREDICT CALLING ACTIVITY: A CASE STUDY WITH THE ENDANGERED HOUSTON TOAD (BUFO [ANAXYRUS] HOUSTONENSIS)

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    Understanding anuran calling activity patterns is important for maximizing efficiency and value of call survey data collection and analyses. Previous studies have primarily focused on identifying and quantifying abiotic variables that influence anuran calling activity, and investigating relationships between calling activity and population estimates. In this study we investigated the use of a predictor pond approach to guide call survey effort. In this approach, calling activity at a subset of breeding sites (e.g., ponds) is used as a predictor of calling activity at additional breeding sites, with the goal being to minimize sampling effort while simultaneously maximizing sampling efficiency. We explored the efficiency of this approach using call survey data collected on the endangered Houston Toad (Bufo [Anaxyrus] houstonensis) at 15 known breeding ponds over 9 survey years. We found that if calling activity at 3 predictor ponds was used to decide if additional call surveys would occur at the remaining 12 ponds, we would have hypothetically correctly assumed calling activity was not occurring at non-predictor ponds on 92.1% of survey nights, and we would have hypothetically detected 93.9% of the total number of detected individuals over the 9 survey years. We found the predictor pond approach performed well in our case study, and believe it could be a valuable tool for many anuran monitoring programs

    Effects of hydroperiod on metamorphosis in \u3ci\u3eRana sphenocephala\u3c/i\u3e

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    Hydroperiod, the time a temporary pond holds water, is an important factor influencing recruitment in amphibian populations and structuring amphibian communities. We conducted an experiment to test the effect of hydroperiod on metamorphic traits of the southern leopard frog (Rana sphenocephala), a common amphibian in the southeastern United States. We reared larval R. sphenocephala in artificial ponds at a density of 32 larvae per tank (initial volume = approximately 650 liter). We dried the tanks according to natural patterns, using three different hydroperiods (60, 75 and 90 d). Experimental hydroperiods had a significant effect on the number of metamorphs and the length of the larval period, but not on overall survival (larvae + metamorphs) nor size at metamorphosis. Our findings confirm a pattern observed in field studies and are similar to results of experimental investigations of closely related ranid frogs. Our results demonstrate that relatively small differences in hydroperiod length (i.e., as little as 15 d) may have large effects on juvenile recruitment in R. sphenocephala

    An Experimental Test of Buffer Utility as a Technique for Managing Pool-Breeding Amphibians

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    Vegetated buffers are used extensively to manage wetland-dependent wildlife. Despite widespread application, buffer utility has not been experimentally validated for most species. To address this gap, we conducted a six-year, landscape-scale experiment, testing how buffers of different widths affect the demographic structure of two amphibian species at 11 ephemeral pools in a working forest of the northeastern U.S. We randomly assigned each pool to one of three treatments (i.e., reference, 100m buffer, 30m buffer) and clearcut to create buffers. We captured all spotted salamanders and wood frogs breeding in each pool and examined the impacts of treatment and hydroperiod on breeding-population abundance, sex ratio, and recapture rate. The negative effects of clearcutting tended to increase as forest-buffer width decreased and be strongest for salamanders and when other stressors were present (e.g., at short-hydroperiod pools). Recapture rates were reduced in the 30m, but not 100m, treatment. Throughout the experiment for frogs, and during the first year post-cut for salamanders, the predicted mean proportion of recaptured adults in the 30m treatment was only 62% and 40%, respectively, of that in the reference treatment. Frog sex ratio and abundance did not differ across treatments, but salamander sex ratios were increasingly male-biased in both cut treatments. By the final year, there were on average, only about 40% and 65% as many females predicted in the 100m and 30m treatments, respectively, compared to the first year. Breeding salamanders at short-hydroperiod pools were about 10% as abundant in the 100m versus reference treatment. Our study demonstrates that buffers partially mitigate the impacts of habitat disturbance on wetland-dependent amphibians, but buffer width and hydroperiod critically mediate that process. We provide the first experimental evidence showing that 30-m-wide buffers may be insufficient for maintaining resilient breeding populations of pool-dependent amphibians, at least during the first six years post-disturbance
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