Citizen science reveals widespread negative effects of roads on amphibian distributions

Landscape structure is important for shaping the abundance and distribution of amphibians, but prior studies of landscape effects have been species or ecosystem-specific. Using a large-scale, citizen science-generated database, we examined the effects of habitat composition, road disturbance, and habitat split (i.e. the isolation of wetland from forest by intervening land use) on the distribution and richness of frogs and toads in the eastern and central United States. Undergraduates from nine biology and environmental science courses collated occupancy data and characterized landscape structure at 1617 sampling locations from the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program. Our analysis revealed that anuran species richness and individual species distributions were consistently constrained by both road density and traffic volume. In contrast, developed land around wetlands had small, or even positive effects on anuran species richness and distributions after controlling for road effects. Effects of upland habitat composition varied among species, and habitat split had only weak effects on species richness or individual species distributions. Mechanisms underlying road effects on amphibians involve direct mortality, behavioral barriers to movement, and reduction in the quality of roadside habitats. Our results suggest that the negative effects of roads on amphibians occur across broad geographic regions, affecting even common species, and they underscore the importance of developing effective strategies to mitigate the impacts of roads on amphibian populations

Regional and scale-specific effects of land use on amphibian diversity [poster]

Background/Question/Methods Habitat loss and degradation influence amphibian distributions and are important drivers of population declines. Our previous research demonstrated that road disturbance, development and wetland area consistently influence amphibian richness across regions of the U.S. Here, we examined the relative importance of these factors in different regions and at multiple spatial scales. Understanding the scales at which habitat disturbance may be affecting amphibian distributions is important for conservation planning. Specifically, we asked: 1) Over what spatial scales do distinct landscape features affect amphibian richness? and 2) Do road types (non-rural and rural) have similar effects on amphibian richness? This is the second year of a collaborative, nationwide project involving 11 U.S. colleges integrated within undergraduate biology curricula. We summarized North American Amphibian Monitoring Program data in 13 Eastern and Central U.S states and used geographic information systems to extract landscape data for 471 survey locations. We developed models to quantify the influence of landscape variables on amphibian species richness and site occupancy across five concentric buffers ranging from 300m to 10,000m. Results/Conclusions Across spatial scales, development, road density and agriculture were the best predictors of amphibian richness and site occupancy by individual species. Across regions, we found that scale did not exert a large influence on how landscape features influenced amphibian richness as effects were largely comparable across buffers. However, development and percent impervious surface had stronger influence on richness at smaller spatial scales. Richness was lower at survey locations with higher densities of non-rural and rural roads, and non-rural road density had a larger negative effect at smaller scales. Within regions, landscape features driving patterns of species richness varied. The scales at which these factors were associated with richness were highly variable within regions, suggesting the scale effects may be region specific. Our project demonstrates that networks of undergraduate students can collaborate to compile and analyze large ecological data sets, while engaging students in authentic and inquiry-based learning in landscape-scale ecology

Father-infant play is influenced by infant temperament and sex

In general, father-infant play is qualitatively different from mother-infant play. For example, father-infant play is often more physical and less predictable than mother-infant play. Fathers may find high levels of certain temperament traits, such as activity level, adaptability, and intensity, particularly amenable to their active play style. Participants were 373 fathers participating in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. Temperament was assessed at 6 months of age using a maternal report measure. Father-infant play was assessed at 6, 15, and 24 months of age using a paternal report measure. Separate multiple regressions were conducted to predict fathers’ play with their infants at each age from ratings of infant temperament. The regression was significant at 15 months, F(5, 372)=2.32, p=.04, R2=.03, but not at 6 or 24 months. At 15 months, fathers reported playing and talking with their infants more if the infants were less intense (β=-.12), more approaching (β=-.17), and less adaptable (β=.18). Repeating analyses separately for fathers of boys and girls indicated that infant temperament and father play were related only for fathers of boys, F(5, 192)=2.76, p=.02, R2=.07. Results suggest that, contrary to expectations that fathers would prefer to play with more intense and adaptable children, fathers interact more with less intense and adaptable infants. Moreover, these results were specific to boys. Observations of fathers’ behaviors when interacting with their non-adaptable and mild boys and girls would allow for a better understanding of the mechanisms behind these findings

Do maternal warm and encouraging statements reduce shy toddlers’ social reticence?

Early and persistent shyness is associated with increased risk for social anxiety and other poor social outcomes. Although numerous intervention efforts have been directed at reducing this risk by modifying shy or inhibited children\u27s social behaviours toward peers, few have utilized parents despite their particular influence on young children\u27s social interactions, and none have targeted children younger than preschool age. We evaluated the influence of two maternal parenting behaviours, verbal expressions of warmth and verbal encouragement of play, on shy toddlers\u27 social behaviours with unfamiliar peers. We found that the encouragement statements, but not the warm statements, reduced social reticence in shy children. These findings suggest that maternal behaviours that encourage peer social play have the potential to teach shy toddlers to approach instead of avoid social novelty and merit further study

Father-infant play is influenced by infant temperament and sex

In general, father-infant play is qualitatively different from mother-infant play. For example, father-infant play is often more physical and less predictable than mother-infant play. Fathers may find high levels of certain temperament traits, such as activity level, adaptability, and intensity, particularly amenable to their active play style. Participants were 373 fathers participating in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. Temperament was assessed at 6 months of age using a maternal report measure. Father-infant play was assessed at 6, 15, and 24 months of age using a paternal report measure. Separate multiple regressions were conducted to predict fathers’ play with their infants at each age from ratings of infant temperament. The regression was significant at 15 months, F(5, 372)=2.32, p=.04, R2=.03, but not at 6 or 24 months. At 15 months, fathers reported playing and talking with their infants more if the infants were less intense (β=-.12), more approaching (β=-.17), and less adaptable (β=.18). Repeating analyses separately for fathers of boys and girls indicated that infant temperament and father play were related only for fathers of boys, F(5, 192)=2.76, p=.02, R2=.07. Results suggest that, contrary to expectations that fathers would prefer to play with more intense and adaptable children, fathers interact more with less intense and adaptable infants. Moreover, these results were specific to boys. Observations of fathers’ behaviors when interacting with their non-adaptable and mild boys and girls would allow for a better understanding of the mechanisms behind these findings

Relations between maternal behaviors and temperament in infancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood

Previous research has found that mothers of preschool children with slow-to-warm-up and difficult temperament demonstrate more controlling behaviors toward their children than mothers of easy and intermediate preschoolers (Simonds & Simonds, 1981). Data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care (NICHD SECC) were used in the present study to further examine relations between maternal behaviors and temperament in infancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood. Participants were 1,072 mothers and their children. Temperament was assessed at 6 months using a modified version of the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire (RITQ; Carey & McDevitt, 1978). Temperament category scores were derived as outlined by Carey and McDevitt (1978) from the raw data obtained at 6 months. The maternal behaviors evaluated in the present study were maternal sensitivity, derived from a laboratory observation, and maternal stimulation and support, derived from the Home Observation for the Measurement of the Environment (HOME). A two-way mixed design analysis of variance was conducted to evaluate associations between maternal sensitivity at 6, 15, 24, and 36 months and the 6-month temperament categories. Significant main effects were found for Age (p \u3c .01) and Temperament (p \u3c .01). The Age x Temperament interaction was nonsignificant. Pairwise comparisons revealed that mothers of difficult infants demonstrated significantly less sensitivity toward their 6-month-old infants when interacting with their children than mothers of easy or intermediate infants, and this pattern continued in toddlerhood and in early childhood. A second two-way mixed design analysis of variance evaluated associations between the overall HOME score at 6, 15, and 36 months and infant temperament category at 6 months. Significant effects were found for Age (p \u3c .01), Temperament (p \u3c .01), and for the interaction of Age x Temperament (p \u3c .01). Pairwise comparisons revealed a number of effects of temperament. In particular, mothers of children who were difficult in infancy demonstrated significantly less stimulation and support toward their children at 36 months than did mothers of children who were slow-to-warm-up, easy, or intermediate in infancy. Results from the present study support and expand earlier findings by indicating that children who are difficult in infancy receive less stimulation and support in the home and less sensitivity from their mothers in infancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood than children who are slow-to-warm-up, easy, or intermediate in infancy. Interventions promoting mothers’ understanding of their children’s temperament characteristics may help to reduce these differences

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Father-infant play is influenced by infant temperament and sex

In general, father-infant play is qualitatively different from mother-infant play. For example, father-infant play is often more physical and less predictable than mother-infant play. Fathers may find high levels of certain temperament traits, such as activity level, adaptability, and intensity, particularly amenable to their active play style. Participants were 373 fathers participating in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. Temperament was assessed at 6 months of age using a maternal report measure. Father-infant play was assessed at 6, 15, and 24 months of age using a paternal report measure. Separate multiple regressions were conducted to predict fathers’ play with their infants at each age from ratings of infant temperament. The regression was significant at 15 months, F(5, 372)=2.32, p=.04, R2=.03, but not at 6 or 24 months. At 15 months, fathers reported playing and talking with their infants more if the infants were less intense (β=-.12), more approaching (β=-.17), and less adaptable (β=.18). Repeating analyses separately for fathers of boys and girls indicated that infant temperament and father play were related only for fathers of boys, F(5, 192)=2.76, p=.02, R2=.07. Results suggest that, contrary to expectations that fathers would prefer to play with more intense and adaptable children, fathers interact more with less intense and adaptable infants. Moreover, these results were specific to boys. Observations of fathers’ behaviors when interacting with their non-adaptable and mild boys and girls would allow for a better understanding of the mechanisms behind these findings