Keeler, Sharon

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices4-21-2003UNH Partners with International Paper on Studyto Better Understand Amphibian Ecology in VernalPoolsSharon KeelerFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationKeeler, Sharon, "UNH Partners with International Paper on Study to Better Understand Amphibian Ecology in Vernal Pools" (2003).UNH Today. 1896.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/189610/9/17, 12)50 PMUNH Partners with International Paper on Study to Better Understand Amphibian Ecology in Vernal PoolsPage 1 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2003/april/sk_20030422salamander.htmlThe UNH project will examine therelationship between the degree offorest disturbance, and the size ofspotted salamander and wood treefrog populations.Download photo here UNH Partners with International Paper onStudy to Better Understand AmphibianEcology in Vernal PoolsContact: Sharon KeelerUNH News Bureau(603) 862-1566April 21, 2003DURHAM, N.H. -- University of New Hampshire researchers thisspring will study the impact of forest modifications such as timberharvests on amphibian populations in the vernal pool habitats ofnorthern New England forests.The study is funded by a $390,000grant awarded to the university by theU.S. Department of Agriculture.Fed by snowmelt and rain, vernalpools fill in early spring and generallydry up between mid-summer and fall.These pools, and the surroundingupland forest, are critical to theamphibian life cycle.Adult frogs and salamanders lay theireggs in these wetlands, and oncehatched, the larvae remain there whileundergoing metamorphosis. The new generation of frogs andsalamanders then moves into the nearby upland habitat, laterreturning to the wetlands to breed."Vernal pools are the exclusive or facultative breeding habitat formany amphibians in the United States," says Kimberly Babbitt, UNHassociate professor of wildlife ecology, who is conducting the projectwith postdoctoral research associate Matthew Baber. "Consequentlythere has been an effort on the part of forest managers to create a'hands off' buffer zone around these pools. The question is how broada buffer does one need to truly make a difference for thesepopulations?"Research to answer that question is lacking for forests in Maine andNew Hampshire. With this study, the researchers hope to provide the10/9/17, 12)50 PMUNH Partners with International Paper on Study to Better Understand Amphibian Ecology in Vernal PoolsPage 2 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2003/april/sk_20030422salamander.htmlscientific basis for ecologically and economically sound forestmanagement in this region.International Paper, which manages more than 12 million acres ofland in the United States, will participate in the study by makingcontrolled cuts in woodlands around vernal pools to support theproject's experimental design."This study will provide the science to support forest managementthat conserves wetland habitats and the fauna that depend on them tosurvive," says Gary Donovan, a wildlife ecologist for InternationalPaper. "It will help us to insure that all indigenous natural resourcesremain viable in commercially managed forests."The project will examine the relationship between the degree of forestdisturbance, and the size of wood frog and spotted salamanderpopulations. Babbitt and Baber plan to manipulate the width of bufferzones around certain pools to determine whether there is a minimumwidth that protects these populations. Using radio tracking, they willstudy the movement of both species."Protecting wetlands is important, but amphibians require uplandhabitat as well," says Babbitt. "This aspect of their ecology, so criticalto sound forest management, has been under-appreciated. We areexcited to be addressing this important subject with the help ofInternational Paper." (Contibuting writer: Dolores Leonard, UNHPublications)Back to UNH News Bureau

UNH Partners with International Paper on Study to Better Understand Amphibian Ecology in Vernal Pools

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UNH Partners with International Paper on Study to Better Understand Amphibian Ecology in Vernal Pools

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