Hargis, S. E.

Harr, M.-K.

Henderson, C. J.

Kim, W. J.

Smith, Geoffrey R.

English

Denison University

Denison University Denison Digital Commons Denison Faculty Publications 2008 Factors influencing the distribution of overwintered bullfrog tadpoles (Rana catesbeiana) in two small ponds S. E. Hargis M.-K. Harr C. J. Henderson W. J. Kim Geoffrey R. Smith Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.denison.edu/facultypubs  Part of the Biology Commons Recommended Citation Hargis, S. E., Harr, M.-K., Henderson, C. J., Kim, W. J., & Smith, G. R. (2008). Factors influencing the distribution of overwintered bullfrog tadpoles (Rana catesbeiana) in two small ponds. Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society, 44(2), 39-41. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Denison Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Denison Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Denison Digital Commons. Volume 44 Number 2 June2008 Factors ;Influencing the Distribution of Overwintered 'Bullfrog Tadpoles (Rana catesbeiana) in Two Small Ponds Ah.sir.act We studied the effects of vegetation, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and depth on the distribution of overwintered bullfrog tadpoles, Rana catesbeiana, during the early spring within two small ponds (Spring Peeper Pond and Olde Minnow Pond) in cen.tral Ohio. Vegetation arid water temperature significantly influenced tadpole distributior1 in Olde Minnow Pond, whereas oxygen significantly influenced tadpole distribution in Spring Peeper Pond. Water deptl1 did not affect tadpole distribution in either pond. In more northern populations, American bullfrog tadpoles (Rana catesbeiana) typically overwinter. Son1e observations suggest that bullfrog tadpoles shift their habitat use as they grow from the shallows along a pond's edge when small to the deeper waters at tl1e center of a pond wher1 larger ( e.g., Werner, 1992; Smith and Rettig, 1996). We investigated the distribution of overwintered 1\merican bullfrog tadpoles within two small ponds in central Ohio, USA during the early Spring. We were particularly interested in determining if various physical and biotic characteristics cot1ld explain variation in tadpole distributions within and between these ponds. Within-po11d distributions of anuran larvae can be a function of water depth, presence of aquatic vegetation, substrate type, dissolved oxygen content, and temperature ( e.g., Noland and Ultsch, 1981; Alford, 1986; Warkentin, 1992; Nie et al., 1999; Ultsch et al., 1999; Smith et al., 2003). Materlalsalld .. Methrul~ The two ponds we investigated, Spring Peeper Pond and Olde Minnow Pond, are located on the Denison University Biological Reserve, Granville, Licking Co., Ohio, USA (40°05'00N, 82°31 '0S''W; elevation= 308 m asl). The po11ds are separated by 100 m. In a typical year, Spring Peeper dries up in late August or early Septern,ber after a summer drought which typically lasts from June througl1 August; however for 2 or 3 years prior to this study, Spring Peeper had n.ot dried up and held 'Nater year round. Olde Mi11now is a permanent pond. Botl1 ponds are supplied by springs and run-off, and are known to support several amphibian species (Scl1ultz and Mick, 1998; Smith et al., 2003). We collected information on abiotic variables and bullfrog tadpole distributions once a week from 25 March to 11 April 2006. Each week we sampled up to 13 sites around the perimeter of each por1d. We assumed that because of temporal changes in the pond ru1d time between samples that the samples from different dates were independent (see Smith et al., 2003). We thus pooled data within each pond for our analyses. In order to estimate the abundance of tadpoles at each site, We used dipnets to complete 3 I rn long sweeps at each site, with ample time betweer1 sweeps to allow for tadpoles to return to the site. 1"'he number of tadpoles was recorded after each series of sweeps. Vegetative cover for each site wa,s visually estimated using a pre-determir1ed scale from 1 to 5, vvitl1 1 denoting no vegetation, and 5 denoting dense vegetation. Dissolved oxygen and water temperature were measured at each site using a YSI 550A meter. Each of these measurements was taken halfway between the surface of tl1e water and the bottom of the pond. Depth wa,s measured using a meter stick. Regression analyses v1ere t1sed to examine the relationship between the number of tadpoles and vegetative --~ - -- ----Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Soc.iety page 39 Volume 44 Number 2 June 2008 cover and abiotic factors within the ponds. R,esplts~ The number of bullfrog tadpoles was positively correlated with vegetative cover in Olde Minnow Pond (Bullfrog tadpoles= 0.037 + 0.889(vegetation index); n = 27, r2 = 0.183, P = 0.0026) but not in Spring Peeper Pond (n = 28, r2 = 0.038 , P = 0.32). Tadpole abundance was positively related to water temperature in Olde Minnow Pond (Bullfrog tadpoles= -5.46 + 4.04(temperature); n = 27, r2 = 0 .171 , P = 0.032), but not in Spring Peeper Pond (n = 28, r2 = 0.091, P = 0.12). There was no significant relationship between dissolved oxygen and tadpole abundance in Olde Minnow Pond (n = 23, r2 = 0.012, P = 0.68), but a significant positive relationship was found in Spring Peeper Pond (Bullfrog tadpoles= -20.6 + 5.99(DO); n = 23, r2 = 0.171 , P = 0.0053). Depth did not affect tadpole number in either Spring Peeper Pond (n = 28, r2 = 0.092, P = 0.12) or Olde Minnow Pond (n = 27, r2 = 0.048, P = 0.27). Within each individual pond, different factors significantly affected tadpole distribution. Vegetation and water temperature significantly influenced tadpole distribution in Olde Minnow Pond, whereas dissolved oxygen had a significant influence on tadpole distribution in Spring Peeper Pond. Water depth did not affect tadpole distribution in either pond. Our results are partially consistent with previous laboratory experiments and field observations on the habitat use of bullfrog tadpoles. Overwintered bullfrog tadpoles from Ohio have been shown to prefer vegetation to bare areas in laboratory studies (Smith and Doupnik, 2005); however, overwintered tadpoles from Michigan did not (Smith, 1999). Oxygen concentration has been shown to be important in habitat selection of bullfrog tadpoles (e.g., Nie et al., 1999; Ultsch et al., 1999), as has temperature (Hutchison and Hill, 1978; Crawshaw et al., 1992; Ultsch et al., 1999). Literature Cited, Alford, R.A. 1986. Habitat use and positional behavior of anuran larvae in a northern Florida temporary pond. Copeia 1986: 408-423. Crawshaw, L.I., R.N. Rausch, L.P. Wollmuth, and E.J. Bauer. 1992. Seasonal rhythms of development and temperature selection in larval bull-frogs, Rana catesbeiana Shaw. Physiol. Zool. 65: 346-359. Hutchison, V.H. and L.G. Hill. 1978. Ther1nal selection of bullfrog tadpoles (Rana catesbeiana) at different stages of development and acclimation temperatures. J. Therm. Biol. 3: 57-60. Nie, M. , J.D. Crim, and G.R. Ultsch. 1999. Dissolved oxygen, temperature, and habitat selection by bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) tadpoles. Copeia 1999: 153- 162. Noland, R. and G.R. Ultsch. 1981. The roles of temperature and dissolved oxygen in microhabitat selection by the tadpoles of a frog (Rana pipiens) and a toad (Bufo terrestris) . Copeia 1981: 645-652. Schultz, T.D. and J.R. Mick. 1998. A survey of amphibian species richness and breeding habitats at the Denison page 40 Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society • Volume 44 Number 2 June2008 Smith, G.R. 1999, University Biological Reserve (Licking County, Ohio). Ohio Biol. Survey Notes 1: 31-38. Microhabitat preferences of bullfrog tadpoles (Rana catesbeiana) of different ages. Trans. NebraskaAcad. Sci. 25: 73-76. Smith, G.R., H.A. Dingfelder, and D.A. Vaala. 2003. Distribution and abundance of amphibian larvae within two temporary ponds in central Ohio, USA. J. Freshw. Ecol. 18: 491-496. Smith, G.R. and B.L. Doupnik. 2005. Habitat use and activity level of large American bullfrog tadpoles: Choices and repeatability. Amphibia-Reptilia 26: 549-552 . Smith, G.R. and J.E. Rettig. 1996. Effectiveness of aquatic funnel traps for sampling amphibian larvae. Herpetol. Rev. 27: 190-191. Ultsch, G.R., S.A. Reese, M. Nie, J.D. Crim, W.H. Smith, and C.M. LeBerte. 1999. Influences of temperature and oxygen upon habitat selection by bullfrog tadpoles and three species of freshwater fishes in two Alabama strip mine ponds. Hydrobiologia 416: 149-162. Warkentin, K.M. 1992. Microhabitat use and feeding rate variation in green frog tadpoles (Rana clamitans). Copeia 1992: 731-740. Werner, E.E. 1992. Individual behavior and higher-order species interactions. Am. Nat. 140: S5-S32. Stephanie E. Hargisl, Mary~Katherine Harri, Christopher J. Hendersonl, Walter J. Kimi, and Geoffrey R. Smithl ,2, Received: Accepted: . I Department of Biology, Denison University, Granville, Ohio 43023 USA, 2Corresponding author; E-mail: smithg@denison.edu 28 January 2008. 12 April 2008 . Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society page 41 

Factors influencing the distribution of overwintered bullfrog tadpoles (Rana catesbeiana) in two small ponds

https://digitalcommons.denison.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1117&amp;context=facultypubs

Factors influencing the distribution of overwintered bullfrog tadpoles (Rana catesbeiana) in two small ponds

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Denison University