Urbanization negatively affects natural ecosystems in many ways, and aquatic systems in partic- ular. Urbanization is also cited as one of the potential contributors to recent dramatic declines in amphibian populations. From 2000 to 2002 we determined the distribution and abundance of native amphibians and exotic predators and characterized stream habitat and invertebrate communities in 35 streams in an urbanized landscape north of Los Angeles (U.S.A.). We measured watershed development as the percentage of area within each watershed occupied by urban land uses. Streams in more developed watersheds often had exotic crayfish ( Procambarus clarkii) and fish, and had fewer native species such as California newts ( Taricha torosa) and California treefrogs ( Hyla cadaverina). These effects seemed particularly evident above 8% development, a result coincident with other urban stream studies that show negative impacts beginning at 10-15% urbanization. For Pacific treefrogs ( H. regilla), the most widespread native amphibian, abundance was lower in the presence of exotic crayfish, although direct urbanization effects were not found. Benthic macroinvertebrate communities were also less diverse in urban streams, especially for sensitive species. Faunal community changes in urban streams may be related to changes in physical stream habitat, such as fewer pool and more run habitats and increased water depth and flow, leading to more permanent streams. Variation in stream permanence was particularly evident in 2002, a dry year when many natural streams were dry but urban streams were relatively unchanged. Urbanization has significantly altered stream habitat in this region and may enhance invasion by exotic species and negatively affect diversity and abundance of native amphibians. Efectos de la Urbanización sobre la Distribución y Abundancia de Anfibios y Especies Invasoras en Arroyos del Sur de California Resumen: La urbanización afecta de muchas formas negativas a los ecosistemas naturales, particularmente a los sistemas acuáticos. La urbanización también está reconocida como uno de los potenciales causantes de las dramáticas declinaciones recientes en las poblaciones de anfibios. Entre 2000 y 2002 determinamos la distribución y abundancia de anfibios nativos y depredadores exóticos y caracterizamos el hábitat y las comunidades de invertebrados en 35 arroyos en un paisaje urbanizado al norte de LosÁngeles. Medimos el desarrollo de la cuenca como el porcentaje de la superficie ocupada por usos urbanos en cada cuenca. ‡ ‡email seth riley@nps.gov † †Current address: Environmental Science and Policy, Riley et al. Urbanization and Stream Amphibians 1895Los arroyos en cuencas más desarrolladas a menudo tenían cangrejos de río exóticos (Procambarus clarkii) y peces, y tenían menos especies nativas, como tritones (Taricha torosa) y ranas arborícolas (Hyla cadaverina). Estos efectos parecieron particularmente evidentes arriba de 8% de desarrollo, un resultado que coincide con otros estudios de arroyos urbanos que muestran impactos ...

Changing climate will impact species’ ranges only when environmental variability directly impacts the demography of local populations. However, measurement of demographic responses to climate change has largely been limited to single species and locations. Here we show that amphibian communities are responsive to climatic variability, using >500,000 time-series observations for 81 species across 86 North American study areas. The effect of climate on local colonization and persistence probabilities varies among eco-regions and depends on local climate, species life-histories, and taxonomic classification. We found that local species richness is most sensitive to changes in water availability during breeding and changes in winter conditions. Based on the relationships we measure, recent changes in climate cannot explain why local species richness of North American amphibians has rapidly declined. However, changing climate does explain why some populations are declining faster than others. Our results provide important insights into how amphibians respond to climate and a general framework for measuring climate impacts on species richness.

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