Breeding Success of the Threatened Great Crested Newt in Boreal Forest Ponds

Vuorio, Ville; Heikkinen, Risto K.; Tikkanen, Olli‐Pekka

doi:10.5735/086.050.0303

Cited by 15 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Effects of pond area may depend on the size range of ponds studied. Although our results indicate T. cristatus prefers smaller ponds, pond area does not always influence occupancy (Maletzky, Kyek & Goldschmid, 2007; Denoël & Ficetola, 2008; Gustafson et al, 2011) and was deemed a poor predictor of reproductive success (Vuorio et al, 2013). T. cristatus has been found to utilise small and large ponds (Rannap & Briggs, 2006; Skei et al, 2006); however, very small ponds (<124 m 2 ) may be unable to support all life stages, and larger ponds may contain fish and experience eutrophication due to agricultural or polluted run-off (Rannap & Briggs, 2006).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 72%

“…Pond networks encourage T. cristatus occupancy (Joly et al, 2001; Rannap et al, 2009a; Hartel et al, 2010; Denoël et al, 2013), but larger pond area discourages presence (Joly et al, 2001). Ponds with heavy shading (Vuorio, Heikkinen & Tikkanen, 2013) or dense macrophyte cover (Rannap & Briggs, 2006; Skei et al, 2006; Hartel et al, 2010) are unlikely to support viable populations. T. cristatus individuals also depend on terrestrial habitat, preferring open, semi-rural pondscapes (Denoël et al, 2013) containing pasture, extensively grazed and rough grassland, scrub, and coniferous and deciduous woodland (Oldham et al, 2000; Rannap & Briggs, 2006; Rannap et al, 2009a; Gustafson, Malmgren & Mikusiński, 2011; Vuorio et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Generating and testing ecological hypotheses at the pondscape with environmental DNA metabarcoding: a case study on a threatened amphibian

Harper

Handley

Hahn

et al. 2018

Preprint

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2 eDNA metabarcoding represents a new tool for community biodiversity assessment 22 in a broad range of aquatic and terrestrial habitats. However, much of the existing 23 literature focuses on methodological development rather than testing of ecological 24hypotheses. Here, we use presence-absence data generated by eDNA 25 metabarcoding of over 500 UK ponds to examine: 1) species associations between 26 the great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) and other vertebrates, 2) determinants of 27 great crested newt occurrence at the pondscape, and 3) determinants of vertebrate 28 species richness at the pondscape. The great crested newt was significantly 29 associated with nine vertebrate species. Occurrence in ponds was broadly reduced 30 by more fish species, but enhanced by more waterfowl and other amphibian species. 31Abiotic determinants (including pond area, depth, and terrestrial habitat) were 32 identified, which both corroborate and contradict existing literature on great 33 crested newt ecology. Some of these abiotic factors (pond outflow) also determined 34 species richness at the pondscape, but other factors were unique to great crested 35 newt (pond area, depth, and ruderal habitat) or the wider biological community 36 (pond density, macrophyte cover, terrestrial overhang, rough grass habitat, and 37 overall terrestrial habitat quality) respectively. The great crested newt Habitat 38 Suitability Index positively correlated with both eDNA-based great crested newt 39 occupancy and vertebrate species richness. Our study is one of the first to use eDNA 40 metabarcoding to test abiotic and biotic determinants of pond biodiversity. eDNA 41 metabarcoding provided new insights at scales that were previously unattainable 42 using established methods. This tool holds enormous potential for testing ecological 43 hypotheses alongside biodiversity monitoring and pondscape management. 44Freshwater ecosystems comprise <1% of the Earth's surface but provide vital 45 . CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license It is made available under a (which was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.The copyright holder for this preprint . http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/278309 doi: bioRxiv preprint first posted online Mar. 7, 2018; 3 ecosystem services and are hotspots of biodiversity [1][2][3] 4,7,8 . Effective management of pondscapes requires knowledge of abiotic and 55 biotic factors that influence biodiversity, community structure and productivity. 56Moreover, the biodiversity that ponds support individually and in combination must be 57 examined, but can only be maintained if stressors and threats to these systems are 58 understood 4,5,7,8,10 . Exhaustive sampling of pond biodiversity is impeded by the 59 complexity of these species-rich habitats, and numerous tools required for different taxa 60 with associated bias 11 and cost 12 . However, large-scale community-level monitoring, 61 encompassing alpha (site), beta (between-site) and gamma (landscape) diver...

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 72%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Generating and testing ecological hypotheses at the pondscape with environmental DNA metabarcoding: a case study on a threatened amphibian

Harper

Handley

Hahn

et al. 2018

Preprint

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“…Presence of fish and shade of the water surface were found to have a negative influence on newts abundance (Denoël, Perez, Cornet, & Ficetola, 2013;Ficetola & De Bernardi, 2004;Gustafson, Andersen, Mikusi nski, & Malmgren, 2009). Among terrestrial habitat features, the most influential was connectivity between ponds (Harper, Downie, & McNeill, 2018;Langton, Beckett, & Foster, 2001) and general habitat quality (Ficetola & De Bernardi, 2004;Joly, Miaud, Lehmann, & Grolet, 2001;Vuorio, Heikkinen, & Tikkanen, 2013). However, it is important to assess the consistency of the habitat suitability index in different regions and identify factors affecting species occurrence at local, regional and continent scales.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing the habitat suitability index for great crested newt in Central Poland

Bełcik

Klimaszewski

Pelnia-Iwanicka

et al. 2019

Ecological Research

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As amphibians decline at alarming rates worldwide, there is a growing need for developing and perfecting tools for predicting species occurrence, abundance and demography. One of those tools are Habitat Suitability Indices (HSI) that are widely used in conservation for habitat evaluation. We have used HSI developed for great crested newt Triturus cristatus to assess its predictive capability, and to determine which of the indices that make the final HSI are the most important factors in shaping this species presence in waterbodies in forest landscape of Central Poland. Our focus was at the local scale variables. We found that the occurrence of T. cristatus could be predicted by the HSI, and the three most important factors in shaping that prediction were the pond area as well as the presence and abundance of invertebrates or predatory fish. We argue that biotic factors could have, along landscape features, significant influence on habitat suitability of this species.

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“…Preferred terrestrial habitats are covered by vegetation; with the shelter provided by understory vegetation especially important. Open sites are avoided (Halley et al 1996, Gustafson et al 2009, Vuorio et al 2013, Vuorio et al 2015. Both species share similar seasonal and daily activities.…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, logging in the vicinity of breeding and potential breeding ponds should be avoided or completed using selective cutting (Halley et al 1996, Vuorio et al 2015. The canopy layer and understory vegetation must not be disturbed since it should offer enough shelter for the newts against predators and from desiccation (Halley et al 1996, Gustafson et al 2009, Vuorio et al 2013, Vuorio et al 2015.…”

Section: Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation biology of the great crested newt in managed boreal forests in Finland

Vuorio¹

2016

Diss. For.

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This study focuses on the population and behavioral ecology of the endangered great crested newt in its natural forest habitat in Finland. I also explored the characteristics of the smooth newt and compared the two species. They are closely related but occur with different abundances in the same environments.Hatching success and survival of eggs were modelled using a combination of field and literature data. Eggs that were laid in the early season produced the best hatching results. This success rate dropped dramatically in combination with a decreasing water level. Terrestrial habitat characteristics, such as the amount of herb-rich forests, clear-cuts and broad-leaved trees, were related to the breeding success of the newts. Both newt species distinctly favored forests with high understory vegetation cover. Both the common and the rare species showed largely similar habitat use, however the rare species avoided clear-cut areas and was more abundant on sites where shelter was provided by the canopy and field-layer vegetation, especially when the distance to the pond increased.Four spatially and temporally different habitat and landscape scenarios were explored to model the extinction and colonization dynamics of the great crested newt. Intensified timber harvest and a shorter logging rotation were shown to decrease the connectivity between ponds.Overall, the results suggest that particular attention should be paid in conservation planning to the spatial arrangement of the habitat patches, especially if the intensity of the human impact is predicted to increase. The conservation effort must be targeted at securing the source ponds in the core area and the enhancement of connectivity between the habitat patches of the newts. As the hatching success of the great crested newt is strictly regulated by climatic factors, temperature and water level, a considerable future threat for the species might come with climate change.

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Breeding Success of the Threatened Great Crested Newt in Boreal Forest Ponds

Cited by 15 publications

References 34 publications

Generating and testing ecological hypotheses at the pondscape with environmental DNA metabarcoding: a case study on a threatened amphibian

Generating and testing ecological hypotheses at the pondscape with environmental DNA metabarcoding: a case study on a threatened amphibian

Testing the habitat suitability index for great crested newt in Central Poland

Conservation biology of the great crested newt in managed boreal forests in Finland

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