Factors related to occupancy of breeding wetlands by flatwoods salamander larvae

Gorman, Thomas A.; Haas, Carola A.; Bishop, David C.

doi:10.1672/08-155.1

Cited by 33 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…At finer spatial scales, canopy cover again appeared to be an important factor influencing invertebrate abundance. Overall, these results demonstrate a strong effect of vegetation structure on certain aquatic invertebrate groups similar to those identified for sensitive amphibian species (Gorman et al 2009a(Gorman et al , 2013. There are multiple pathways through which different vegetation structures could affect aquatic communities.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…Pseudacris ornata likely benefit from the presence of herbaceous vegetation during the larval period (Alford 1986), and A. bishopi may benefit from herbaceous vegetation during all life stages (Gorman et al 2009a(Gorman et al , 2014Jones et al 2012). The similarity of amphibian communities between wetlands with different vegetation characteristics may also be attributed to fine scale spatial variation (multiple habitat types) within wetlands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also performed dipnetting surveys targeting reticulated flatwoods salamander (Ambystoma bishopi) larvae, which is a federally endangered species that relies primarily on pine flatwoods wetlands for breeding habitat. We used a 3-mm mesh SH-2 or SH-2D dipnet (Mid-Lakes Corporation, Knoxville, Tennessee) to sample areas with dense herbaceous vegetation (Gorman et al 2009a). Surveys were performed for 30 min in each wetland, once or twice a month from December to April, depending on water levels.…”

Section: Amphibian Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effects of Habitat Structure on Winter Aquatic Invertebrate and Amphibian Communities in Pine Flatwoods Wetlands

2015

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Natural disturbances play a critical role in structuring many ecosystems. In the southeastern United States, fire suppression and exclusion have removed the natural disturbance regime from many ecosystems, including ephemeral wetlands embedded within longleaf pine forests. We sampled aquatic invertebrate and amphibian communities in 21 pine flatwoods wetlands in northwest Florida from 2012 to 2014. Our objectives were to quantify amphibian and invertebrate community structure, identify differences in amphibian communities across an environmental gradient, and identify how invertebrate communities responded to wetland habitat characteristics. Amphibian communities were more diverse in wetlands with longer hydroperiods but were similar across wetlands with different vegetation structures. To examine the effects of wetland characteristics on aquatic invertebrate communities, we created a set of a priori models relating the abundance of isopods, chironomids, and damselflies to wetland characteristics. The best-approximating models indicated that isopods and damselflies were more abundant in wetlands that were not fire-suppressed. Similarly, total invertebrate abundance was higher in sections of wetlands with low canopy cover when compared to sections of the same wetlands with high canopy cover. Restoration of vegetation structure in wetlands that have experienced long-term fire suppression and wetlands that support longer hydroperiods should be a management priority.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Amphibian Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effects of Habitat Structure on Winter Aquatic Invertebrate and Amphibian Communities in Pine Flatwoods Wetlands

2015

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“…Using these methods to thoroughly search every site and given the small area searched at each site (< 5 m 2 salamanders (adults, larvae, and eggs) within each site once during the course of the study we could not estimate detection probabilities (Mazerolle et al 2007). Other studies have estimated detection probabilities for Ambystoma from 0.459 to 0.89 (Corn et al 2005, Hossack and Corn 2007, Gorman et al 2009, Peterman et al 2013; however, all of these refer to larger pond or wetland habitats and not to streams or sites as small as our sites. Detection probabilities of nonambystomatid salamanders in streams range from 0.39-0.96 (Jung et al 2005, Kroll et al 2010.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…Ambystoma leorae has an Environmental Vulnerability Score of 15, which is within the high vulnerability range (Wilson et al 2013), and is considered Threatened by the Mexican government (SEMARNAT 2010). Many populations of Mexican Ambystoma are subject to several anthropogenic threats, including urbanization and suburbanization, pollution, conversion to agriculture, and the introduction of et al et al 2004, Contreras et al 2009, Frías-Alvarez et al 2010, as well as the possible threat of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Longcore, Pessier, and Nichols (Frías-Alvarez et al 2008; see also Mendoza-Almeralla et al 2015). Several Mexican Ambystoma have small, isolated populations that are prone to extinction (see Parra-Olea et al 2012), including A. leorae (Sunny et al 2014a,b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural history of the critically endangered salamander Ambystoma leorae (Caudata: Ambystomatidae) from the Río Tonatzin, Mexico

Lemos‐Espinal¹,

Smith

Zamora³

et al. 2017

Phyllomedusa

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Natural history of the critically endangered salamander Ambystoma leorae (Caudata: Ambystomatidae) from the Río Tonatzin, Mexico. In Mexico, many species of Ambystoma are endangered, but unfortunately little is known about their natural history and ecology. We report on aspects of the natural history of A. leorae, a critically endangered endemic salamander, from the Río Tonatzin, State of México, Mexico. We observed egg masses, which were attached to vegetation, from April to June, with a mean of 7.28 eggs per egg mass. Larval A. leorae were found in sections of the Río Tonatzin with muddy bottoms and submerged aquatic vegetation. We observed adult and juvenile salamanders throughout the year except September, but with a peak from May to July. The use of sites along the Río Tonatzin by adult and juvenile A. leorae was driven primarily by vegetation type and substrate type of the site, with mud or sand substrate with grass roots and submerged aquatic vegetation being the most used site types. We found no evidence of sexual dimorphism in A. leorae. Our results suggest that adult and juvenile A. leorae use a variety of stream sites, although larvae appear to be more limited in their use of stream sites. These observations indicate that to maintain this population of A. leorae, the general conditions existing in the Río Tonatzin should be protected, especially the sections with muddy bottoms and aquatic vegetation where larvae, juveniles, and adults are found.

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Indirect connectivity estimates of amphibian breeding wetlands from spatially explicit occupancy models

Brooks

Smith

Frimpong

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

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In conservation science, metapopulation models are frequently used to explore the spatial dynamics of organisms, and ultimately guide management decisions for threatened and endangered species. Pond‐breeding amphibians are often touted as a classic example of metapopulation structure. However, empirical assessment of this assumption is lacking for many species owing to the prohibitively high costs of movement studies. Our aim was to use spatially explicit occupancy models to evaluate metapopulation dynamics in an endangered amphibian. First, dynamic, spatially explicit occupancy‐based metapopulation models were fitted to 8 years of presence–absence data for the endangered reticulated flatwoods salamander, Ambystoma bishopi. Models were constructed to evaluate the spatial distribution of salamanders across the landscape, rate of patch turnover, and connectivity between patches. Second, the same data were analysed adopting an eigenvector mapping approach and spatial correlograms to investigate habitat characteristics associated with occupancy state. The second approach also yields an independent measure of patch connectivity to corroborate findings from the dynamic model. Both models predicted a steep drop‐off in connectivity with increasing isolation, and no evidence was found of interactions between wetlands separated by distances greater than 1.5 km. The best predictor of salamander occupancy status was the amount of understorey vegetation in wetland basins. Taken together, the two modelling approaches provide complementary information regarding the key determinants of occupancy in the focal species. Furthermore, several results directly translate to management recommendations. Connectivity between distant sites is low, and thus management units should be demarcated accordingly. Understorey vegetation represents egg‐laying habitat and refugia for larvae, and hence should be targeted in future restoration efforts. The methodologies employed in this paper have broad applicability to studies of pond‐breeding amphibians, particularly in situations where direct measures of dispersal are unobtainable.

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Factors related to occupancy of breeding wetlands by flatwoods salamander larvae

Cited by 33 publications

References 23 publications

The Effects of Habitat Structure on Winter Aquatic Invertebrate and Amphibian Communities in Pine Flatwoods Wetlands

The Effects of Habitat Structure on Winter Aquatic Invertebrate and Amphibian Communities in Pine Flatwoods Wetlands

Natural history of the critically endangered salamander Ambystoma leorae (Caudata: Ambystomatidae) from the Río Tonatzin, Mexico

Indirect connectivity estimates of amphibian breeding wetlands from spatially explicit occupancy models

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