Habitat-use model for the New Zealand endemic frog Leiopelma hochstetteri

Nájera-Hillman, Eduardo; O’Shea, Steve; Breen, Barbara; Garret, Nick; King, Peter

doi:10.3354/esr00230

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…It is possible that the inconclusive results were due to a very low level of predation by ship rats, which would agree with the results of the present study. Hochstetter's frogs are generally observed in and adjacent to streams and sometimes escape into water when approached (Allen, ; Green, ; Green & Tessier, ; Moreno, ; Nájera‐Hillman, Alfaro, O'Shea et al, ; Tessier et al, ), which may help to explain the low number of ingestion events detected in this study. However, more sampling would be required to ascertain whether ingestion events are indeed a consistently rare event across various sites and seasons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…The Waitakere Ranges, Auckland, New Zealand, is largely covered by the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, administered by the Auckland Regional Council. The Waitakere Ranges are not inhabited by Archey's frogs, but this area was chosen because there are far more distribution data available for Hochstetter's frogs in the Waitakere Ranges than in Whareorino Forest (Allen, ; Green, ; Green & Tessier, ; Moreno, ; Nájera‐Hillman, Alfaro, O'Shea et al, ; Tessier et al, ). Sites in the Waitakere ranges were centered along streams known to be inhabited by Hochstetter's frogs.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Populations of Archey's frog have declined dramatically in recent years and, although persisting in two regions of New Zealand (Whareorino Forest and Coromadel Peninsula), have not shown signs of recovery (Bell, Carver, Mitchell, & Pledger, ; Burns et al, ). Hochstetter's frog is semi‐aquatic, usually restricted to streams and seepages in woodland habitats (Crossland, Mackenzie, & Holzapfel, ; Green & Tessier, ; Nájera‐Hillman, Alfaro, O'Shea et al, ; Tessier, Slaven, & Green, ), and has a nonfeeding tadpole stage (Bell & Wassersug, ; Stephenson, ). This species has the most widespread distribution of the Leiopelma species, being found in scattered populations over an extensive area of the North Island (Bishop et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using molecular diet analysis to inform invasive species management: A case study of introduced rats consuming endemic New Zealand frogs

Egeter

Roe

Peixoto

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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The decline of amphibians has been of international concern for more than two decades, and the global spread of introduced fauna is a major factor in this decline. Conservation management decisions to implement control of introduced fauna are often based on diet studies. One of the most common metrics to report in diet studies is Frequency of Occurrence (FO), but this can be difficult to interpret, as it does not include a temporal perspective. Here, we examine the potential for FO data derived from molecular diet analysis to inform invasive species management, using invasive ship rats ( Rattus rattus ) and endemic frogs ( Leiopelma spp.) in New Zealand as a case study. Only two endemic frog species persist on the mainland. One of these, Leiopelma archeyi , is Critically Endangered (IUCN 2017) and ranked as the world's most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered amphibian (EDGE, 2018). Ship rat stomach contents were collected by kill‐trapping and subjected to three methods of diet analysis (one morphological and two DNA‐based). A new primer pair was developed targeting all anuran species that exhibits good coverage, high taxonomic resolution, and reasonable specificity. Incorporating a temporal parameter allowed us to calculate the minimum number of ingestion events per rat per night, providing a more intuitive metric than the more commonly reported FO. We are not aware of other DNA‐based diet studies that have incorporated a temporal parameter into FO data. The usefulness of such a metric will depend on the study system, in particular the feeding ecology of the predator. Ship rats are consuming both species of native frogs present on mainland New Zealand, and this study provides the first detections of remains of these species in mammalian stomach contents.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Using molecular diet analysis to inform invasive species management: A case study of introduced rats consuming endemic New Zealand frogs

Egeter

Roe

Peixoto

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Finally, to verify the strength of the best model we made sure that the error estimates (β) of the untransformed coefficients included in the models did not encompass zero (Nájera-Hillman et al 2009). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, if tadpoles are not present, the extra time needed to search for adults may not be worth the effort. Although T. macrostomus was present at the same sites in both the dry and wet seasons, most likely because their reproductive cycle is not regulated by seasonality, it should be noted that detection probabilities of amphibians have the potential to vary temporally year to year (MacKenzie et al 2003, Nájera-Hillman et al 2009), due to environmental conditions, behavior patterns (Bailey 2002), and seasonality. This information should be taken into consideration for research teams that wish to replicate our monitoring protocols for other species.…”

Section: Frog Occupancy and Detection Probabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat characterization, occupancy and detection probability of the Endangered and endemic Junín giant frog Telmatobius macrostomus

Watson¹,

Fitzgerald²,

Baldeón³

et al. 2017

Endang. Species. Res.

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The Junín giant frog Telmatobius macrostomus (Peters, 1873) is an Endangered and endemic frog in the central Andes of Peru. However, no quantitative ecological data exist to facilitate characterization of T. macrostomus habitat, nor do estimates of occupancy and detection probability, all of which are vital to inform appropriate management decisions. We present novel data on the current distribution and habitat of T. macrostomus in 3 natural protected areas in the regions of Junín and Pasco, Peru. To provide a general description of the areas where T. macrostomus occurred and did not occur, we measured a variety of physical, chemical, and biological conditions. We found T. macrostomus in fewer than half the streams surveyed for an estimated occupancy and detection probability of 0.40 ± 0.11 SE and 0.84 ± 0.06 SE, respectively. Akaike's information criterion (AIC) indicates that of the 20 single-variable models constructed during this study, 5 were substantially associated with T. macrostomus occurrence (Δ corrected AIC [ΔAIC c ] < 2). The % Chironomidae metric of benthic macroinvertebrate communities at sampled sites best predicted the occurrence of T. macrostomus, followed by pH. Specific conductance, % silt and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss were also associated with T. macrostomus occurrence. Although the most parsimonious multi-variable occupancy model only included % Chironomidae, pH and rainbow trout as predictive variables of T. macrostomus occurrence, the other singlevariable models with apparent influence over T. macrostomus occurrence may also be used to identify adequate areas for Junín giant frog conservation.

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Untangling multi‐scale habitat relationships of an endangered frog in streams to inform reintroduction programs

et al. 2021

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Successful reintroductions of endangered species rely on comprehensive knowledge of habitat requirements across spatial and temporal scales. To inform designs of reintroduction programs, we studied habitat selection of the federally endangered Sierra Nevada yellow‐legged frog (Rana sierrae) in streams in its northern range. We quantified multi‐scale habitat use across diverse streams, habitat types within streams, and seasonal flows. In one intermittent stream, we compared habitat selection between wild and captive‐reared frogs that were released as a population augmentation. We analyzed habitat selection of seasonal habitat unit types (e.g., pool, riffle, cascades) and dimensions, and microhabitat hydrology and cover. R. sierrae appeared able to meet its ecological requirements in a variety of habitats. Study streams ranged from third‐order perennial streams to first‐order intermittent headwater creeks. Perennial streams retained a variety of habitats across flows whereas intermittent streams dried to just a few pools. Frogs used all seasonal habitat types but selected deeper pools most often relative to available habitats in intermittent streams and selected riffles or showed no preference in perennial streams. Frogs avoided fast deep‐water microhabitats, but, otherwise, preferred flowing water or deeper water without flow. Our results suggest that diverse streams can be considered candidates for reintroductions. Within intermittent streams, deeper perennial pools may provide more stable release sites, whereas non‐pool habitats may be safer in perennial streams with fish. Importantly, captive‐reared frogs selected similar habitats as wild frogs, suggesting that captivity does not alter habitat selection behaviors post‐release and that reintroduction designs for this species can be based on wild frog preferences. By improving our understanding of how habitat use varies among different types of streams and differs seasonally in response to changing habitat conditions, our results inform the design of effective reintroduction programs for frogs in streams.

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Habitat-use model for the New Zealand endemic frog Leiopelma hochstetteri

Cited by 6 publications

References 36 publications

Using molecular diet analysis to inform invasive species management: A case study of introduced rats consuming endemic New Zealand frogs

Using molecular diet analysis to inform invasive species management: A case study of introduced rats consuming endemic New Zealand frogs

Habitat characterization, occupancy and detection probability of the Endangered and endemic Junín giant frog Telmatobius macrostomus

Untangling multi‐scale habitat relationships of an endangered frog in streams to inform reintroduction programs

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