Management of freshwater wetlands for the endangered green and golden bell frog ( Litoria aurea ): roles of habitat determinants and space

Hamer, Andrew J.; Lane, Simon I. R.; Mahony, Michael

doi:10.1016/s0006-3207(02)00040-x

Cited by 69 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The main difficulty in modelling amphibian distributions has been that most amphibian surveys, hence records, are derived from breeding sites (e.g. Hamer et al 2002, Parris 2002 which are difficult to model at the landscape scale. Despite their importance there is a limited understanding of the non-breeding habitat requirements for most amphibian species (Lemckert 2004), and spatial models provide a means of assessing habitat requirements of amphibian species on a landscape scale as they are able to incorporate both breeding and non-breeding environments in a single analysis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial models of giant burrowing frog distributions

Penman¹,

Mahony²,

Towerton³

et al. 2007

Endang. Species Res.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial models of giant burrowing frog distributions

Penman¹,

Mahony²,

Towerton³

et al. 2007

Endang. Species Res.

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“…L. aurea has undergone significant range contraction, and in some areas it now commonly occurs only in ephemeral water bodies free of Gambusia . However, other studies have observed breeding in permanent water bodies with high Gambusia densities (van de Mortel & Goldingay 1998;Hamer et al 2002). Hamer et al (2002) found that mosquitofish presence did not influence water body occupancy by frogs, but that aquatic and riparian vegetation, and proximity to other occupied water bodies were the strongest predictors of frog presence.…”

Section: Aquatic Vertebratesmentioning

confidence: 83%

Gambusiain New Zealand: Really bad or just misunderstood?

Ling¹

2004

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research

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Mosquitofish (Gambusia spp.) have been spread throughout most of the temperate world during the 20th Century as biological control agents for mosquitoes. However, in many areas of introduction these small aggressive fish have been implicated in the displacement or exclusion of native species of fish and amphibians. Those species most affected are small, surface-feeding, littoral-zone fishes and the egg and larval stages of amphibians. In New Zealand, the western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, was introduced at Auckland in 1930 and has since spread throughout much of the North Island with recent introductions to the northern South Island. They have been implicated in the decline of dwarf inanga, Galaxias gracilis, and may affect recruitment of black mudfish, although the continued abundance of inanga, mudfish, and other small-bodied natives at sites long inhabited by Gambusia implies that competition or predation by the latter may be minimal and that Gambusia occupies an underutilised niche in New Zealand aquatic environments. The ability of Gambusia to cause ecosystem alteration by selective removal of invertebrate grazers is possibly of greater concern in New Zealand than any perceived threat to native fishes.

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“…The importance of aquatic vegetation cover at breeding sites occupied by L. aurea has been well documented (e.g. Humphries, 1979;Hamer et al 2002;Pyke et al 2002) although there is a lack of experimental demonstration of habitat preference.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary observations on a highly-restricted tableland population of Green and Golden Bell frogs on the Upper Molonglo River, NSW.

Osborne¹,

Patmore²,

Hunter³

et al. 2008

Australian Zoologist

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The Green and Golden Bell Frog Litoria aurea disappeared from the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales in the early 1980's and despite many years of opportunistic survey, it was not until 1999 that it was rediscovered near the Upper Molonglo River east of Queanbeyan. The nearest known populations of the species occur at Kioloa, 85 km east of the site. In order to determine the distribution of the population we undertook surveys and monitoring over a two-year period (September 2000 to April 2002 to establish the extent of the population in the region, and to describe the breeding sites that are still occupied. Fieldwork was hampered considerably by extended drought and in some cases by restrictions on access imposed by landholders. All sites surveyed were within 300 m of the Molonglo River. The species was found to occupy 8 of the 10 wetlands (small billabongs) surveyed, 4 of 5 river sites surveyed on the Molonglo River, and at only 1 of 52 farm dams surveyed. It was also heard calling from a small lake on private property. Of the 14 occupied sites surveyed, only three wetland sites supported >10 adult frogs. Additional surveys of the surrounding district, along with a leaflet drop requesting information on any sightings of bell frogs from local landholders, did not reveal any additional populations. Some breeding sites have been affected by cattle grazing and by conversion of native tussock grassland to improved pasture. However, the major threat to this population in the longer term is likely to be the amphibian chytrid fungal pathogen that is present in the population. We speculate that it is possible that the persistence of the species in this area could relate to the historical contamination of the river and floodplain sediments by heavy metals associated with the old mine tailings dam at Captains Flat. It is possible that this pollution has reduced the impact of chytrid on frogs in this region. Management prescriptions, including for livestock activity in and around wetlands, need to be implemented to ensure the ongoing persistence of this important regional population.

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Management of freshwater wetlands for the endangered green and golden bell frog ( Litoria aurea ): roles of habitat determinants and space

Cited by 69 publications

References 34 publications

Spatial models of giant burrowing frog distributions

Spatial models of giant burrowing frog distributions

Gambusiain New Zealand: Really bad or just misunderstood?

Preliminary observations on a highly-restricted tableland population of Green and Golden Bell frogs on the Upper Molonglo River, NSW.

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