Relationship of Endangered Amphibians to Landscape Disturbance

Warren, Steven D.; Büttner, Reiner

doi:10.2193/2007-160

Cited by 42 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…This pattern is similar to the pattern of increased colonization after wildfire we found. Some endangered toads in Europe are more abundant where frequent disturbances maintain diverse vegetative structure (Denton et al ; Tockner et al ; Warren & Büttner ). We do not know what triggers the response of boreal toads, the source of colonists, or why occupancy declines rapidly after an initial postfire colonization phase.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid Increases and Time‐Lagged Declines in Amphibian Occupancy after Wildfire

Hossack

Lowe

Corn

2012

Conservation Biology

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Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and severity of drought and wildfire. Aquatic and moisture-sensitive species, such as amphibians, may be particularly vulnerable to these modified disturbance regimes because large wildfires often occur during extended droughts and thus may compound environmental threats. However, understanding of the effects of wildfires on amphibians in forests with long fire-return intervals is limited. Numerous stand-replacing wildfires have occurred since 1988 in Glacier National Park (Montana, U.S.A.), where we have conducted long-term monitoring of amphibians. We measured responses of 3 amphibian species to fires of different sizes, severity, and age in a small geographic area with uniform management. We used data from wetlands associated with 6 wildfires that burned between 1988 and 2003 to evaluate whether burn extent and severity and interactions between wildfire and wetland isolation affected the distribution of breeding populations. We measured responses with models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate occupancy during prefire (0-4 years) and different postfire recovery periods. For the long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) and Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris), occupancy was not affected for 6 years after wildfire. But 7-21 years after wildfire, occupancy for both species decreased ≥ 25% in areas where >50% of the forest within 500 m of wetlands burned. In contrast, occupancy of the boreal toad (Anaxyrus boreas) tripled in the 3 years after low-elevation forests burned. This increase in occupancy was followed by a gradual decline. Our results show that accounting for magnitude of change and time lags is critical to understanding population dynamics of amphibians after large disturbances. Our results also inform understanding of the potential threat of increases in wildfire frequency or severity to amphibians in the region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid Increases and Time‐Lagged Declines in Amphibian Occupancy after Wildfire

Hossack

Lowe

Corn

2012

Conservation Biology

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“…We visually estimated the mean proportion of aquatic and bank vegetation cover at a site as a proximate measure of disturbance (previously shown to affect habitat suitability for B. variegata in manmade sites in Germany; Warren & Buttner, 2008).…”

Section: Endangered Amphibian In Northern Italy 281mentioning

confidence: 99%

Land abandonment may reduce disturbance and affect the breeding sites of an Endangered amphibian in northern Italy

Canessa

Oneto

Ottonello

et al. 2013

Oryx

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Although human-related disturbance is usually detrimental for biodiversity, in some instances it can simulate natural processes and benefit certain species. Changes in the disturbance regime, both natural and human-driven, can affect species that rely on it. The Apennine yellow-bellied toad Bombina variegata pachypus, an amphibian endemic to peninsular Italy, has declined throughout its range in the last 3 decades. We sought to identify the drivers of the decline in the region of Liguria, at the north-western limit of its distribution. In 2009 and 2010 we surveyed sites where the species occurred until 2005 and related the persistence of breeding activity to the characteristics of sites. Populations had disappeared from 50% of the sites between 2005 and 2009. Current breeding sites have less aquatic and bank vegetation, fewer predators and better insolation. Frequent disturbance events (desiccation and floods) were related to reduced vegetation, which in turn may decrease predator densities and increase insolation. In this region disturbance is provided by natural factors or, in the case of artificial water bodies, by regular maintenance carried out by landowners. The widespread land abandonment in Liguria can disrupt disturbance regimes, interrupting the removal of vegetation, and thus rapidly reduce the suitability of artificial sites. This was confirmed in our study, with most abandoned breeding sites occurring in formerly cultivated areas. Possible short-term conservation actions include creating new ponds, maintaining artificial water bodies and clearing vegetation. However, long-term conservation may be more problematic as the land abandonment process is unlikely to be reversed.

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“…too few individuals captured) or low recapture rates, leading to convergence issues during model fitting. Many waterbodies located in the study were potentially unsuitable for B. variegata due to their large size and the presence of fishes (Cayuela, Besnard, & Joly, 2013;Warren & B€ uttner, 2008). plastic container or other) occupied by each individual was recorded.…”

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confidence: 99%

Manipulating waterbody hydroperiod affects movement behaviour and occupancy dynamics in an amphibian

et al. 2017

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Species that occur in ephemeral habitats such as temporary waterbodies have evolved specific strategies that allow them to respond to spatial and temporal variations in water availability and quality. Their life‐history strategies, involving complex life cycles, have evolved to allow individuals to escape deteriorating environmental conditions when a waterbody dries up. These adaptations have led to the emergence of complex movement behaviour, which might then be expected to affect the spatiotemporal dynamics of reproduction. To date, few empirical studies have investigated how the risks of waterbody drying out affects movement behaviour at the individual level and how movement decisions then shape waterbody occupancy dynamics. In this study, we examined this issue in an endangered amphibian, the yellow‐bellied toad (Bombina variegata). For this purpose, we experimentally manipulated waterbody hydroperiod and collected capture–recapture and presence–absence data in 334 waterbodies located in 15 B. variegata populations in the region of Geneva (Switzerland) during a 5‐year period (2012–2016). The results of our analyses reveal that the waterbody hydroperiod affects this species' movement behaviour. Adults were less likely to leave waterbodies with a long hydroperiod both intra‐ and inter‐annually. In addition, breeding occupancy strongly depended on a waterbody's hydroperiod. In particular, interannual changes in breeding occurrence were less frequent in waterbodies with a long hydroperiod. Our findings show that the hydroperiod strongly affects ecological processes at different levels, from individuals' movement decisions to waterbody occupancy dynamics. The results demonstrate that adults adjust their movement decisions according to the risk of breeding failure driven by the hydroperiod, which then affects the waterbody occupancy dynamics.

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Relationship of Endangered Amphibians to Landscape Disturbance

Cited by 42 publications

References 46 publications

Rapid Increases and Time‐Lagged Declines in Amphibian Occupancy after Wildfire

Rapid Increases and Time‐Lagged Declines in Amphibian Occupancy after Wildfire

Land abandonment may reduce disturbance and affect the breeding sites of an Endangered amphibian in northern Italy

Manipulating waterbody hydroperiod affects movement behaviour and occupancy dynamics in an amphibian

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