Value of Artificial Habitats for Amphibian Reproduction in Altered Landscapes

Abstract

Installation and maintenance of stormwater ponds to detain and treat runoff from impervious surfaces is a common method of stormwater control in developed areas. That these ponds capture pollutants, however, is of concern for wildlife species that use the ponds, particularly pond-breeding amphibians. To assess the relative contribution of stormwater ponds to the persistence of amphibian populations in suburban landscapes, we compared amphibian use of stormwater ponds and other available wetlands in suburban and forested watersheds. We surveyed three suburban and three primarily forested first-order watersheds to identify all potential wetlands that might serve as breeding sites for pond-breeding amphibians. We performed call, egg-mass, and larval surveys to measure breeding effort at each wetland in spring and summer 2007 and 2008. In suburban watersheds most (89%) of the wetlands that had breeding activity were either stormwater ponds or otherwise artificial. This pattern was also evident in the forested watersheds, where amphibians were primarily found breeding in wetlands created by past human activity. Late-stage larvae were found only in anthropogenic wetlands in all study areas because the remaining natural wetlands did not hold water long enough for larvae to complete development. Our results suggest that in urban and suburban landscapes with naturally low densities of wetlands, wetlands created by current or historic land uses may be as important to amphibian conservation as natural wetlands or pools and that management strategies directed at urban and suburban landscapes should recognize and incorporate human-created wetlands.

Man-made Mediterranean temporary ponds as a tool for amphibian conservation

“…However, this study provided evidence of the benefits of artificial MTPs for amphibian conservation already within a short-term period. Other short-term studies in recovered wetlands have shown that anuran densities can be similar to or even higher than the densities in natural wetlands (e.g., Balcombe et al, 2005;Brand and Snodgrass, 2010). Hence, in such situations artificial wetlands may help recover declining populations of threatened species (Rannap et al, 2009).…”

Ecological Drivers of Cladoceran Diversity in the Central European City (Łódź, Poland): Effects of Urbanisation and Size of the Waterbody

“…The total biodiversity recorded within urban ponds was comparable to ponds in the wider landscape around the town of Loughborough (semi-natural meadow ponds = 175 taxa; agricultural ponds = 127 taxa). High regional invertebrate diversity has also been recorded within aquatic urban systems in the Netherlands (Vermonden et al, 2009) and for other organisms such as waterbirds (Santoul et al, 2009) and amphibians (Brand and Snodgrass, 2009).…”

Design guidelines for integrating amphibian habitat into golf course landscapes

“…Due to large scale landscape alterations and the loss of natural wetlands, stormwater ponds and other anthropogenic or constructed aquatic environments may be the only available habitat for amphibians in suburban areas (Brand & Snodgrass, 2010). The quality and suitability of aquatic habitats is determined by hydroperiods, biotic community structure, littoral shelves, and water chemistry (Semlitsch, 2002).…”

“…In order for golf course ponds to provide breeding habitat for species of conservation concern, they must be free of predatory fish and American Bullfrogs (Boone, Semlitsch, & Mosby, 2008;Kats & Ferrer, 2003;Shulse, Semlitsch, Trauth, & Williams, 2010) which requires seasonal drying regimes (Maret, Snyder, & Collins, 2006). With proper design, anthropogenic aquatic environments in suburban areas can serve as breeding habitats for amphibian populations while still serving their intended functions (Brand & Snodgrass, 2010).…”