Download or read book Effects of Habitat Fragmentation and Water Quality on Wood Frog Population Genetic Structure in Vernal Pools written by Charlotte Gabrielsen and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Habitat Fragmentation and Woodland Amphibians written by Shauna L. Weyrauch and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Recent declines in amphibian populations have heightened the importance of understanding amphibian/habitat relationships. Because of poor dispersal abilities and physiological constraints, amphibians may be especially susceptible to the effects of habitat fragmentation. In this dissertation, I investigate landscape-level influences of fragmentation on woodland amphibian species distributions, as well as population-level impacts on genetic diversity and related fitness consequences for wood frogs (Rana sylvatica). For the first part of my research, I surveyed 25 woodlots and one area of continuous forest in Crawford County, Ohio for amphibians and evaluated 13 models concerning amphibian species richness and the presence of individual species in woodlots. I found 13 species of amphibians within the study plot, indicating that small woodlots within an agricultural matrix are important amphibian refuges. Hydroperiod was the most important habitat characteristic for predicting species richness. Landscape characteristics were relatively unimportant. Next, I analyzed the genetic diversity of wood frog populations in relation to characteristics of their local habitat and landscape, to determine whether populations within woodlots have become genetically differentiated and/or have lost genetic diversity. I found genetic distance to be correlated with geographical distance. Populations from breeding ponds with longer hydroperiods were more genetically diverse. I also assessed the genetic diversity of eight wood frog populations, and compared the genetic diversity of each population with the mortality and deformity rates of lab-reared eggs and larvae. Although there were weak negative correlations, my analyses failed to find a significant relationship between genetic diversity and deformity or mortality rates. The final component of my research was an investigation of a synergism between UV-B radiation and genetic diversity, influencing mortality and deformity rates in wood frogs. I measured the genetic diversity of 12 populations, and exposed eggs/larvae from those populations to three different UV-B treatments. UV-B exposure significantly increased larval mortality and deformity rates. Populations with low genetic diversity suffered greater egg and larval mortality rates and deformity rates. Further, the interaction between UV-B treatment and genetic diversity significantly influenced larval mortality rates. This is the first study to document such an interaction between genetic diversity and resistance to an environmental stressor.
Download or read book Science and Conservation of Vernal Pools in Northeastern North America written by Aram J. K. Calhoun and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2007-08-13 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Synthesizes Decades of Research on Vernal Pools Science Pulling together information from a broad array of sources, Science and Conservation of Vernal Pools in Northeastern North America is a guide to the issues and solutions surrounding seasonal pools. Drawing on 15 years of experience, the editors have mined published literature,
Download or read book Influence of Habitat Fragmentation on the Genetic Structure of Three Endemic Frog Species from Madagascar written by and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Colonizing Northern Landscapes written by Andrée-Michelle D'Aoust-Messier and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The genetic structuring of populations can be influenced by present processes and past events. One of the largest historical events to affect the distribution and genetic characteristics of present-day North American biota is the Pleistocene glaciation. Thus, the study of post-glacial colonization patterns of species in northern landscapes can relay important ecological information, as species had to expand their range extensively following the retreat of the glaciers and are often at the terminal end of their expansion. These species consequently exhibit the genetic fingerprints of sequential founder events, in turn decreasing the genetic variation available for adaptation. Using amphibians to investigate post-glacial range expansion is advantageous, as they have limited dispersal abilities revealing fine-scale patterns and they are thought to be one of the first vertebrates to colonize post-glacial habitat. Therefore, to model the phylogeography of a primary colonizer and the population structure of anurans in northern landscapes, population genetics analyses of wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) were performed in the James Bay area. Wood frogs were sampled from 17 localities around James Bay and genetic analyses were conducted with seven microsatellite loci and mitochondrial DNA sequences of the ND2/tRNATRP genes. Results show that the post-glacial recolonization of the James Bay area by wood frogs originated from the putative refugium in western Wisconsin, an area known as the Driftless Area. Two routes were taken by founders to colonize the James Bay area: one north-west of Lake Superior, colonizing western Ontario, and one through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, colonizing southern and eastern Ontario and western Québec. Interestingly, the meeting of the two lineages south-west of James Bay led to the establishment of a zone of higher genetic variation than expected under the founder effect hypothesis. Additionally, population structure analyses revealed the segregation of three genetic populations east, north-west, and south-west of the bay, the latter showing the highest genetic variation and likely representing a zone of secondary contact. This study shows that past events such as post-glacial range expansions can explain present patterns of genetic variation and population structure, and that studies in northern landscapes may be very useful in understanding genetic patterns throughout the range of a species.
Download or read book Ecology of Fragmented Landscapes written by Sharon K. Collinge and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2009-06 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ask airline passengers what they see as they gaze out the window, and they will describe a fragmented landscape: a patchwork of desert, woodlands, farmlands, and developed neighborhoods. Once-contiguous forests are now subdivided; tallgrass prairies that extended for thousands of miles are now crisscrossed by highways and byways. Whether the result of naturally occurring environmental changes or the product of seemingly unchecked human development, fractured lands significantly impact the planet’s biological diversity. In Ecology of Fragmented Landscapes, Sharon K. Collinge defines fragmentation, explains its various causes, and suggests ways that we can put our lands back together. Researchers have been studying the ecological effects of dismantling nature for decades. In this book, Collinge evaluates this body of research, expertly synthesizing all that is known about the ecology of fragmented landscapes. Expanding on the traditional coverage of this topic, Collinge also discusses disease ecology, restoration, conservation, and planning. Not since Richard T. T. Forman's classic Land Mosaics has there been a more comprehensive examination of landscape fragmentation. Ecology of Fragmented Landscapes is critical reading for ecologists, conservation biologists, and students alike.
Download or read book The Wetland Book written by C. Max Finlayson and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-06-07 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Wetland Book is a comprehensive resource aimed at supporting the trans- and multidisciplinary research and practice which is inherent to this field. Aware both that wetlands research is on the rise and that researchers and students are often working or learning across several disciplines, The Wetland Book is a readily accessible online and print reference which will be the first port of call on key concepts in wetlands science and management. This easy-to-follow reference will allow multidisciplinary teams and transdisciplinary individuals to look up terms, access further details, read overviews on key issues and navigate to key articles selected by experts.
Download or read book AMPHIBIAN CONSERVATION written by Semlitsch R and published by Smithsonian. This book was released on 2003-06-17 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leading amphibian biologist Semlitsch has assembled experts to tackle the timely issue of disappearing and deformed populations of amphibians. Every environmentalist will find this book an accessible and informative examination of what many scientists have called one of the major threats to the world's biodiversity.
Download or read book Ecosystems of California written by Harold Mooney and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2016-01-19 with total page 1008 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This long-anticipated reference and sourcebook for CaliforniaÕs remarkable ecological abundance provides an integrated assessment of each major ecosystem typeÑits distribution, structure, function, and management. A comprehensive synthesis of our knowledge about this biologically diverse state, Ecosystems of California covers the state from oceans to mountaintops using multiple lenses: past and present, flora and fauna, aquatic and terrestrial, natural and managed. Each chapter evaluates natural processes for a specific ecosystem, describes drivers of change, and discusses how that ecosystem may be altered in the future. This book also explores the drivers of CaliforniaÕs ecological patterns and the history of the stateÕs various ecosystems, outlining how the challenges of climate change and invasive species and opportunities for regulation and stewardship could potentially affect the stateÕs ecosystems. The text explicitly incorporates both human impacts and conservation and restoration efforts and shows how ecosystems support human well-being. Edited by two esteemed ecosystem ecologists and with overviews by leading experts on each ecosystem, this definitive work will be indispensable for natural resource management and conservation professionals as well as for undergraduate or graduate students of CaliforniaÕs environment and curious naturalists.
Download or read book Frogs and Toads of the Southeast written by Michael E. Dorcas and published by University of Georgia Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive, authoritative, and fun-to-read identification guide enumerates the distinguishing characteristics of frogs and toads found throughout the southeastern United States and discusses their morphology, the main groups to be found in the Southeast, their habitats and distribution, life cycles, behavior, and conservation.
Download or read book Effects of Early Life Environment on Post metamorphic Immune Function in Wood Frogs written by Michael Thomas Porzio and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Manipulation of Larval and Winter Habitat Reveals Potential Effects of Urbanization and Climate Change on Wood Frogs in Connecticut written by and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 63 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Behavioral Choice and Demographic Consequences of Wood Frog Habitat Selection in Response to Land Use written by Tracy A. Green Rittenhouse and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Land use is a pervasive form of disturbance affecting natural systems on Earth. My dissertation research is set within the context of a large scale project referred to as Land-use Effects on Amphibian Populations (LEAP), where researchers in Maine, Missouri, and South Carolina are determining the effects of timber harvest on the persistence of amphibian populations. The purpose of my dissertation research was to define adult wood frog nonbreeding habitat in continuous oak-hickory forest and in response to timber harvest. I asked research questions that address the two components of habitat selection: 1) the behavioral choice, and 2) the demographic consequences of that choice. To document behavioral choice, I allowed adults to move freely throughout the circular experimental timber harvest arrays (164 m radius) by using standard radiotelemetry techniques. Prior to timber harvest, I found that wood frogs were not distributed equally throughout oak-hickory forest. Adults used drainages as non-breeding habitat. In addition, the number of frogs that migrated to a specific drainage correlated with the distance between the pond and the drainage. Following timber harvest wood frogs avoided clearcuts and increased movement rates in response to timber harvest. Further, I confirmed the consistency of this behavioral response by conducting experimental displacements and found that adults exhibit site fidelity to non-breeding habitat. Frogs displaced to the center of clearcuts evacuated the clearcuts in one night of rain and 20 of 22 frogs displaced back to the pond returned to the same drainage. To determine demographic consequences, I estimated survival of frogs constrained within microhabitats. Desiccation risks for frogs located on forested ridgetops or in exposed areas within clearcuts were severe. Brushpiles within clearcuts provided microhabitats with similar desiccation risks as microhabitats within forested drainages. I also determined survival of transmittered frogs that moved freely among microhabitats by radio-tracking 117 frogs over 3 years. I documented 29 predation events, 13 desiccation events, and 8 mortalities of unknown cause. Using Coxproportional hazard models, I found that survival within the timber harvest array was 1.7 times lower than survival within continuous forest. Survival was lowest during the drought year of 2005 when all desiccation events occurred. My results indicated that predation and desiccation risks near the breeding ponds are ecological pressures that explain why adult amphibians migrate away from breeding habitat during the nonbreeding season.
Download or read book Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change written by David B. Lindenmayer and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2013-02-22 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Habitat loss and degradation that comes as a result of human activity is the single biggest threat to biodiversity in the world today. Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change is a groundbreaking work that brings together a wealth of information from a wide range of sources to define the ecological problems caused by landscape change and to highlight the relationships among landscape change, habitat fragmentation, and biodiversity conservation. The book: synthesizes a large body of information from the scientific literature considers key theoretical principles for examining and predicting effects examines the range of effects that can arise explores ways of mitigating impacts reviews approaches to studying the problem discusses knowledge gaps and future areas for research and management Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change offers a unique mix of theoretical and practical information, outlining general principles and approaches and illustrating those principles with case studies from around the world. It represents a definitive overview and synthesis on the full range of topics that fall under the widely used but often vaguely defined term "habitat fragmentation."
Download or read book An Experimental Approach to Understanding the Impact of Vernal Pool Buffer Size on Wood Frogs Rana Sylvatica written by Nicole Alexis Freidenfelds and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Compensating for Wetland Losses Under the Clean Water Act written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-11-06 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recognizing the importance of wetland protection, the Bush administration in 1988 endorsed the goal of "no net loss" of wetlands. Specifically, it directed that filling of wetlands should be avoided, and minimized when it cannot be avoided. When filling is permitted, compensatory mitigation must be undertaken; that is, wetlands must be restored, created, enhanced, and, in exceptional cases, preserved, to replace the permitted loss of wetland area and function, such as water quality improvement within the watershed. After more than a dozen years, the national commitment to "no net loss" of wetlands has been evaluated. This new book explores the adequacy of science and technology for replacing wetland function and the effectiveness of the federal program of compensatory mitigation in accomplishing the nation's goal of clean water. It examines the regulatory framework for permitting wetland filling and requiring mitigation, compares the mitigation institutions that are in use, and addresses the problems that agencies face in ensuring sustainability of mitigated wetlands over the long term. Gleaning lessons from the mixed results of mitigation efforts to date, the book offers 10 practical guidelines for establishing and monitoring mitigated wetlands. It also recommends that federal, state, and local agencies undertake specific institutional reforms. This book will be important to anyone seeking a comprehensive understanding of the "no net loss" issue: policy makers, regulators, environmental scientists, educators, and wetland advocates.
Download or read book Shaping the Range written by Sarah Isabelle Duncan and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring the factors that structure and limit species' ranges are of central importance to ecology, biogeography, and evolutionary biology because these factors are tied directly to understanding the distribution and abundance of species (ecology), the historical and ecological drivers of spatial distributions through time (biogeography), and the abiotic and biotic factors the influence the diversification of lineages and species (evolutionary biology). Testable biogeographic hypotheses, such as the abundant-center distribution (ACD) and the core-periphery hypothesis (CPH), provide the means for disentangling the factors that structure and limit species' ranges. The ACD predicts a positive relationship between the abundance of a species and how close that population is to the center or core of the species' range, while the CPH predicts that population abundance reflects the extent to which local sites satisfy the niche requirements of the species in that populations located at the geographic periphery of a species' range increasingly experience unfavorable ecological (abiotic and/or biotic) conditions that lead to declines in population density and fitness. This dissertation focuses on the wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus), which has the largest range of any amphibian in North America, spanning approximately 40 degrees in latitude (33 to 70 ). This wide range encompasses a broad spectrum of climate conditions, from extreme cold near the Arctic Circle to high heat and humidity in the south in Alabama. Within the aforementioned biogeographic framework, I examine the effects of geography, ecology, history, genetics, and life history (growth, development, survival, and behavior) on the structure of the wood frog's range. These studies show support for predictions based on the ACD and the CPH. Populations in the core of the range have higher genetic diversity, faster developmental rates, highly active behavioral phenotypes, and have higher fitness compared to edge populations. Additionally, the work emphasizes the importance of looking at not only geographic distance from the core, as has traditionally been done in studies testing the ACD and the CPH, but also ecologically meaningful definitions, both present and historical.
