Download or read book Population and Conservation Genetic Structure of the Cascades Frog Rana Cascadae Throughout the Species Range written by Kirsten J. Monsen and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A major goal of conservation biology is to elucidate the population genetic structure in threatened species and assess the relative importance of the evolutionary forces that shape that population genetic structure. I conducted three studies in the declining amphibian Rana cascadae to assess levels of population genetic differentiation and the relative importance of gene flow versus random genetic drift throughout the species' range. In the first study, 1 examined phylogeographic structure on a species-wide geographic scale with both mitochondrial and nuclear molecular markers. I found three mitochondrial groups within R. cascadae that are as divergent at the mitochondrial DNA as sister species. However, I only found two nuclear groups within R. cascadae, suggesting there are two Distinct Population Segments and three Management Units within the species' range. In the second study, I compared sequence data from mtDNA and nuclear DNA of the three R. cascadae mtl)NA groups to several closely related Pacific Northwestern ranid species. I found the surprising result that the mtDNA of R. aurora aurora is more closely related to the mtDNA of' R. cascadae than to the mtDNA of its own subspecies R. aurora drayloni. The nuclear data support the sub-specific relationship between R. aurora aurora and R. aurora draytoni. This result is most likely due to incomplete lineage sorting of ancestral mtDNA alleles. Finally, in the third study, I examined the relative importance of gene flow versus random genetic drift on a fine geographic scale using microsatellite loci. Additionally, I estimated the long-term effective population sizes and genetic neighborhood size for 11 R. cascadae populations. Rana cascadae shows extreme isolation by distance with very little gene flow occurring past a distance of 10 km. Long-term effective population sizes were unrealistically large for current effective population sizes, but the estimates oF genetic neighborhood size are consistent with those expected based on current census population size and genetic neighborhood size in other amphibians. My research suggests Rana cascadae should be managed as three separate groups corresponding to the Olympic Peninsula, the Cascades of Washington and Oregon, and Northern California. Additionally, R. cascadae exhibits extreme isolation by distance with reduced gene flow at distances greater than 10 km, suggesting metapopulation structure is weak, and populations that go extinct are unlikely to be re-colonized quickly despite the presence of nearby R. cascadae populations.

Download or read book Habitat Structure and Occupancy Patterns of the Montane Frog Rana Cascadae in the Cascade Range Oregon at Multiple Scales written by Catherine Brown and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Associations between occupancy patterns of a montane anuran species, Rana cascadae, and habitat structure at multiple scales were examined to investigate how population structure may influence persistence in spatially and temporally heterogeneous environments. Predictions were based on population dynamics suggested by source-sink and metapopulation models. Potential sites in three basins in the central Cascade Range, Oregon, were identified from aerial photos, fieldverified, and surveyed for eggs, tadpoles, and adults. Habitat quality at each site (i.e. vegetation, shoreline topography, area, water retention) and connectivity among sites (i.e. distance, gradient, connecting creeks) were measured to investigate factors that may be associated with distribution patterns at local and regional scales. Habitat structure at the site scale explained many of R. cascadae occupancy patterns. Breeding sites generally were small vegetated ponds with gradual shoreline topography, or flooded meadows. Adults, juveniles, and metamorphs were found in a wider variety of sites including small vegetated ponds, larger deeper lakes, meadows, and creeks. A strong association was found between occupancy and water retention. A large proportion of sites that retained water through the summer were occupied by at least one life history stage. Connectivity metrics were not associated with the distribution of breeding sites; breeding sites generally were dispersed when measured by all metrics. However, the occupancy patterns of adults suggested that frogs moved among sites. In McKenzie Pass, the high density of sites may provide stepping stones, whereas in Three Creeks and Todd Lake, the flowing creeks may provide corridors. Rana cascadae appears to be well adapted to living in a spatially and temporally heterogeneous environment. Breeding was associated with habitat characteristics that may favor rapid development. Habitat and adult occupancy associations suggested that the frog's home range may be larger than a single site. Given the unpredictable environment, use of other habitats such as creeks and large lakes may enable frogs to survive stressful periods. The apparent high mobility may facilitate access to potentially critical alternate habitat, immigration that may "rescue" extant populations, and recolonization of sites where populations have gone extinct. Conservation plans should protect the range of habitats required at multiple spatial scales.

Download or read book Cascades Frog Conservation Assessment written by United States Department of Agriculture and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2015-06-26 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Cascades frog (Rana cascadae) is a montane, lentic-breeding amphibian that has become rare in the southern Cascade Range and remains relatively widespread in the Klamath Mountains of northern California. In the southern Cascades, remaining populations occur primarily in meadow habitats where the fungal disease, chytridiomycosis, and habitat desiccation pose threats to persistance. Major risk factors in the Klamath Mountains include introduced fish and chytridiomycosis. Conservation actions are needed for the Cascades frog in California and especially in the southern Cascades. Conservation options include restoration of breeding pools in the southern Cascades, fish removals in the Klamath Mountains, and adaptive methods to help alleviate the effects of chytridiomycosis rangewide.

Download or read book Cascades Frog Conservation Assessment written by Karen Pope and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Cascades frog (Rana cascadae) is a montane, lentic-breeding amphibian that has become rare in the southern Cascade Range and remains relatively widespread in the Klamath Mountains of northern California. In the southern Cascades, remaining populations occur primarily in meadow habitats where the fungal disease, chytridiomycosis, and habitat desiccation pose threats to persistance. Major risk factors in the Klamath Mountains include introduced fish and chytridiomycosis. Conservation actions are needed for the Cascades frog in California and especially in the southern Cascades. Conservation options include restoration of breeding pools in the southern Cascades, fish removals in the Klamath Mountains, and adaptive methods to help alleviate the effects of chytridiomycosis rangewide.

Download or read book Population Genetics of Ranid Frogs written by Ivan Clayton Phillipsen and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This dissertation focuses on the evolutionary forces of genetic drift and gene flow in frog populations. The balance of these two forces and the force of mutation largely determine the amount of neutral genetic variation within populations as well as the degree of genetic similarity among populations. The stochastic evolutionary change caused by genetic drift can be quantified through the use of the effective population size (N[subscript e]) parameter. The effective size of a population is the number of breeding individuals in a conceptual, ideal population that would evolve by genetic drift at the same rate as the real population being studied. How a population responds to mutation, selection, and gene flow depends on N[subscript e], rather than the actual census population size (N). In most natural populations, N[subscript e] is considerably smaller than N. For these reasons, N[subscript e] is a fundamental parameter in basic population genetics theory as well as in applied conservation genetics. The degree of neutral genetic similarity between populations is highly dependent upon gene flow. When gene flow between a pair of populations is low, the populations are likely to become genetically differentiated. Conversely, when gene flow between populations is high, the populations will tend to be more genetically similar. Amphibians are good model organisms for studying genetic drift and gene flow because they tend to exhibit strong population structure at small spatial scales. This is a consequence of their generally small population sizes, natal philopatry, limited dispersal capabilities, and restricted habitat requirements. They are expected to have easily-detectable signatures of spatial genetic structure and genetic drift. Amphibians can be used as models to further our understanding of evolutionary processes and that understanding can be applied to the conservation of amphibians. Equipped with knowledge of what naturally influences genetic drift and gene flow in amphibians, we can apply the principles of population genetics to mitigate the genetic consequences of amphibian declines. In Chapters 2 and 3, I used molecular genetic data from frog populations to investigate N[subscript e] and the related parameter N[subscript b] (the effective number of breeders). Chapter 2 is a study of a single population of the Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa). My aim was to determine where in the life cycle of this species the greatest reduction in N[subscript b] occurs. I used genetic data from microsatellites to estimate N[subscript b] at two different life stages, eggs and metamorphs, and found that estimates of N[subscript b] were similar at both stages. This result suggests that inflated variance in family size due to egg mass mortality is not a primary cause of N[subscript e] reductions relative to N in this species. Chapter 3 is a comparison of N[subscript e] estimates within and among four species of frogs in the family Ranidae: R. pretiosa, R. luteiventris, R. cascadae, and Lithobates pipiens. I obtained N[subscript e] estimates for 90 populations across the four species, using microsatellite data and several different estimators. The first three species and the western populations of L. pipiens have very small effective sizes (

Download or read book Population Genetics of a Sentinel Stream breeding Frog Rana Boylii written by Ryan A. Peek and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rana boylii is an imperiled frog species native to CA and OR, and it is currently designated as a species of special concern in the state of CA. It has been petitioned as candidate for federal (USFWS) and state (CDFW) listing. As a lotic breeding amphibian, R. boylii is tied closely to local flow regimes in the watersheds it inhabits and is therefore particularly sensitive to alterations to the natural flow regime. Effective conservation management of this species should consider and prioritize maintenance of genetic diversity as part of any listing decision because it is closely related to the evolutionary capacity for adaptation to environmental change. Conservation of genetic diversity in this species will require several components, including refining potential conservation units (i.e., distinct population segments) and quantifying of genetic diversity and genetic diversity trajectories across the species range. To assess these components, fine-scale and landscape-scale analyses were conducted using genomic data from over 600 samples from 89 localities across the range of the species. Six genomically-distinct groups were identified, as well as population subdivisions at local watershed scales. One major impact on R. boylii populations has been river regulation. River regulation has been implicated as a cause of fundamental changes to downstream aquatic ecosystems. Regulation changes the natural flow regime which may restrict population connectivity and decrease genetic diversity in some species. Since population connectivity and the maintenance of genetic diversity are fundamental drivers of long-term persistence, understanding the extent that river regulation impacts these critical attributes of genetic health is an important goal. However, the extent to which R. boylii populations in regulated rivers have maintained connectivity and genetic diversity is unknown. The impacts of river regulation on R. boylii were investigated with genomic data to explore the potential for long-term persistence of R. boylii under continued regulation. R. boylii in regulated rivers showed striking patterns of isolation and trajectories of genetic diversity loss relative to unregulated rivers. For example, river regulation explained the greatest amount of variance in population genetic differentiation compared with other covariates including geographic distance. Importantly, patterns of connectivity and genetic diversity loss were observed regardless of regulation level but were most prominent in locations with the greatest regulation intensity. Using the same genomic data, fine-scale analyses of R. boylii and R. sierrae in a single region of the Sierra Nevada of California was conducted to evaluate the potential for hybridization between species. Hybridization between species may combine parental genotypes in ways that yield reproductively sterile or isolated lineages, and hybridization events may be short-lived and difficult to detect. Limited hybridization between the species was detected in the Feather basin, though it appears these are terminal events based on PCA, admixture, and tests of heterozygosity using species diagnostic SNPs. Finally, rangewide quantification and comparison of genomic variation across populations indicates the southern coast, southern Sierra Nevada, Northern Sierra Nevada, and Feather basin in California should have high prioritization in conservation efforts due to low genomic diversity and trajectories of diversity loss. More broadly, these results demonstrate both the critical need for regional conservation in a sentinel river species, and the utility and power of genetic methods for assessing and monitoring sensitive species across many scales.

Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 860 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Overwintering of Cascades Frogs Rana Cascadae in Washington written by April B. Barreca and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Spatial Ecology of the Cascades Frog written by Justin Matthew Garwood and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study combined both intensive and long-term sampling to provide information on Cascades frog, Rana cascadae, landscape use at multiple spatial scales in the Trinity Alps Wilderness of Northern California. Mark-recapture and radio telemetry were used from 2003 to 2008 to determine key ecological components of R. cascadae life history, resource use, spatial patterns, migrations and dispersal for all post-metamorphic age groups. Rana cascadae often used different aquatic resources for breeding, summer foraging and overwintering. Resources were commonly found to be spatially or temporally separated and frogs were observed to move seasonally among them. Lentic habitats fed by groundwater springs were used extensively for both breeding and overwintering. Seasonal migration events were common among isolated habitats. Single sites were not likely to contain self-sustaining sub-populations, but contribute to a matrix of required seasonal resources across a patchy landscape. The majority of dispersal events occurred between patches located inside a single basin, however, one percent of frogs dispersed among four of six neighboring basins. Consequently the conservation of R. cascadae populations requires management of key resources, processes, and an integration of several spatial scales that reflect the whole range of life history attributes.

Download or read book Genetic Diversity and Genetic Structuring at Multiple Spatial Scales Across the Range of the Northern Leopard Frog Rana Pipiens written by Ryan P. O'Donnell and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: PUBLIC ABSTRACT: Genetic diversity is the raw material for evolution: evolution cannot happen without genetic diversity, and the ability of a population to respond to a changing environment depends directly on how diverse its genes are. Understanding the distribution of genetic diversity is important for many reasons, including predicting whether species will be able to adapt to climate change and predicting the spread of invasive species. Information about the distribution of genetic diversity across the range of the Northern Leopard Frog, a declining species, will not only help us to ensure that the species can continue to evolve in response to changing environmental conditions, but it will also help us gain a better understanding of what factors drive genetic diversity in populations of other species. In Chapter 2, we found that genetic diversity was reduced in edge populations relative to central populations, but was not reduced in populations in previously glaciated areas; therefore position at range edge had a stronger effect in reducing diversity than recent colonization of new habitat. In Chapter 3, we found two distinct lineages within the species that mix in the eastern Great Lakes region, elevating genetic diversity in that area. In Chapter 4, we found that populations in the Stoneman Lake area of Arizona had high genetic diversity, but also contained evidence of introduction of eastern frogs, and we concluded that moving frogs from the Stoneman Lake area to restore diversity in other Arizona populations is not recommended.

Download or read book Cryptic Species of a Cascade Frog from Southeast Asia written by and published by . This book was released on with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Landscape and Conservation Genetics of Amphibians and Reptiles in California written by Erin Maurine Toffelmier and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examining patterns of diversity at fine and global spatial scales is an important component of to inferring underlying evolutionary mechanisms, understanding species distributional patterns, and informing conservation. Globally, amphibians and reptiles are among the fastest declining taxonomic groups, and now more than ever, it is necessary to quantify diversity and its spatial drivers in order to most effectively conserve species. In this dissertation, I examine the population, landscape, and conservation genomics of several species along a continuum of endangerment, from highly endangered and on the brink of extinction to widespread and abundant. Throughout, I use large-scale molecular data sets coupled with spatial analyses to examine spatial genetic diversity in these varied species. My goals were to contribute to our understanding of how genetic diversity is distributed across a multitude of landscapes and to provide genetic context for the conservation of these species. In Chapters 1 and 2, I examined how genetic diversity is spread across the limited ranges of two ecologically disparate species, California tiger salamanders, Ambystoma californiense, in Santa Barbara County, and the Panamint alligator lizard, Elgaria panamintina, found only in the isolated desert mountain ranges of eastern California, and found surprising parallels. In both, I found populations with exceedingly low levels of genetic diversity and genetic effective population sizes. For tiger salamanders, genetic diversity and divergence is strongly correlated with the number of suitable breeding habitats in regional neighborhoods and presence of natural vernal pools, while divergence across the range of E. panamintina is primarily mediated by geographic distance. In both cases, our findings have important implications for how management and mitigation efforts may more effectively assist the recovery and/or protection of these groups. In Chapter 3, I examined the drivers of spatial genetic structure in the widespread southern alligator lizard, Elgaria multicarinata. I found that patterns of genetic isolation are driven primarily by geographic distances, but that regional ecological niches have also diverged. Collectively, my work demonstrates the utility of integrating genetic and spatial analyses across spatial scales to help elucidate how genetic diversity is distributed across variable landscapes.

Download or read book Conservation Genetics of the Growling Grass Frog Litoria Raniformis in Urbanising Landscapes written by Claire Catherine Keely and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The proportion of the world's human population living in cities and towns (urban areas) grew rapidly over the 20th century. Indeed, the global urban population grew by an order of magnitude during this period, from 220 million to 2.8 billion. By 2030, the global urban population is expected to swell to almost 5 billion. Urbanisation is a key threatening process for amphibians, with the global amphibian assessment listing greater than one-third of the world's known amphibian species as currently threatened by urbanisation. As is the case for biodiversity more generally, habitat loss and fragmentation represent pervasive impacts of urbanisation for amphibians. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognises genetic diversity as one of three forms of biodiversity requiring conservation. However, surprisingly few studies have focused on the genetic consequences of urbanisation for amphibians. With the global rate of urbanisation set to steadily increase, and its recognition as a key threatening process to amphibians, the application of genetic techniques will be an important component of conservation planning for these animals. This thesis investigates the conservation genetics of the Growling Grass Frog, Litoria raniformis, around Melbourne, Australia. This species has declined significantly since the late 1970s, largely due to habitat loss and fragmentation, drought and disease. Remnant populations around Melbourne occur in four main regions, three of which are marked for urban growth, causing further loss, degradation and fragmentation of habitat for L. raniformis. The aim of this thesis was to assess the genetic structure and diversity of remnant populations of L. raniformis across Melbourne. There were four main objectives: 1. Assess four different genetic sampling techniques for amphibians, using a multi-criteria decision framework and L. raniformis as a case study. 2. Document the genetic structure and diversity of L. raniformis across Melbourne's urban fringe, using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellites. 3. Investigate the population genetic structure of L. raniformis in the northern region of urbanising Melbourne and develop a model of the landscape determinants of gene flow for the species. 4. Undertake a Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis for L. raniformis, incorporating estimates of gene flow to define population connectivity. The thesis concludes by outlining directions for further research on the conservation genetics of the Growling Grass Frog and its management.

Download or read book Mosaic Landscapes and Ecological Processes written by L. Hansson and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This series presents studies that have used the paradigm of landscape ecology. Other approaches, both to landscape and landscape ecology are common, but in the last decade landscape ecology has become distinct from its predecessors and its contemporaries. Landscape ecology addresses the relationships among spatial patterns, temporal patterns and ecological processes. The effect of spatial configurations on ecological processes is fundamental. When human activity is an important variable affecting those relationships, landscape ecology includes it. Spatial and temporal scales are as large as needed for comprehension of system processes and the mosaic included may be very heterogeneous. Intellec tual utility and applicability of results are valued equally. The Inter national Association for Landscape Ecology sponsors this series of studies in order to introduce and disseminate some of the new knowledge that is being produced by this exciting new environmental science. Gray Merriam Ottawa, Canada Foreword This is a book about real nature, or as close to real as we know - a nature of heterogeneous landscapes, wild and humanized, fine-grained and coarse-grained, wet and dry, hilly and flat, temperate and not so temper ate. Real nature is never uniform. At whatever spatial scale we examine nature, we encounter patchiness. If we were to look down from high above at a landscape of millions of hectares, using a zoom lens to move in and out from broad overview to detailed inspection of a square meter we would see that patterns visible at different scales overlay one another.

Download or read book Amphibians and Reptiles of the US Mexico Border States Anfibios y reptiles de los estados de la frontera M xico Estados Unidos written by Julio A. Lemos-Espinal and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2015-11-02 with total page 626 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the first bilingual work on the reptiles and amphibians of the US–Mexico border, top herpetologists come together to describe the herpetofauna of the states of this region, which includes more than 600 species of toads, frogs, salamanders, turtles, sea turtles, alligators, lizards, snakes, and sea snakes that are found along the almost 2,000-mile border between the two countries. Each chapter is devoted to one state—four in the US (California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas) and six in Mexico (Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas)—with text in both English and Spanish. The chapters contain an introduction to the area, a review of the research, a sketch of the state’s physiography, and a description of the species present as well as the pertinent conservation issues they face. A color photo gallery includes images of nearly all species. Almost 40 percent of the featured native species are shared between the US and Mexico, reminding us that animals depend on the integrity of natural landscapes and proving the need for a comprehensive, bilingual reference to help lead a shared effort in the management and conservation of the borderlands.

Download or read book Our Living Resources written by and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 548 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Report provides information on distribution, abundance, and health of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, plants, terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, coastal and marine ecosystems, riparian ecosystems, the Great Plains, Interior West, Alaska, and Hawaii. It also discusses special issues: global climate change, human influences, non-native species, and habitat assessments.

Download or read book Frogs of the United States and Canada written by C. Kenneth Dodd Jr. and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2023-06-20 with total page 991 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The premiere reference book on the 108 species of frogs inhabiting North America north of Mexico. An unparalleled synthesis of the biology and behavior of all native and nonindigenous species, this two-volume, extensively referenced resource has been called the most important book ever published on North American anura. Color photographs and range maps accompany species accounts detailing information on etymology, nomenclature, identification, distribution, fossil record, systematics and geographic variation, life history and ecology, behavior, population and community biology, and conservation. This new edition of the text contains the following updates: Literature citations have been added from 2012 to 2021, now spanning from 1709 to 2021. Distribution maps have been updated, recording the decreased ranges due to declining amphibian populations. Photographs have been revised to ensure the highest digital quality. Anaxyrus williamsi and Lithobates kauffeldi, newly described species, have been included. An account is also included for Gastrophryne mazatlanensis, now recognized as occurring within the United States. Generic keys have been added. A brief section on N.A. frogs in history and art have been added. Nomenclature has been updated (Incilius for Ollotis). Now the only up-to-date and comprehensive resource for those trying to protect amphibians in the US and Canada, as well as for researchers and wildlife managers who study biodiversity"--