Frog and toad surveys often rely on auditory detections of calling individuals to determine where species are and are not present. Examples include the volunteer-based USGS – North American Amphibian Monitoring Program and some of the ARMI monitoring projects. To ensure the accurate conclusions are made from survey data, it is important to reduce errors in the data from auditory surveys and to account for observational uncertainty when estimating trends. Although methods to deal with missed detections (a species is present but was not recorded) are well developed, less attention has been given(...more)
ARMI scientists met in St Louis, MO the week of November 13th for their annual meeting to discuss their latest findings and brainstorm future projects. This team of experts in ecology, hydrology, and statistics from USGS discussed their latest findings from research on climate change, adaptive
management, hydrological modeling, emerging diseases, pesticides, invasive species, habitat restoration, and population monitoring. ARMI's research portfolio is diverse to correspond with the wide variety of stressors that impact amphibian populations. ARMI provides the essential scientific in(...more)
Streams harbor many secretive and rare species that are difficult to find and study. Under the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative, USGS scientists and their partners developed and demonstrated an efficient protocol for detecting the DNA of stream-dwelling amphibians that occur in low density in fast-moving water. The simple protocol is widely applicable to inventory and monitoring efforts across large watersheds, and could revolutionize surveys for various stream-dwelling amphibians the way that sampling fur for the DNA has for elusive mammals. (David Pilliod is a scientist and fr(...more)
ARMI Mission Statement
In response to indications of worldwide declines in amphibian populations, the President and Congress directed Interior Department agencies to initiate a national program of amphibian monitoring, research, and conservation. There is an urgent need to determine the scope and severity of the problem and to investigate causes. The U.S. Geological Survey is uniquely qualified to coordinate and lead a cooperative national effort because its scientists have been in the forefront of studying amphibian populations and life history traits, measuring and monitoring environmental characteristics, and conducting research into potential causes of decline. As a result, the Agency formed the National Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI).
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
