Southeast Regional and State Trends in Anuran Occupancy from Calling Survey Data (2001-2013) from the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program

Abstract/Summary

We present the first regional trends in anuran occupancy, based on North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP) data from thirteen years (2001 to 2013) collected in eight states of the southeastern United States. NAAMP is a long-term monitoring program in which observers collect anuran calling observation data at fixed locations along random roadside routes. We assessed occupancy trends for 14 species. We found that the probability of occurrence for calling anurans within breeding habitats along roads in the southeast declined over the last thirteen years, though none of the 14 species analyzed showed a regional decline with credible intervals that did not include zero. We also assessed state level trends for 107 species/state combinations; of these, 16 showed a decline and 11 showed an increase in occupancy.

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