Factors Influencing Survival and Mark Retention in Postmetamorphic Boreal Chorus

Authors: J E Swanson; Larissa L Bailey; Erin Muths; W C Funk
Contribution Number: 422
Abstract/Summary

The ability to track individual animals is crucial in many field studies and often requires applying marks to captured individuals. Toe clipping has historically been a standard marking method for wild amphibian populations, but more recent marking methods include visual implant elastomer and photo identification. Unfortunately, few studies have investigated the influence and effectiveness of marking methods for recently metamorphosed individuals and as a result little is known about this life-history phase for most amphibians. Our focus was to explore survival probabilities and mark retention and migration in postmetamorphic Boreal Chorus Frogs (Psuedacris maculata) in a laboratory setting. Three treatments were assigned randomly among 147 individuals: frogs were either marked with visual implant elastomer, toe clipped, or left unmarked as controls. Growth and mortality were recorded for one year and resulting data were analyzed using known-fate models in Program MARK. Model selection results suggested that survival probabilities of frogs varied with time and showed some variation among marking treatments. We found that frogs with multiple toes clipped on the same foot had lower survival probabilities than individuals in other treatments, but individuals can be marked by clipping a single toe on two different feet without any mark loss or negative survival effects. Individuals treated with visual implant elastomer had a mark migration rate of 4% and mark loss rate of 6% and also showed very little negative survival impacts relative to control individuals.

Publication details
Published Date: 2013
Outlet/Publisher: Copeia
Media Format: .PDF

ARMI Organizational Units:
Rocky Mountains, Southern - Biology
Topics:
Monitoring and Population Ecology
Place Names:
Colorado
Keywords:
amphibians; demographics; mark-recapture; methods; monitoring; research
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