Search ARMI Database

Data used in manuscript that examines several potential factors influencing disease dynamics in the boreal toad–disease system: geographic isolation of populations, amphibian community richness, elevational differences, and habitat permanence.

Data used in Bayesian formulation of an open population capture-recapture model with >30 years of data to examine intrinsic and extrinsic factors regulating two populations of adult boreal chorus frogs (Pseudacris maculata).

Data used in an assessment of the effects of snowpack, temperature and disease on demography in boreal toads in Wyoming.

Data used in manuscript applying occupancy analysis to estimate presence of four anuran species at wetlands in northern Iowa as a function of eight environmental
covariates hypothesized to affect occupancy.

comparison of handling times - PIT (passive integrated transponder) tagging versus photography for boreal toads in Wyoming and Colorado

We investigated the influence of brines and NaCl alone at commensurate concentrations on three larval amphibian species that occur in areas with energy-related brine contamination. The dataset contains size information (mass in grams, snout-vent length in millimeters) of larval Boreal Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris maculata) and Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens) and Barred Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma mavortium) taken during 96-h lethal-concentration-50 experiments. Larvae were generally exposed to concentrations of brine or NaCl ranging from 0–8,000 mg/L increasing by 1,000 mg/L increments. Other associated dataset: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.913836

We investigated the influence of increased salinity on survival, growth, water content, and Corticosterone responses of larval Northern Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens) by exposing them to environmentally-relevant salinity treatments for 24 days. We also inhibited Corticosterone for half of the replicates using mifepristone to determine if Corticosterone mediates effects of salinity and tradeoffs between traits. Other associated datasets:
https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.919212
https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.919211
https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.919209

We investigated the relative effects of NaCl and energy-related saline wastewaters on hatching success, survival, size and development, and behaviors of northern leopard frogs ([i]Rana pipiens[/i]) and boreal chorus frogs ([i]Pseudacris maculata[/i]). Eggs were exposed and responses were tracked through hatching for 24 days. Five datasets are included. (1) Includes hatching and survival data for leopard frog eggs and larvae. (2) Includes hatching and survival data for chorus frog eggs and larvae. (3) Includes behavioral responses of both species monitored daily from day 9–24. (4) Includes morphology measurements from larval leopard frogs taken at the end of the experiment on day 24. (5) Includes morphology measurements from larval leopard frogs taken at the end of the experiment on day 24.

We investigated the influence of salinity from energy-related saline wastewaters on CORT of three larval amphibians (Tiger salamanders, Leopard frogs, and Chorus frogs) in Montana and North Dakota where wastewater contamination is pervasive. We measured baseline and stress-induced CORT (pg/h) of amphibians exposed to a gradient of wastewaters using a novel, noninvasive technique. We also measured background corticosterone in site water in 2017 and 2018, and evaluated variance within and among wetlands in 2019. Three datasets are included. (1) Includes corticosterone and morphology measurements from larval amphibians taken in 2017 and 2018. (2) Includes background corticosterone measurements and attributes from sites in 2017–2019. (3) Includes background corticosterone measurements for 5 points along the perimeter of 6 sites in 2019 to evaluate variance within and among wetlands.

We exposed larval leopard frogs to increased salinity and RU486 (a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist) and tested their influence on waterborne corticosterone (baseline and stress-induced) and aldosterone and relationships between the two adrenal steroid hormones.

The data include concentrations of current use pesticides in tissues of larval wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) and spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and the presence of ranavirus in wood frogs and spotted salamanders from three northeastern National Wildlife Refuges sampled in 2013 and 2014. The data also include estrogenicity, protein phosphatase 2A inhibition and a suite of 15 major and minor elements in sediment screened using portable X-Ray Fluorescence. The data include sediment and tissue samples collected from 16 wetlands at the Patuxent Research Refuge (PRR) in central Maryland, USA, 15 wetlands at the Assabet River and Oxbow National Wildlife Refuges (EMASS) in eastern Massachusetts, USA, and nine wetlands at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park (CHOH) near the border of Washington DC and Maryland, USA.

This data set is comprised of four files related to the counts of amphibian species in the National Capital Region of the United States. Data was obtained from surveys of both lentic (wetland) and lotic (stream) sites within national parks

This data set is comprised of 2 files consisting of field observations, morphological measurements, and water quality measurements relevant to a publication on the classification and population status of the WV Spring salamander, Gyrinophilius subterraneus.

Many coastal dune ecosystems have been degraded by non-native dune vegetation, but these systems might still provide valuable habitat for some taxa, including amphibians. Because restoration of degraded dune systems is occurring and likely to continue, we examined the occurrence of amphibians in drainages associated with a coastal dune ecosystem degraded by invasive plants (European Beachgrass, Ammophila arenaria, and Iceplant, Carpobrotus edulis). We found that occupancy of three amphibian species (California Red-legged Frog, Rana draytonii; sierran treefrog, Pseudacris sierra; and Rough-skinned Newt, Taricha granulosa) among 21 coastal dune drainages was high, with most coastal dune drainages occupied by all three species. Furthermore, reproduction of Sierran Treefrogs and California Red-legged Frogs was estimated to occur in approximately half and one-third of the drainages, respectively. The probability of occurrence of Rough-skinned Newts and pre-metamorphic life stages of both anurans decreased during the study, perhaps because of ongoing drought in California or precipitation-induced changes in phenology during the final year of the study. Maintaining structural cover and moist features during dune restoration will likely benefit native amphibian populations inhabiting coastal dune ecosystems.

California Red-legged Frogs (Rana draytonii) are typically regarded as inhabitants of permanent ponds, marshes, and slow-moving streams, but their ecology in other habitats, including coastal dunes, remains obscure. To avoid and minimize potential negative effects of dune restoration activities, we studied the spatial ecology, habitat selection, and survival of California Red-legged Frogs in coastal dune drainages at Point Reyes National Seashore, California. Frogs remained in their home drainages throughout the summer, and, with some notable exceptions, most remained close to water. Home ranges of California Red-legged Frogs in dunes were generally small, and they selected areas near water with logs that served as refuge from environmental extremes and predators. California Red-legged Frogs avoided invasive dune plants, and had high survival rates in coastal dune drainages. Whether frogs will use dunes dominated by native species in the same manner as they use dunes degraded by non-native plants, and whether a more dynamic dune ecosystem will maintain the microhabitats necessary to support California Red-legged Frog populations in the future remains unknown.

Occupancy models provide a reliable method of estimating species distributions while accounting for imperfect detectability. The cost of accounting for false absences is that detection and nondetection surveys typically require repeated visits to a site or multiple-observer techniques. More efficient methods of collecting data to estimate detection probabilities would allow additional sites to be surveyed for the same amount of effort, which would support more precise estimation of covariate effects to improve inference about underlying ecological processes. Time-to-detection surveys allow the estimation of detection probability based on a single site visit by one observer, and therefore might be an efficient technique for herpetological occupancy studies. We evaluated the use of time-to-detection surveys to estimate the occupancy of pond-breeding amphibians at Point Reyes National Seashore, California, USA, including variables that affected detection rates and the probability of occurrence. We found that detection times were short enough, and occupancy was high enough, to reliably estimate the probability of occurrence of three pond-breeding amphibians at Point Reyes National Seashore, and that survey and site conditions had species-specific effects on detection rates. In particular, pond characteristics affected detection times of all commonly detected species. Probability of occurrence of Sierran Treefrogs (Hyliola sierra) and Rough-skinned Newts (Taricha granulosa) was negatively related to the detection of fish and pond area. Time-to-detection surveys can provide an efficient method for estimating detection probabilities and accounting for false absences in occupancy studies of reptiles and amphibians.

The Shasta salamander (Hydromantes shastae) has been petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act. The greatest threat to the species is likely habitat loss that will be caused by the increase in elevation of Shasta Lake that will occur with proposed increases in the height of Shasta Dam to increase water storage capacity and maintain cold water for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Another potential threat is the fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, which has not yet been detected in North America but is lethal to related salamanders (Hydromantes strinatii) in Europe (Martel et al. 2014). In addition to these threats, recent genetic evidence suggests that the species as originally petitioned consists of three distinct species: H. shastae, H. samweli, and H. wintu (Bingham et al. 2018). Herein, we treat the species complex as a single entity because of difficulty distinguishing among the different species in the field. Recent work has increased knowledge about the habitat types within which Shasta salamanders can be found to include volcanic rock outcrops and areas of mature forest with scattered rocks, but no outcrops (Nauman and Olson 2004). To our knowledge, however, surveys to date have not accounted for the possibility of false absences, though Nauman and Olson (2004) used reference sites to ensure that Shasta salamanders were available on the surface to be detected. Systematic surveys that quantify and account for detection probabilities are needed to distinguish between true and false absences and their results would contribute information about habitat suitability and the distribution of the species. This information is vital to estimate what portion of the species complex would be lost to inundation when the elevation of Shasta Lake is raised and to identify potential refugia or recipient sites for translocations.

These data represent occupancy surveys conducted in long-term monitoring sites in Yosemite National Park in 2018 for three anurans, the Yosemite Toad (Anaxyrus canorus), the Sierran Treefrog (Pseudacris sierra), and the Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog (Rana sierrae). The data include independent double-observer surveys and time-to-detection data to calculate detection probabilities and account for false negatives, or the failure to detect a species at a site where it occurs.

These data include site- and survey-specific information for occupancy surveys of Dixie Valley Toads (Anaxyrus williamsi) collected in the Dixie Valley, Churchill County, Nevada, in May 2019. The data include both multiple surveys of the same sites and time-to-detection information to quantify detection probabilities and account for imperfect detection in assessments of Dixie Valley Toad occupancy.