A Case for Using Plethodontid Salamanders for Monitoring Biodiversity and Ecosystem Integrity of North American Forests

Welsh, Hartwell H.; Droege, Sam

doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.2001.015003558.x

Cited by 224 publications

(155 citation statements)

References 70 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

149

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These species would be expected to respond more directly to changes in climate, particularly changes in humidity and precipitation, because they lack the moist, buffered microenvironment that bromeliads provide. Cloud water provides an important source of moisture in tropical montane cloud forests during the dry season (18,19), when salamanders would be expected to be under the highest physiological stress; most cloud forest habitats contain little or no standing water, and plethodontid salamanders depend on adequate moisture for surface activity because of their permeable skins (20). Lawton et al (21) and Nair et al (22) showed that deforestation in lowland and premontane regions leads to an elevational increase of the cloud base, and Ray et al (23) used a modeling approach to demonstrate that deforestation in the lowlands of Costa Rica has led to an increase in mist-free conditions in the cloud forest at Monteverde.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dramatic declines in neotropical salamander populations are an important part of the global amphibian crisis

Rovito

Parra‐Olea²,

Vásquez-Almazán³

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

119

101

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We document major declines of many species of salamanders at several sites in Central America and Mexico, with emphasis on the San Marcos region of Guatemala, one of the best studied and most diverse salamander communities in the Neotropics. Profound declines of several formerly abundant species, including 2 apparent extinctions, are revealed. Terrestrial microhabitat specialists at mid- to high elevations have declined more than microhabitat generalists. These terrestrial microhabitat specialists have largely disappeared from multiple sites in western Guatemala, including in well-protected areas, suggesting that the phenomenon cannot be explained solely by localized habitat destruction. Major declines in southern Mexican plethodontid salamanders occurred in the late 1970s to early 1980s, concurrent with or preceding many reported frog declines. The species in decline comprise several major evolutionary lineages of tropical salamanders, underscoring that significant portions of the phylogenetic diversity of Neotropical salamanders are at risk. Our results highlight the urgent need to document and understand Neotropical salamander declines as part of the larger effort to conserve global amphibian diversity.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dramatic declines in neotropical salamander populations are an important part of the global amphibian crisis

Rovito

Parra‐Olea²,

Vásquez-Almazán³

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

119

101

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Amphibians are generally considered an indicator of ecosystem health because they are sensitive to disturbance (e.g., deMaynadier and Hunter 1995, Welsh and Droege 2001). Indeed, many amphibian species are negatively affected by a wide range of disturbances such as fire (Driscoll and Roberts 1997, Gamradt and Kats 1997, Hossack et al 2006a, and habitat change or loss is the leading identified cause of amphibian decline (Corn 2000, Stuart et al 2004.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of Pond-Breeding Amphibians to Wildfire: Short-Term Patterns in Occupancy and Colonization

Hossack¹,

Corn

2007

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Wildland fires are expected to become more frequent and severe in many ecosystems, potentially posing a threat to many sensitive species. We evaluated the effects of a large, stand-replacement wildfire on three species of pond-breeding amphibians by estimating changes in occupancy of breeding sites during the three years before and after the fire burned 42 of 83 previously surveyed wetlands. Annual occupancy and colonization for each species was estimated using recently developed models that incorporate detection probabilities to provide unbiased parameter estimates. We did not find negative effects of the fire on the occupancy or colonization rates of the long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum). Instead, its occupancy was higher across the study area after the fire, possibly in response to a large snowpack that may have facilitated colonization of unoccupied wetlands. Naı¨ve data (uncorrected for detection probability) for the Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) initially led to the conclusion of increased occupancy and colonization in wetlands that burned. After accounting for temporal and spatial variation in detection probabilities, however, it was evident that these parameters were relatively stable in both areas before and after the fire. We found a similar discrepancy between naı¨ve and estimated occupancy of A. macrodactylum that resulted from different detection probabilities in burned and control wetlands. The boreal toad (Bufo boreas) was not found breeding in the area prior to the fire but colonized several wetlands the year after they burned. Occupancy by B. boreas then declined during years 2 and 3 following the fire. Our study suggests that the amphibian populations we studied are resistant to wildfire and that B. boreas may experience short-term benefits from wildfire. Our data also illustrate how naı¨ve presence-non-detection data can provide misleading results.

show abstract

“…Other streams, except for Baras Bahae spot 2, were also clustered together, either with Ela Hulu or with Bahae, indicating that they shared the same composition of substrate, and could be the type of habitat suitable for B. kalimantanensis (Fig 2). The last discovery from a small, fast flowing stream with slate bedrock bottom and small cascades might indicate that the species can thrive on humid terrestrial habitat, analogous to many lungless salamanders of the North American forest (Welsh & Droege 2001;Dillard et al 2008). …”

Section: Habitat Associations and Preferencementioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation status of the only Lungless Frog Barbourula kalimantanensis Iskandar, 1978 (Amphibia: Anura: Bombinatoridae)

Rachmayuningtyas¹,

Bickford²,

Kamsi³

et al. 2011

J. Threat. Taxa

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:In response to the recent rediscovery of Barbourula kalimantanensis, which is currently the only known lungless frog, a number of biologically important aspects of the species were examined and its taxonomy and conservation status was reviewed. Based on the species' ecological requirements, habitat restrictions and recent severe habitat loss, we propose to change the conservation status of Endangered B2ab(iii) to Vulnerable B1ab(iii) and earmark the species as a conservation flagship for the region and for Indonesia.

show abstract

A Case for Using Plethodontid Salamanders for Monitoring Biodiversity and Ecosystem Integrity of North American Forests

Cited by 224 publications

References 70 publications

Dramatic declines in neotropical salamander populations are an important part of the global amphibian crisis

Dramatic declines in neotropical salamander populations are an important part of the global amphibian crisis

Responses of Pond-Breeding Amphibians to Wildfire: Short-Term Patterns in Occupancy and Colonization

Conservation status of the only Lungless Frog Barbourula kalimantanensis Iskandar, 1978 (Amphibia: Anura: Bombinatoridae)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About