Collapse of a Regional Frog Fauna in the Yosemite Area of the California Sierra Nevada, USA

Drost, Charles A.; Fellers, Gary M.

doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1996.10020414.x

Cited by 235 publications

(194 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…1) and yet has declined dramatically (34)(35)(36). The disjunct southern populations are federally listed as endangered, and the listing of the remaining Sierra Nevada populations as endangered was recently found to be ''warranted'' (37).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reversing introduced species effects: Experimental removal of introduced fish leads to rapid recovery of a declining frog

Vredenburg

2004

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

232

229

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Amphibian population declines and extinctions are occurring even in the world's least impacted areas. The introduction and spread of nonnative predators is one of many proposed causes of amphibian declines. Correlational studies have shown a negative relationship between introduced fishes and declining amphibians, but little direct experimental evidence is available. This study experimentally manipulated the presence and absence of widely introduced salmonids rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) to test the hypothesis that their introduction has contributed to the decline of the mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa). From 1996 to 2003, the introduced trout were removed from 5 lakes in a remote protected area of the Sierra Nevada, and 16 nearby lakes were used as controls, 8 with introduced trout and 8 without. To determine the vulnerable life stage, rainbow trout were placed in cages in three lakes containing amphibians. Removal of introduced trout resulted in rapid recovery of frog populations, and, in the caging experiment, tadpoles were found to be vulnerable to trout predation. Together, these experiments illustrate that introduced trout are effective predators on R. muscosa tadpoles and suggest (i) that the introduction of trout is the most likely mechanism responsible for the decline of this mountain frog and (ii) that these negative effects can be reversed.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reversing introduced species effects: Experimental removal of introduced fish leads to rapid recovery of a declining frog

Vredenburg

2004

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

232

229

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“…nib.gov/docs/1999/107p799-803rowe/abstrac hrml Several regional and global reviews have reported extinctions, extirpations, and serious declines ofa number ofamphibian species and their populations (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). The detrimental effect that habitat destruction has on amphibian populations is undeniable (7).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen pollution: an assessment of its threat to amphibian survival.

Rouse

Bishop

Struger

1999

Environ Health Perspect

217

122

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The potential for nitrate to affect amphibian survival was evaluated by examining the areas in North America where concentrations of nitrate in water occur above amphibian toxicity thresholds. Nitrogen pollution from anthropogenic sources enters bodies of water through agricultural runoff or percolation associated with nitrogen fertilization, livestock, precipitation, and effluents from industrial and human wastes. Environmental concentrations of nitrate in watersheds throughout North America range from < 1 to > 100 mg/L. Of the 8,545 water quality samples collected from states and provinces bordering the Great Lakes, 19.8% contained nitrate concentrations exceeding those which can cause sublethal effects in amphibians. In the laboratory lethal and sublethal effects in amphibians are detected at nitrate concentrations between 2.5 and 100 mg/L. Furthermore, amphibian prey such as insects and predators of amphibians such as fish are also sensitive to these elevated levels of nitrate. From this we conclude that nitrate concentrations in some watersheds in North America are high enough to cause death and developmental anomalies in amphibians and impact other animals in aquatic ecosystems. In some situations, the use of vegetated buffer strips adjacent to water courses can reduce nitrogen contamination of surface waters. Ultimately, there is a need to reduce runoff, sewage effluent discharge, and the use of fertilizers, and to establish and enforce water quality guidelines for nitrate for the protection of aquatic organisms. Images Figure 1 Figure 2

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“…Populations in Western Europe, the United Kingdom and North America for instance all showed declines (Houlahan et al 2000). Also high-altitude populations in the Sierra Nevada in the United States have experienced strong declines for reasons largely unknown (Drost and Fellers 1996). Direct and indirect impacts of climate change have been suggested as reasons for the decline of other amphibian populations (Pounds et al 1999;Walther et al 2002).…”

Section: Amphibiansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Future of biodiversity in the Barents Region

Hof¹,

Jansson²

2015

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Collapse of a Regional Frog Fauna in the Yosemite Area of the California Sierra Nevada, USA

Cited by 235 publications

References 29 publications

Reversing introduced species effects: Experimental removal of introduced fish leads to rapid recovery of a declining frog

Reversing introduced species effects: Experimental removal of introduced fish leads to rapid recovery of a declining frog

Nitrogen pollution: an assessment of its threat to amphibian survival.

Future of biodiversity in the Barents Region

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