Herpetofaunal Communities in Restored and Unrestored Remnant Tallgrass Prairie and Associated Wetlands in Northwest Arkansas, USA

Baecher, J. Alex; Vogrinc, Philip N.; Guzy, Jacquelyn C.; Kross, Chelsea S.; Willson, John D.

doi:10.1007/s13157-017-0966-5

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…These densities represent larval densities produced by 1 to 20 L. areolatus females ovipositing (mean clutch size = 5,000 [Parris & Redmer, 2005]) within a single 100 m 2 wetland, which are typical densities for our region (Kross, unpublished data). We collected vegetation for the Fescue and Prairie treatments from local hay fields and a restored prairie (Woosley Wet Prairie Preserve [WWPS], Fayetteville, Arkansas; see Baecher et al., 2018 for more detailed site information). Agricultural wetlands are often surrounded by a monoculture of a single grass species.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the agricultural vegetation treatment was made up of a single grass species, Tall‐grass Fescue ( L. arundinaceum ). Native prairies have a variety of herbaceous species, which serve as the primary resource base in ephemeral pools used by breeding amphibians (Baecher et al., 2018). Thus, the prairie vegetation included a combination of grasses, sedges ( Carex spp., Pychnanthemum spp., and Eleocharis spp.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adults spend the non-breeding season in terrestrial burrows relatively far from breeding wetlands, thus the density of adults in the terrestrial landscape is presumably low and populations are thought to be regulated primarily through density dependence at the larval state, as well as by stochastic environmental drivers (Stiles et al, 2016(Stiles et al, , 2020. They are known to breed in both prairie and agricultural wetlands but have shown a preference for prairie habitats (Baecher et al, 2018). Thus, understanding how vegetation changes surrounding breeding wetlands affect L. areolatus and the species population dynamics could provide important implications for amphibian conservation and management.…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Land‐use alters the form of larval density dependence to increase extinction risk in a grassland amphibian

Kross

Willson

2022

Animal Conservation

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An understanding of interactions between anthropogenic stressors and intrinsic population drivers is needed to fully understand wildlife population declines. Density dependence is a key aspect of population regulation for many species, especially for species that have high reproductive potential, such as amphibians. However, patterns of density dependence have been characterized for only a few species and little work has evaluated how density‐dependent interactions may be altered by anthropogenic stressors. We combined the results of a mesocosm experiment with demographic population modeling to investigate how the conversion of native prairie to agricultural grasslands dominated by Tall Fescue grass (Lolium arundinacea) affected larval density dependence and adult population size of an imperiled amphibian, Lithobates areolatus (Crawfish Frog). Overall, density dependence was overcompensatory, suggesting that L. areolatus exhibits scramble competition as larvae. Both vegetation treatments had low survival at high densities, but more individuals survived to metamorphosis at moderate densities in Fescue treatments compared to Prairie treatments. We evaluated the implications of our experimental results using a stochastic density‐dependent matrix population model to project long‐term population dynamics. Simulated populations breeding in Fescue‐dominated wetlands had a more variable population size and up to 400% higher probability of quasi‐extinction within 200 years, compared to populations breeding in ponds with prairie vegetation. Without varying density in experimental treatments and using mathematical models to project emergent population dynamics, our mesocosm experiment results would have suggested a slightly positive effect of Fescue grass on amphibian development and survival. Vegetation changes surrounding breeding wetlands might play an important role in the decline of amphibian populations persisting in low‐intensity agricultural areas.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Land‐use alters the form of larval density dependence to increase extinction risk in a grassland amphibian

Kross

Willson

2022

Animal Conservation

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“…Striking the right balance in timing is critical for both successful recovery and cost‐effective management, but where that balance lies is unknown for many targets of restoration (Brudvig 2011). Implementing restoration at the right time is critical given that many ephemeral wetland ecosystems that depend on disturbance also harbor rare or threatened species (Gorman et al 2013; Klaus & Noss 2016; Baecher et al 2018) or high levels of biodiversity (Seabloom & van der Valk 2003; Mitchell 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration success varies based on time since restoration in a disturbance‐dependent ephemeral wetland ecosystem

Cayton

Haddad

Henry

et al. 2023

Restoration Ecology

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Habitat restoration frequently focuses on reaching an idealized steady state, but this is unrealistic for disturbance-dependent ecosystems where temporal variability is inherent and habitat conditions are expected to fluctuate. Understanding the ways in which the outcomes of restoration change over time in disturbance-dependent ecosystems can better inform adaptive management plans and increase the likelihood that restoration efforts will be effective. We conducted a decade-long restoration experiment to test how restoration efforts to increase disturbance levels impact habitat quality and populations of an endangered butterfly over time. We show that changes in plant communities as a response to disturbance vary depending on time since restoration, with target host plants initially increasing and peaking several years postrestoration but then declining. In the absence of further disturbance, butterfly population sizes follow a similar pattern, with population declines concurrent with declines in host plants. Due to this nonlinear response, management actions within disturbance-dependent ecosystems need to include long-term monitoring in order to accurately capture changes in habitat response, as well as active, adaptive planning that shifts according to current system stability. Restoration efforts within these dynamic habitats are more likely to succeed when temporal variability is explicitly tracked and multiple cycles of restoration are considered as part of management actions.

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Timing of oviposition influences the effects of a non-native grass on amphibian development

et al. 2020

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Herpetofaunal Communities in Restored and Unrestored Remnant Tallgrass Prairie and Associated Wetlands in Northwest Arkansas, USA

Cited by 7 publications

References 55 publications

Land‐use alters the form of larval density dependence to increase extinction risk in a grassland amphibian

Land‐use alters the form of larval density dependence to increase extinction risk in a grassland amphibian

Restoration success varies based on time since restoration in a disturbance‐dependent ephemeral wetland ecosystem

Timing of oviposition influences the effects of a non-native grass on amphibian development

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