Vernal pool amphibian breeding ecology monitoring from 1931 to present: A harmonised historical and ongoing observational ecology dataset

Abstract

For 88 years (1931-present), the Mohonk Preserve's Daniel Smiley Research Center has been collecting data on occupancy and reproductive success of amphibian species, as well as associated water quality of 11 vernal pools each spring (February to May). Though sampling effort has varied over the dataset range, the size of the dataset is unprecedented within the field of amphibian ecology. With more than 2,480 individual species sampling dates and more than 151,701 recorded individual occurrences of the nine amphibian species, the described dataset represents the longest and largest time-series of herpetological sampling with paired water quality data. We describe the novel publication of a paired dataset of amphibian occurrence with environmental indicators spanning nearly 90 years of data collection. As of February 2020, the dataset includes 2,480 sampling dates across eleven vernal pools and 151,701 unique occurrences of egg masses or individuals recorded across nine species of amphibian. The dataset also includes environmental conditions associated with the species occurrences with complete coverage for air temperature and precipitation records and partial coverage for a variety of other weather and water quality measures. Data collection has included species, egg mass and tadpole counts; weather conditions including precipitation, sky and wind codes; water quality measurements including water temperature and pH; and vernal pool assessment including depth and surface vegetation coverage. Collection of data was sporadic from 1931–1991, but data have been collected consistently from 1991 to present. We also began monitoring dissolved oxygen, nitrate concentrations and conductivity of the vernal pools using a YSI Sonde Professional Plus Instrument and turbidity using a turbidity tube in February 2018. The dataset (and periodic updates), as well as metadata in the EML format, are available in the Environmental Data Initiative Repository under package edi.398.

Institutional Differences in the Stewardship and Research Output of United States Herbaria

“…While this would increase the number of unique species in the collection, thus increasing the associated biodiversity, this may not adequately support the needs of researchers interested in documenting wild species occurrence and differences across a species’ natural range. Increasingly, cultural institutions like museums and botanical gardens also harness visitor enthusiasm for digitization tasks through citizen science tools, which can support digitization activities (Garretson et al 2020; Garretson Forthcoming). Additionally, staff at cultural sector institutions are often not subject to other non-curation tasks, while collectors at public lands may have obligations to collect specific specimens relevant to survey work, and collectors at universities may have additional restrictions on time, including teaching, mentorship, and service (Snow 2005; Ab Rahim et al 2013; Adams and Griliches 2000).…”

Citizen science and land use data provide insight into the invasive riparian plant composition of the Hudson River Valley watershed

“…Four sites were selected based on nearby recreation/land use (Split Rock, Humpo Marsh, Lenape Lane, Pine Road), but others were selected based on access points and to cover the primary streams onsite at Mohonk Preserve (Sky Lake, Rosendale Larsen, Old Clove, Mossy Brook, Oakwood, Duck Pond, Van Leuven, Trapps). Mohonk Preserve is a nature preserve and land trust that protects more than 3,340 ha of the Shawangunk Mountains, a northern section of the Appalachian Mountains in Ulster County, New York (Garretson et al 2020). The Shawangunk Mountain bedrock is made up of sedimentary and low-grade metamorphic rock with a silica-cemented combination of sandstone and white quartz pebble, as well as a few occurrences of gneiss and granite (Abrams and Sands 2010;Feldman et al 2012).…”