Visible Implant Elastomer Marking Does Not Affect Short-term Movements or Survival Rates of the Treefrog Litoria rheocola

Sapsford, Sarah J.; Roznik, Elizabeth A.; Alford, Ross A.; Schwarzkopf, Lin

doi:10.1655/herpetologica-d-13-0004

Cited by 24 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Five colours of VIE were used to create a marking scheme: pink, orange, yellow, green, and blue. VIE was injected subcutaneously into the inner thigh of the frog (Schmidt and Schwarzkopf 2010;Sapsford et al 2014Sapsford et al , 2015 using a 29-gauge insulin needle (Terumo Medical, Elkton, MD, USA). Individual frogs received up to three marks in total, with marks placed in the left leg, the right leg, or both .…”

Section: Marking Techniquementioning

confidence: 99%

Infection dynamics in frog populations with different histories of decline caused by a deadly disease

et al. 2015

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Pathogens can drive host population dynamics. Chytridiomycosis is a fungal disease of amphibians that is caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). This pathogen has caused declines and extinctions in some host species whereas other host species coexist with Bd without suffering declines. In the early 1990s, Bd extirpated populations of the endangered common mistfrog, Litoria rheocola, at high-elevation sites, while populations of the species persisted at low-elevation sites. Today, populations have reappeared at many high-elevation sites where they presently co-exist with the fungus. We conducted a capture-mark-recapture (CMR) study of six populations of L. rheocola over 1 year, at high and low elevations. We used multistate CMR models to determine which factors (Bd infection status, site type, and season) influenced rates of frog survival, recapture, infection, and recovery from infection. We observed Bd-induced mortality of individual frogs, but did not find any significant effect of Bd infection on the survival rate of L. rheocola at the population level. Survival and recapture rates depended on site type and season. Infection rate was highest in winter when temperatures were favourable for pathogen growth, and differed among site types. The recovery rate was high (75.7-85.8%) across seasons, and did not differ among site types. The coexistence of L. rheocola with Bd suggests that (1) frog populations are becoming resistant to the fungus, (2) Bd may have evolved lower virulence, or (3) current environmental conditions may be inhibiting outbreaks of the fatal disease.

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Section: Marking Techniquementioning

confidence: 99%

Infection dynamics in frog populations with different histories of decline caused by a deadly disease

et al. 2015

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“…Study Species Common Mistfrogs, L. rheocola, are endangered hylid frogs (IUCN 2012) having small body sizes as adults (mean 6 1 SD mass and snout-urostyle length [SUL] for males: 1.98 6 0.15 g and 30.3 6 1.16 mm; for females: 2.78 6 0.59 g and 34.83 6 3.06 mm; Sapsford et al 2014). The species occurs near rocky, fast-flowing rain-forest streams in northern Queensland, Australia (Hoskin and Hero 2008;Dennis 2012).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We suggest, however, that tags might be most vulnerable to loss immediately after marking, as they might fall out of the injection site. Sapsford et al (2014) used harmonic radar tags to track frogs over a 3-wk period that were also marked with VIE. No VIE marks were lost over that 3-wk period.…”

Section: Marksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, 70.6% of individuals were misidentified when VIE marking was used for identifying captive Kihansi Spray Toads (Nectophrynoides asperginis) and 7.9% in Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens; Brannelly et al 2013). The only study conducted in a field setting demonstrated that VIE marking had no influence on survival of Common Mistfrogs (Litoria rheocola; Sapsford et al 2014). The effects of VIE on other aspects of amphibian biology have only been examined in captivity.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Relatively little is known about the readability and effects of VIE marks on amphibians in the field (but see Sapsford et al 2014). The goal of our study was to determine whether VIE is a viable marking technique for Common Mistfrogs (L. rheocola) in long-term studies in nature.…”

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Visible Implant Elastomer as a Viable Marking Technique for Common Mistfrogs (Litoria rheocola)

2015

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Mark-recapture studies are often used to quantify rates of recruitment and survival, growth rates and patterns, and individual movement, among other things. Marking techniques must satisfy several criteria-marks should: (1) not affect the behavior or survival of individuals; (2) not cause undue pain or stress; (3) last as long as the study; and (4) be easily identifiable. Visible implant elastomer (VIE) tags can be used to mark vertebrates, including amphibians, but can move under the skin, potentially affecting readability and resulting estimates of dispersal and survival. We examined the effectiveness of VIE as a marking technique for Common Mistfrogs (Litoria rheocola) in the field over 1 yr. We determined the readability of marks over time, and evaluated effects of marking on measurements of frog movement. If marking affected mobility of the marked rear limb, we expected that subjects marked in both legs would be more strongly affected (thus, individuals should move less often), or should move shorter distances, than subjects marked in only one leg. We marked 1392 animals under the skin of the thighs in either the right, left, or both legs and recaptured 255 subjects at least once. We found that 84% of marks remained readable after 1 yr. Movement parameters were very similar between frogs marked in one or two legs. We conclude that VIE is a safe and effective marking technique for longterm amphibian studies, especially for stream-associated hylid frogs.

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Potential Impacts of PIT Tagging on a Critically Endangered Small‐Bodied Fish: A Trial on the Surrogate Mountain Galaxias

et al. 2018

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Recent advances in PIT technology have led to smaller tags, meaning that this technology can be used to mark and monitor smaller‐bodied species, many of which are threatened. We examined the effects of 9‐mm PIT tags on the survival and growth of the Mountain Galaxias Galaxias olidus, using this fish as a surrogate for several threatened, small‐bodied galaxiids. We measured survival, growth, and tag retention in 34 tagged and 34 untagged fish held in aquaria for 90 d posttagging. Fish were randomly assigned to a treatment (tagged or untagged) and were weighed just prior to tagging and then at 7, 14, 21, 28, 42, and 90 d after tagging, with observations made 5–7 times per week to check for survival and tag loss. Survival did not differ significantly between tagged and untagged groups (79% and 88%, respectively), and there was no difference in weight gain or loss between the two groups over time. Tag retention rate was high (96%), with only one tag expelled by the smallest tagged fish (73 mm length to caudal fork). Our findings show that Mountain Galaxias are capable of successfully retaining 9‐mm PIT tags in aquarium conditions, suggesting that this technology is suitable for the monitoring of similar small‐bodied fish in the wild.

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Visible Implant Elastomer Marking Does Not Affect Short-term Movements or Survival Rates of the Treefrog Litoria rheocola

Cited by 24 publications

References 32 publications

Infection dynamics in frog populations with different histories of decline caused by a deadly disease

Infection dynamics in frog populations with different histories of decline caused by a deadly disease

Visible Implant Elastomer as a Viable Marking Technique for Common Mistfrogs (Litoria rheocola)

Potential Impacts of PIT Tagging on a Critically Endangered Small‐Bodied Fish: A Trial on the Surrogate Mountain Galaxias

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