Herpetological Research Team (FRESC) Active
The Herpetological Research Team focuses on issues related to conservation and management of amphibians and other aquatic and semi-aquatic species. Among our current studies are effects of invasive species, disease, and land use change on the dynamics of amphibian communities to inform conservation and management decision making.
Many of our projects are supported by the USGS Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI). ARMI works with Department of Interior (DOI) and other federal and state agencies to respond to information gaps that are critical to the implementation of effective conservation and management strategies for amphibian communities. ARMI’s work includes research on the status and threats of native species, development and evaluation of quantitative and field methods, and monitoring designs to address conservation and management information needs at multiple spatial and temporal scales.
Principal Investigator
Michael Adams - Supervisory Research Ecologist
Federal Staff
Brome McCreary - Wildlife Biologist
Christopher Pearl - Wildlife Biologist
Jennifer Rowe - Wildlife Biologist
Meredith Diskin - Biological Science Technician
Jennifer Fredrickson - Ecologist
Affiliate
Adam Duarte - Research Ecologist at Oregon State University
Science Themes of the FRESC Herpetological Research Team are highlighted below.
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Amphibian capture mark-recapture
Trask Watershed Study Amphibian Survival and Movement Data, 2008-2015
Terrestrial salamander captures after the 2003 Clark Fire, Willamette National Forest, OR
Long-term amphibian monitoring data from the Willamette Valley, Oregon (2004-2015)
Telemetry and habitat data for Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa) in Oregon, USA
Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog (Rana boylii) Monitoring and Assessment Data from the Trinity River, California (2013-2017)
Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata) Monitoring and Assessment Data from the Trinity River, California (2013-2017)
Vegetation data from Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) exclosure study in eastern Oregon
Oregon Spotted Frog Monitoring in the Oregon Cascades 2012-2016
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Early action to address an emerging wildlife disease
Estimation of metademographic rates and landscape connectivity for a conservation-reliant anuran
Amphibian chytrid prevalence on boreal toads in SE Alaska and NW British Columbia: Tests of habitat, life stages, and temporal trends
Effect of amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) on apparent survival of frogs and toads in the western USA
Conservation research across scales in a national program: How to be relevant to local management yet general at the same time
Disentangling effects of invasive species and habitat while accounting for observer error in a long-term amphibian study
Compounding effects of climate change reduce population viability of a montane amphibian
Identifying management-relevant research priorities for responding to disease-associated amphibian declines
Quantifying climate sensitivity and climate-driven change in North American amphibian communities
Late-season movement and habitat use by Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa) in Oregon, USA
Regional variation in drivers of connectivity for two frog species (Rana pretiosa and R. luteiventris) from the U.S. Pacific Northwest
Fitting N-mixture models to count data with unmodeled heterogeneity: Bias, diagnostics, and alternative approaches
Effect of cattle exclosures on Columbia Spotted Frog abundance
Below are news stories associated with this project.
ARMI Scientist Michael Adams Receives 2020 PARC Honor
Dr. Michael Adams, Lead for the USGS Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) and Supervisory Research Ecologist at the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, has been selected to receive the 2020 Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) Alison Haskell Award for Excellence in Herpetofaunal Conservation.
- Overview
The Herpetological Research Team focuses on issues related to conservation and management of amphibians and other aquatic and semi-aquatic species. Among our current studies are effects of invasive species, disease, and land use change on the dynamics of amphibian communities to inform conservation and management decision making.
Many of our projects are supported by the USGS Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI). ARMI works with Department of Interior (DOI) and other federal and state agencies to respond to information gaps that are critical to the implementation of effective conservation and management strategies for amphibian communities. ARMI’s work includes research on the status and threats of native species, development and evaluation of quantitative and field methods, and monitoring designs to address conservation and management information needs at multiple spatial and temporal scales.
Principal Investigator
Michael Adams - Supervisory Research Ecologist
Federal Staff
Brome McCreary - Wildlife Biologist
Christopher Pearl - Wildlife Biologist
Jennifer Rowe - Wildlife Biologist
Meredith Diskin - Biological Science Technician
Jennifer Fredrickson - Ecologist
Affiliate
Adam Duarte - Research Ecologist at Oregon State University
- Science
Science Themes of the FRESC Herpetological Research Team are highlighted below.
- Data
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Filter Total Items: 21Amphibian capture mark-recapture
These data represent capture mark recapture data along with associated disease status for boreal toads (Anaxyrus boreas) from Wyoming and Montana from 2004-2016 and four frog species (Rana draytonii, R. muscosa, R. pretiosa, R. sierrae) from 2001-2016.Trask Watershed Study Amphibian Survival and Movement Data, 2008-2015
This data set contains mark-recapture information for individuals of Dicamptodon tenebrosus and Ascaphus truei marked for individual recognition. Amphibians represented in this data set were captured in 14 first-order perennial and seasonally intermittent streams in the East Fork of the South Fork of the Trask River in the northern Oregon Coast Range. Individuals are larval and mature aquatic DicaTerrestrial salamander captures after the 2003 Clark Fire, Willamette National Forest, OR
Data are the result of fixed-area, time-constrained searches for terrestrial salamanders within and nearby a wildfire-affected area of the Willamette National Forest, OR. The spatial extent of the study was within one kilometer of the border of the Clark fire that burned an area of 2,009 ha in 2003. Site surveys occurred during March and April, 2005. An important feature of the data is that 100m2Long-term amphibian monitoring data from the Willamette Valley, Oregon (2004-2015)
This dataset contains information from surveys conducted 2004-2015 by USGS as part of a long-term amphibian monitoring effort in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Data consist of site, survey, habitat, and species detection covariates.Telemetry and habitat data for Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa) in Oregon, USA
We used radio-telemetry to study late-season movement and habitat use by the Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) at 9 sites from 4 populations along the Cascade Mountains in Oregon. This dataset includes individual frog morphometrics, location data, and habitat use during each tracking event that occurred roughly weekly between September and January of 2011, 2012, and 2016.Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog (Rana boylii) Monitoring and Assessment Data from the Trinity River, California (2013-2017)
A key objective of the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) is maintaining and enhancing other wildlife populations through the restoration initiatives. For herpetological species, the foothill yellow-legged frog and western pond turtle have been identified as important species on which to focus monitoring efforts due to their status as California state-listed Species of Concern. As a result,Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata) Monitoring and Assessment Data from the Trinity River, California (2013-2017)
A key objective of the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) is maintaining and enhancing other wildlife populations through the restoration initiatives. For herpetological species, the foothill yellow-legged frog and western pond turtle have been identified as important species on which to focus monitoring efforts due to their status as California state-listed Species of Concern. As a result,Vegetation data from Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) exclosure study in eastern Oregon
We studied the short-term effects of full and partial livestock grazing exclosures on Columbia Spotted Frog (CSF; Rana luteiventris) populations using a controlled manipulative field experiment with pre- and post-treatment data. This dataset includes vegetation data collected 2002-2010 and 2013 at 94 lakes and ponds in and around the Blue Mountains in eastern Oregon. Data collection followed standOregon Spotted Frog Monitoring in the Oregon Cascades 2012-2016
This dataset contains information from visual encounter surveys conducted between 2012 and 2016 by USGS as part of an ongoing Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) monitoring effort in the Oregon Cascade Mountain Range. We surveyed 91 sites using a rotating frame design in the Klamath and Deschutes Basins, Oregon, which encompass most of the species' core extant range. Data consist of spotted frog c - Publications
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Early action to address an emerging wildlife disease
A deadly fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) that affects amphibian skin was discovered during a die-off of European fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) in 2014. This pathogen has the potential to worsen already severe worldwide amphibian declines. Bsal is a close relative to another fungal disease known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Many scientists consider BdAuthorsM. J. Adams, M. Camille Harris, Daniel A. GrearFilter Total Items: 44Estimation of metademographic rates and landscape connectivity for a conservation-reliant anuran
ContextAmphibian conservation efforts commonly assume populations are tied to waterbodies that collectively function as a metapopulation. This assumption is rarely evaluated, and there is a need to understand the degree of connectivity among patches to appropriately define, manage, and conserve biological populations.ObjectivesOur objectives were to quantify local persistence, colonization, and reAuthorsAdam Duarte, James Peterson, Christopher Pearl, Jennifer Christine Rowe, Brome McCreary, Stephanie Galvan, Michael J. AdamsAmphibian chytrid prevalence on boreal toads in SE Alaska and NW British Columbia: Tests of habitat, life stages, and temporal trends
Tracking and understanding variation in pathogens such as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ([Bd]), which causes amphibian chytridiomycosis and has caused population declines globally, is a priority for many land managers. However, there has been relatively little sampling of amphibian communities at high latitudes. We used skin swabs collected during 2005–2017 from boreal toads (Anaxyrus boreas; N =AuthorsBlake R. Hossack, Michael J. Adams, R Ken Honeycutt, Jami J Belt, S PyareEffect of amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) on apparent survival of frogs and toads in the western USA
Despite increasing interest in determining the population-level effects of emerging infectious diseases on wildlife, estimating effects of disease on survival rates remains difficult. Even for a well-studied disease such as amphibian chytridiomycosis (caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis [Bd]), there are few estimates of how survival of wild hosts is affected. We applied hierarchicaAuthorsRobin E. Russell, Brian J. Halstead, Brittany Mosher, Erin L. Muths, Michael J. Adams, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Robert N. Fisher, Patrick M. Kleeman, Adam R. Backlin, Christopher Pearl, R. Ken Honeycutt, Blake R. HossackConservation research across scales in a national program: How to be relevant to local management yet general at the same time
Successfully addressing complex conservation problems requires attention to pattern and process at multiple spatial scales. This is challenging from a logistical and organizational perspective. In response to indications of worldwide declines in amphibian populations, the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) of the United States Geological Survey was established in 2000. This nationAuthorsMichael J. Adams, Erin L. MuthsDisentangling effects of invasive species and habitat while accounting for observer error in a long-term amphibian study
The invasive American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) and a variety of non‐native sport fish commonly co‐occur in lowland lentic habitats of the western United States. Both invasive taxa are implicated in declines of native amphibians in this region, but few long‐term studies of communities exist. Further, field studies of invasive–native interactions are complicated by confounding habitat modiAuthorsJennifer Rowe, Adam Duarte, Christopher Pearl, Brome McCreary, Stephanie Galvan, James T. Peterson, Michael J. AdamsCompounding effects of climate change reduce population viability of a montane amphibian
Anthropogenic climate change presents challenges and opportunities to the growth, reproduction, and survival of individuals throughout their life cycles. Demographic compensation among life‐history stages has the potential to buffer populations from decline, but alternatively, compounding negative effects can lead to accelerated population decline and extinction. In montane ecosystems of the U.S.AuthorsAmanda M. Kissel, Wendy J. Palen, Maureen E. Ryan, Michael J. AdamsIdentifying management-relevant research priorities for responding to disease-associated amphibian declines
A research priority can be defined as a knowledge gap that, if resolved, identifies the optimal course of conservation action. We (a group of geographically distributed and multidisciplinary research scientists) used tools from nominal group theory and decision analysis to collaboratively identify and prioritize information needs within the context of disease-associated amphibian decline, in orderAuthorsEvan H. Campbell Grant, M. J. Adams, Robert N. Fisher, Daniel A. Grear, Brian J. Halstead, Blake R. Hossack, Erin L. Muths, Katherine L. D. Richgels, Robin E. Russell, Kelly L. Smalling, J. Hardin Waddle, Susan C. Walls, C. LeAnn WhiteByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Wetland and Aquatic Research CenterQuantifying climate sensitivity and climate-driven change in North American amphibian communities
Changing climate will impact species’ ranges only when environmental variability directly impacts the demography of local populations. However, measurement of demographic responses to climate change has largely been limited to single species and locations. Here we show that amphibian communities are responsive to climatic variability, using >500,000 time-series observations for 81 species across 8AuthorsDavid A.W. Miller, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Erin L. Muths, Staci M. Amburgey, M. J. Adams, Maxwell B. Joseph, J. Hardin Waddle, Pieter T.J. Johnson, Maureen E. Ryan, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Daniel L. Calhoun, Courtney L. Davis, Robert N. Fisher, David M. Green, Blake R. Hossack, Tracy A.G. Rittenhouse, Susan C. Walls, Larissa L. Bailey, Sam S. Cruickshank, Gary M. Fellers, Thomas A. Gorman, Carola A. Haas, Ward Hughson, David S. Pilliod, Steven J. Price, Andrew M. Ray, Walter Sadinski, Daniel Saenz, William J. Barichivich, Adrianne B. Brand, Cheryl S. Brehme, Rosi Dagit, Katy S. Delaney, Brad M. Glorioso, Lee B. Kats, Patrick M. Kleeman, Christopher Pearl, Carlton J. Rochester, Seth P. D. Riley, Mark F. Roth, Brent SigafusByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Southwest Biological Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Wetland and Aquatic Research CenterLate-season movement and habitat use by Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa) in Oregon, USA
Many amphibians use multiple habitats across seasons. Information on seasonal habitat use, movement between seasonal habitat types, and habitats that may be particularly valuable is important to conservation and management. We used radio-telemetry to study late-season movement and habitat use by Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana pretiosa) at nine sites from four populations along the Cascade Mountains inAuthorsChristopher Pearl, Brome McCreary, Jennifer Rowe, M. J. AdamsRegional variation in drivers of connectivity for two frog species (Rana pretiosa and R. luteiventris) from the U.S. Pacific Northwest
Comparative landscape genetics has uncovered high levels of variability in which landscape factors affect connectivity among species and regions. However, the relative importance of species traits versus environmental variation for predicting landscape patterns of connectivity is unresolved. We provide evidence from a landscape genetics study of two sister taxa of frogs, the Oregon spotted frog (RAuthorsJeanne M. Robertson, Melanie A. Murphy, Christopher Pearl, M. J. Adams, Monica I. Paez-Vacas, Susan M. Haig, David S. Pilliod, Andrew Storfer, W. Chris FunkFitting N-mixture models to count data with unmodeled heterogeneity: Bias, diagnostics, and alternative approaches
Monitoring animal populations is central to wildlife and fisheries management, and the use of N-mixture models toward these efforts has markedly increased in recent years. Nevertheless, relatively little work has evaluated estimator performance when basic assumptions are violated. Moreover, diagnostics to identify when bias in parameter estimates from N-mixture models is likely is largely unexplorAuthorsAdam Duarte, M. J. Adams, James PetersonEffect of cattle exclosures on Columbia Spotted Frog abundance
Livestock grazing is an important land use in the western USA and can have positive or negative effects on amphibians. Columbia Spotted Frog (Rana luteiventris) often use ponds that provide water for cattle. We conducted a long-term manipulative study on US Forest Service land in northeastern Oregon to determine the effects of full and partial exclosures that limited cattle access to ponds used byAuthorsM. J. Adams, Christopher Pearl, Thierry Chambert, Brome McCreary, Stephanie Galvan, Jennifer Rowe - News
Below are news stories associated with this project.
ARMI Scientist Michael Adams Receives 2020 PARC Honor
Dr. Michael Adams, Lead for the USGS Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) and Supervisory Research Ecologist at the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, has been selected to receive the 2020 Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) Alison Haskell Award for Excellence in Herpetofaunal Conservation.