Amphibians
Amphibians
The cold-blooded amphibians includes frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, and the worm-like caecilians. Named for their dual existence – they live partly in water, partly on land – amphibians are found on every continent except Antarctica and reside in a variety of habitats including wetlands, rainforests, rivers and streams, deserts, and mountains. More than 6,000 amphibian species exist worldwide, with approximately 300 of them found in the United States. In response to indications of declines of amphibian populations worldwide, the National Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) was formed. WARC’s amphibian researchers help ARMI provide amphibian status and trend information to environmental managers, relate status and trends to management options, identify causes of amphibian declines, and provide essential information to support management actions that will arrest or reverse declines.
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Vulnerability of Mole Skinks to Sea-Level Rise
Mole skinks that occur on Florida’s islands rely on sand beaches, beach berms, and dunes, making them particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and storm surge. USGS researchers predicted the impacts of sea level rise and storm surge on habitat for the Florida Keys mole skink ( Plestiodon egregius egregius), the Cedar Key mole skink ( P. e. insularis), and the Egmont Key mole skink (known from a...
Population Persistence of the Ornate Chorus Frog Across Its Distribution
The ornate chorus frog, once common throughout its range, appears to be experiencing population declines. USGS has partnered with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to assess the ornate chorus frog population status across its distribution.
Sea-Level Rise and Florida’s Island Biodiversity
While islands are some of the most biodiverse places on earth, they are also among the most threatened. Researchers from WARC and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are assessing the vulnerability of Florida’s coastal islands to inundation from sea-level rise and estimating potential loss of the terrestrial biodiversity on Florida’s islands.
Using Occupancy Analysis to Understand Ecological and Environmental Stressors that Affect the Range and Abundance of Gulf Coast Waterdogs (Necturus beyeri) in Louisiana Bayous
Sampling for Gulf Coast waterdogs is providing essential information to better understand the factors that impact the species' occupancy across Louisiana.
Monitoring and Removal of Invasive Cuban Treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) on the Gulf Coast
WARC researchers are performing visual encounter surveys and passively capturing Cuban treefrogs to remove as many of the invasive anurans as possible.
Effects of Saltwater Intrusion on Anuran Occupancy in Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas
WARC researchers sampled anuran populations at sites within Big Thicket National Preserve to explore saltwater intrusion on these populations.
Acoustic Monitoring for Two Rare Frog Species in Northwest Louisiana
WARC researchers are using automated recording units to monitor southern crawfish frogs and Strecker's chorus frogs in Louisiana.
Amphibian Research and Occupancy Modeling in the South-Central Region of the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI)
In response to growing public concerns about this loss of biodiversity, the U.S. Congress funded the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI), a national program coordinated by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Interaction of Environmental Stressors and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) Pathogen Loads on Survival of Green Frogs (Lithobates clamitans)
The U.S. Geological Survey Amphibian Research Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) is using a combination of swabbing, non-lethal tissue sampling, soil and water sampling, and collection of a variety of other environmental variables to determine the relationships between the prevalence and pathogen load of Bd infection and environmental stressors on green treefrog survival.
Diet and Reproductive Phenology in a Recently Established Population of Invasive Cuban Treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis)
WARC researchers are exploring relationships between body size, time of year, sex, and reproductive development to better understand the reproductive phenology of the New Orleans population of Cuban treefrogs compared to Florida populations.
Capture-Mark-Recapture of Treefrogs at Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge
WARC researchers are gathering amphibian data to better understand the impact of natural disasters on treefrog populations and examine post-event processes.
Survey and Assessment of Live Food Markets as an Invasion Pathway
Live food markets may be a source of the increasing number of non-native wild invertebrate and fish species, like Asian swamp eels and snakeheads. USGS is surveying such markets around the United States to identify and document species that might be of concern if released live into the wild to assess if the live food market is a possible invasion pathway.