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Breeding chorus indices are weakly related to estimated abundance of Boreal Chorus Frogs

January 1, 2011

Call surveys used to monitor breeding choruses of anuran amphibians generate index values that are frequently used to represent the number of male frogs present, but few studies have quantified this relationship. We compared abundance of male Boreal Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris maculata), estimated using capture–recapture methods in two populations in Colorado, to call index values derived from automated recordings. Single index values, such as might result from large monitoring efforts, were unrelated to population size. A synthetic call saturation index (CSI), the daily proportion of the maximum possible sum of index values derived from multiple recordings, was greater in larger populations, but the relationship was not highly predictive.

Publication Year 2011
Title Breeding chorus indices are weakly related to estimated abundance of Boreal Chorus Frogs
DOI 10.1643/CH-10-190
Authors Paul Stephen Corn, Erin Muths, Amanda Kissel, Rick D. Scherer
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Copeia
Index ID 70118789
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
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