Trends in Amphibian Occupancy in the United States
Michael J. Adams, David A. W. Miller, Erin Muths, Paul Stephen Corn, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Larissa L. Bailey, Gary M. Fellers, Robert N. Fisher, Walter J. Sadinski, Hardin Waddle, Susan C. Walls
Public Library of Science ONE
22 May 2012.
What we found
Based on sampling on protected areas from across the United States, including from the mid-Atlantic and from National Parks and Refuges across the northeast , ARMI has produced the first estimate of how fast we are losing amphibians.
Even though the declines seem small and negligible on the surface, they are not; small numbers build up to dramatic declines with time. For example, a species that disappears from 2.7 % of the places it is found per year will disappear from half of the places it occurs in 26 years if trends continue. More concerning is that even the species we thought were faring well – that is, fairly common and widespread -- are declining, on average. Fowler’s Toad (9 total years of data at 1 area: -0.06% annual trend) and Spring Peepers (26 total years at 5 areas: -0.06%) are examples of IUCN Least Concern Species for which we found a declining trend at the places we monitor. We also found evidence that amphibian declines are even taking place in protected areas like National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges. Check out the full publication here.
What we are doing
The Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) brings scientists and resource managers together to make real progress on a difficult problem. The ARMI program is a model for a productive program that links management and cutting edge science – since its inception in 2000, ARMI has produced over 430 publications on amphibian ecology, methodological advances for studying wildlife populations, and information useful to our DOI partners and beyond. We now have the first continental scale amphibian monitoring program at a point where broad-scale analyses can occur. This gives us new ways to study amphibian declines and look for ways to address the problem.
In the northeast, we are working with our resource management partners in NPS and FWS to identify and implement management strategies we think are optimal for maintaining populations - typically involving habitat manipulation. In addition, we will continue to monitor populations, and to develop novel research approaches to better understand what is causing declines, which will help to generate support for management options.