Decline of an endangered amphibian during an extreme climatic event

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Ben C. Scheele
  • Don A. Driscoll
  • J. Fischer
  • D. A. Hunter
Climate change is a poorly understood, emerging threat to many amphibian species. One of the ways climate change is likely to affect amphibians is through increased recruitment failure associated with more frequent climatic extremes. To understand the risk posed by this threat, we combined 13 years of annual monitoring and multi-scaled habitat modelling at the site (n = 60), pool (n = 105) and nest (n = 170) levels to investigate the decline of the endangered northern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne pengilleyi), during the most severe drought on record in southern Australia. We documented the local extinction of 42% of P. pengilleyi breeding sites during the climatic extreme. Using logistic regression we investigated habitat variables associated with extinction sites. We found that locally extinct sites now resemble historically absent sites, with fewer pools, less water, and drying-related tree invasion. Extended periods of limited water availability at extinction sites is likely to have restricted breeding, contributing to localised extinctions. Habitat variables recorded at the pool and nest level did not significantly influence P. pengilleyi presence/absence, indicating that site level wetness had an overriding effect. We anticipate that increasing climate variability is likely to disproportionately threaten seasonal pool-breeding amphibian species, exacerbating the global amphibian biodiversity crisis. However, our work with P. pengilleyi suggests there are a range of simple habitat manipulations that could help to ameliorate the impacts.
Original languageEnglish
JournalEcosphere
Volume3
Issue number11
Pages (from-to)1-15
Number of pages15
ISSN2150-8925
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.11.2012

    Research areas

  • Environmental planning
  • Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, chytridiomycosis, climate change, climate extreme, drought, frog, landscape drying, Pseudophryne pengilleyi, southern Australia

Documents

DOI

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Structuring multiple perspectives in environmental decision-making
  2. Proving the world more imaginary?
  3. Assoggettamento/Soggettivazione
  4. Nanoindentation of Poly(Ethylene Oxide) Nanofibers by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)
  5. Comparing preference-based quality-of-life measures
  6. The Measurement of Grip-Strength in Automobiles
  7. The Influence of Terrorism on Expatriate Performance: a Conceptual Approach
  8. Fear of Infection or Justification of Social Exclusion? The Symbolic Exploitation of the Ebola Epidemic
  9. Scaffolding im Rahmen von Inquiry-based Learning.
  10. Interactivity, Interpassivity and Possibilities Beyond Dichotomy
  11. Normalisierung und Ausschluss
  12. Digitalization in engineering education research and practice
  13. A qualitative approach to evidence-based entrepreneurship: Theoretical considerations and an example involving business clusters
  14. Domain adaptation of POS taggers without handcrafted features
  15. Mockular
  16. Vertical gradient in soil temperature stimulates development and increases biomass accumulation in barley
  17. Carabids.org – a dynamic online database of ground beetle species traits (Coleoptera, Carabidae)
  18. Ambiguous Effects of Risk Aversion on Healthy Nutrition
  19. The Right to Liberty and Security, Public Health and Disease Control
  20. How to measure the substantive representation of traditionally excluded groups in comparative research
  21. Mental Contrasting and Transfer of Energization
  22. Networks of Clusters
  23. Young, Committed, Flexible and Female
  24. Methoden-Muster: Partizipation und Verhandlung
  25. Linking stakeholder survey, scenario analysis, and simulation modeling to explore the long-term impacts of regional water governance regimes
  26. Digital game culture(s) as prototype(s) of mediatization and commercialization of society
  27. Blättern, wenden, wiegen, zahlen
  28. Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
  29. Effects of anthropogenic disturbances on soil microbial communities in oak forests persist for more than 100 years
  30. Notting Hill Gate 4 Basic
  31. Deliberative attention management