Download Spring Peeper, Green Frog, and Wood Frog Management at

Spring Peeper, Green Frog, and
Wood Frog Management at
Neithercut Woodland
Clay Wilton, Randi Brown, Traci Goldsworthy
Area of Concern
 Neithercut Woodland in Clare County
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Owned and maintained by Central Michigan University
Currently encompasses 252 acres of diverse habitats
Originally owned by Josiah L. Littlefield in the early 1900’s
A variety of vegetation, soil, and animals occupy this property
Spring Peeper – Pseudacris crucifer
Family: Hylidae
• Distinguishing Characteristics
– Characterized by a distinct brown “X” pattern on a light brown or tan
body
– ~ 3.5 cm long
– Voice reminiscent of a clear, high-pitched rising “peep” sounded about
once per second
– Males are slightly smaller than females and have darker throats
• Nocturnal
• Hide in leaf litter, but are also good climbers
Breeding Behavior
• One of the first frogs to be heard in spring
– Choruses can be heard from late March or early April through May
• Sexual maturity is typically reached around two years of age
(Trenham et al. 2003)
• Use ephemeral or permanent wetlands
• Females lay between 750 – 1,200 eggs
– deposited individually
– attached to sticks and aquatic vegetation
– eggs typically hatch within several days after being laid
• Larvae metamorphose in approximately two to three months and
leave the pond for the adult stage of their life cycle.
Habitat and Food
• Michigan’s most abundant singing frog
• Found throughout the state
– Inhabits deciduous and mixed woodlands, swamps, and marshes
• Burrow in the soil and use fallen trees and logs for cover
• Persist at higher elevations, less acidic soils, less evergreen forest,
less cultivated land, and less open water (Gibbs et al. 2005).
• Hibernate under logs and loose bark
• Adult prey includes small insects – spiders, ants, water bugs
• Tadpoles feed on algae and detritus
Range
• Spring peepers are believed to be one of the initial herpetological
colonizers of eastern North America following the latest period of
glaciation (Austin et al. 2002).
• Found throughout the majority of eastern North America, from Nova
Scotia west to eastern Manitoba, and south to Texas and the
Carolinas.
• Relatively common species throughout the Great Lakes
Wood Frog - Rana sylvatica
Family: Ranidae
 Appearance:
http://163.238.8.180/~fburbrink/Field%20Work/Midwest/
 Rusty brown and tan
 Yellow to light green under
parts
 Black striped patch “mask”
 White stripe on upper lip
 Dark spots on each side of
chest by the foreleg
 Average size 3.5 to 8 cm
 Females
 much larger than males
 more brightly colored
http://www.britannica.com/eb/art/print?id=8032&articleTypeId=1
Wood Frog Reproduction
 Breeding occurs very early in spring,
often when ice is still on ponds.
 Most active during warmer, damp
evenings after the first spring rain in
temporary ponds
 Males attracted to larger females just
as females attracted to larger males
http://www.uri.edu/cels/nrs/paton/LH_wood_frog.html
 Male calls - quack like projection
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8
vlf4sdLmY
 Eggs deposited in floating rounded
communal masses on water surface
 Breeding frogs only remain in the
pond for 1-2 days
http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/wetlands.htm
Larva and Juveniles
Larva
Emerge from eggs in 1-2 weeks
 If area dries too quickly, survival is
often lost
Brown to gray dorsal side, brown to
copper sides, and light ventrally
http://www.umaine.edu/wetlands/VPwoodfrog2.htm
 Feed on algae, plant tissue, small
aquatic organisms, and organic matter
Juveniles
Feed on a variety of insects & small
invertebrates such as spiders, slugs,
and snails
Sexual maturation generally 1-2 years
http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/recreati/uvd/UVD_amphibians/uvdwoodfrog.html
Habitat of Wood Frog
 Wood frog prefers:
 Wet woodlands
 Wooded swamps
 Bogs
http://www.eitangrunwald.com/NJ/NJp1.htm
 Can be found wondering into fields
 Tend to stay in same 100 sq meters throughout lifetime, staying in
same pond or wetland area especially after breeding first occurs
 By late fall typically travel upland for winter
 Hide in or under logs, leaf litter, and humus.
Range of the Wood Frog
 North of Arctic Circle in
Alaska, across Canada, &
through NE U. S.
 Some in northern Georgia &
central Alabama
 Spotty distribution in
Colorado & Rocky
Mountains
 Considered only frogs to be
found north of Arctic Circle
 Survive freezing 45% body
in the winter
 Specialized proteins &
glucose prevent
intercellular freezing and
dehydration
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_frog
Green Frog – Rana clamitans
Family: Ranidae
 There are several color variations of the green frog:
 green, yellowish green, olive, or brown, and in some rare
instances they can be blue
 Male and females also differ:
 Males: Very bright yellow throat and tympanum larger than eye
 Females: white, light yellow, or cream colored throat, mottled
gray and black, tympanum smaller than eye
 Other distinguishing characteristics:
 Dark cross bands on hind legs
 Ridge of skin from each eye curving behind tympanum and
extending one-half to two-thirds of the way down their back
R. clamitans Hibernation & Reproduction
 Start to emerge from hibernation during the end of March thru April
 Breeding begins in May thru early August
 Females produce 1-2 clutches each year
 1,000 – 4,000 eggs per clutch
 Reproduction occurs in shallow backwaters
 Male breeding call commonly heard during spring:
 A brief “clung” reminiscent of a loose banjo string
 Will be given singly or several times in a row
 A low growl connected to territoriality
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0uGjsM_gh4
 Begin to enter hibernation again toward the end of October thru midNovember
Green Frog Habitat
 Green frogs are found in very diverse bodies of water:
 Habitat generalists
 Ponds, lakes, swamps, sloughs, impoundments, and slow streams
 Adults prefer deeper pools with less vegetation, and migrate beyond
banks at night to forage
 Subadults prefer shallower pools with dense vegetation, and forage on
nearby banks
 Dependent also on terrestrial habitat:
 Predation
 Sit-and-wait predators
Blue version of a male green frog
Range of the Green Frog
 Can be found in Maine and the Canadian Maritime provinces west
throughout the Great Lakes region to western Ontario, south to
Oklahoma and northern Arkansas, and east through Tennessee and
northern Georgia to coastal North Carolina and northward (Harding
1997).
Management Considerations
Three critical factors for wetland-breeding frogs:
1.
2.
3.
density of individuals that are dispersing from each wetland
species richness dependent on diversity of wetlands
probability of dispersal or re-colonization to adjacent wetlands
Wetland factors:
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size, pond isolation, pond hydroperiod, timing of wetland drawdown,
and individual life-history requirements (Paton and Crouch 2002) are
imperative for wetland-breeding frog management.
Management Considerations
Invasive Species
 Predatory fish – consume both larvae and adult frogs
 Bull frogs – risk of competition and predation on all life stages
 Invasive Plants – out compete native vegetation creating dense monocultures
 Typha spp. and Phragmites spp.
Management Considerations
Environmental contaminants and toxicants:
 Using herbicides to kill invasive plants could possibly have adverse
effects on local amphibian populations.
 In a lab study on juvenile amphibians, Roundup killed 68-86% of individuals
after one day (Relyea 2005).
 In natural systems??
 Exposure to pesticides could directly reduce the abundance of prey
species.
Community impacts of herbicides and pesticides make consistent
monitoring of water quality and invertebrate community composition
a crucial consideration for the successful management of anurans in
Neithercut.
Management Considerations
Habitat Structure:
Population Disappearance:
 urban development
 high intensity agriculture
 acid deposition
Population Fluxes:
High local extinction rates:
 require re-colonization from
surrounding populations
 need greater densities of
nearby wetlands
Population Persistence:
 deciduous/mixed forest
 less evergreen forest
 less open water
 consideration of landscape
connectivity between
wetlands and adjacent land is
imperative
Management Goals and Objectives:
 Create & maintain wetland habitat
 Create corridors connecting hospitable
wetland habitats.
 Maintain critical breeding habitat for
the wood frog
 creating and conserving vernal pools
 Monitor hydroperiods for reproductive
success for both the spring peeper and
green frog
 Implement management of suitable
habitat on a large spatial scale to
sustain dispersal and re-colonization
from local subpopulations
http://www.41south-aquaculture.com/wetland.html
Management Goals and Objectives:
 Control chemical pollution
 Eliminate application of
herbicides and pesticides
 Monitor native & non-native
species
 Bi-yearly monitoring of
terrestrial/aquatic wetland and
stream macroinvertebrates for
species richness and diversity
 Manage wetlands for invasive
fish and plants
http://chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/spring2007/water.html
 avoid the unwanted
introduction of a species that
could decimate breeding
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/taumsauk/testing.htm
Management Goals and Objectives:
 Maintain terrestrial habitat
 Abundant deciduous/mixed
forest cover
 Restrict invasion of dominant
conifer species
 Prevent habitat disturbances
 Prevent installation of
permanent dams upstream
and downstream of wetlands
 maintain stable water levels
for wetland breeding habitat
http://www.cha-llp.com/go/project/wetland-delineation-habitat-study
 Limit use of motorized
vehicles in Neithercut
 Encourage private property
owners to contribute their land
in the form of a conservation
easement
Management Recommendations
 Main Goal:
 Increasing wetland breeding habitat throughout Neithercut in order to reduce
local extinction rates and increase population success of these three
amphibians
 Recommendations:
 1. Create corridors connecting hospitable wetlands for these three
species.
 Most amphibians cannot migrate more than 200-300 meters
 Corridors can be preserved by not clear cutting areas between wetlands and by
avoiding deforestation
Management Recommendations Cont….
 2. Create and maintain breeding habitat through hydroperiods and
vernal pools
 There are two types of hydroperiods:
 Breeding Hydroperiods: the number of days when amphibians are
actively breeding or larvae are developing in inundated wetlands
 Pond Hydroperiods: the number of days a pond is inundated with
surface water
 Amphibians tend to inhabit areas with intermediate hydroperiods
 Various hydroperiods should persist for 4-9 months
 Hydroperiods too long in duration can cause an increase in predators
 3. Decrease chemicals in order to increase species overall fitness
 Freshwater environments are an ultimate sink for chemicals
 Pesticides and herbicides shouldn’t be used within 100 yards of wetlands
because of their slow decomposition
Management Recommendations Cont….
 4. Managing and monitoring both native and potentially
harmful non-native species.
 Harmful species can be in the form of insects, fish, mammals, birds, and
vegetation
 Fish are one of the largest threats to amphibians both as predators and
competitors
 Fish presence will be monitored through electroshocking in order to manage
for invasive/unwanted species
 Invasive vegetation such as cat tails (Typha spp.) outcompete beneficial
native vegetation and therefore will need to be managed
 5. Maintain and create terrestrial habitat for all three species
 Corse woody debris serve as source of cover during winter months and
serve as adequate cover for prey
 All fallen debris should be left untouched
 Upland mixed/hardwood forests are utilized by these amphibians for
foraging
 All deforestation and clear cutting will be avoided as much as possible
Neithercut Habitat Quality
Good overall habitat quality
 good sources of wetlands dispersed throughout the property with higher
lands for post breeding seasons and hibernating periods (Trenham and
Shaffer 2005).
 Several areas also have potential for temporary wetlands in the spring.
• Elm Creek provides flooding areas of different levels for the various needs of
the different species.
A healthy hardwood habitat provides necessary shade, hospitable
surface temperatures, soil structure, and adequate soil moisture that
Figure 12. Landcover and wetland classification for Neithercut Woodland, Clare County, MI.
Evaluation Techniques and Monitoring
 Juvenile and adult counts – Pit fall silt
fences
 During peak breeding activity periods for
each species
 Completely around wetland areas to monitor
the amount of adults that enter the breeding
pool and to see how many juveniles leave the
wetland to
 Whenever pit fall fences are used, daily visits
are mandatory to count frogs and release
them back to the other side of the fence.
 Call surveys
 Surveys will be conducted once a week
during breeding periods
 Egg masses
 Surveyed over a three week period according
to each frogs breeding time
Evaluation Techniques and Monitoring
 Water Quality:
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pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and conductivity
Changes in water level
Erosion and sedimentation
Environmental toxicants
 Macroinvertebrate surveys (sediments and wetlands)
 Turnover and extinction rates:
 Extinction: dividing the number of ponds where local extinctions were
observed by the number of ponds that were occupied the following year.
 Colonization rates: dividing the number of newly occupied ponds by
the number of occupied ponds from the previous year.
Timeline:
 Year One:
Spring 2008
 Frog counts through breeding call surveys and pitfalls
 Begin water quality and soil testing
 Create buffer zones around wetlands
 Begin planning process
 Begin all baseline monitoring of invasive predators and available prey
species
Fall 2008
 Continue assessment
 Begin creating corridors
 Control for invasive species
Timeline (Continued)
 Year Two:
Spring 2009
 Maintain terrestrial habitats
 Monitor hydroperiods
 Monitor for the presence of chemicals
 Species Count
 Continue monitoring invasive predators and available prey species
 Fall 2009
 Monitor corridors for disruptions
 Correct any corridor disruptions
Fall 2009
 Maintain and monitor achievements from Fall 2008
 Year Three – Year Five:
 Spring 2010 – Fall 2012 continue tasks as done in previous seasons.
Budget
N
• eithercut Management Budget
Equipment Needed
Hydrolab Quanta: Transmitter, SST
Hannd 3814 Ecological Test Kit
Year 1
Our Cost
$3,395.00
Year 2
Year 3
Year4
Year 5
Our Cost
Our Cost
Our Cost
Our Cost
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$1,000.00
$0.00
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$45.00/refill
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$1,000.00
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$2,500.00
$2,500.00
$2,500.00
Be
Based
On
$6,700.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
Donated
Donated
Donated
Donated
$25.00/30.5 m $25.00/30.5 m $25.00/30.5 m $25.00/30.5 m
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
Species
$0.00
Donated
$25.00/30.5 m
$0.00
$162.00
BOD Sampler
BOD Bottles
Turbidity Sensor
Runoff Sampler
GPS, eTREX, Garmin
AquaCalc 5000 Open Channel Computer
Staff Gauges
Hydra Probe II Soil Probe
Complete Soil Test Kit
Dip Nets (3)
Chest Waiters (3 Pairs)
Maintinence On Equipment
$76.45
$19.95
$935.00
$4,470.00
$119.00
$1,850.00
$32.00
$361.50
$47.00
$20.00 ea.
$51.00
$1,000.00
Travel Expenses
Exotic Species Extermination
$2,500.00
Will
$2,500.00
$21,778.90
$3,500.00
LR – 20 Electrofisher
Frog Calls
Silt Fence
Pit Fall Cans
Total:
Total for Entire Project:
$35,823.90
$3,545.00
$3,500.00
$3,500.00