Site Covariates at Blackrock and Togwotee Pass, Wyoming 2013-2016
Dates
Publication Date
2017
Start Date
2013
End Date
2016
Citation
Muths, E.L., Hossack, B.R., Pilliod, David, 2017, Demography and habitat use of boreal toads (Anaxyrus boreas) and other amphibians in northern Wyoming (Blackrock): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7MW2G32.
Summary
This data set provides the names and locations of sites and site descriptors (i.e. site covariates). These data are associated with the project that is abstracted below: Amphibian decline is a problem of global importance, with over 40% of species considered at risk. This phenomenon is not limited to the tropics or to other countries. Amphibian species in the U.S. are also declining, contributing to the larger, global phenomenon. For example, in the State of Wyoming, the Wyoming toad has been extirpated in the wild and the boreal toad is a species of special concern. Understanding biotic and abiotic factors that influence amphibian persistence is critical for amphibian conservation. This work in northern Wyoming has focused on demography, [...]
Summary
This data set provides the names and locations of sites and site descriptors (i.e. site covariates). These data are associated with the project that is abstracted below: Amphibian decline is a problem of global importance, with over 40% of species considered at risk. This phenomenon is not limited to the tropics or to other countries. Amphibian species in the U.S. are also declining, contributing to the larger, global phenomenon. For example, in the State of Wyoming, the Wyoming toad has been extirpated in the wild and the boreal toad is a species of special concern. Understanding biotic and abiotic factors that influence amphibian persistence is critical for amphibian conservation. This work in northern Wyoming has focused on demography, habitat alteration and creation, and disease in the context of multiple amphibian populations. One of the foci has been to identify the capacity for mitigation wetlands (those created to offset losses due to, for example, road construction) to serve as habitat for amphibians. Four species of amphibians native to Wyoming, including the boreal toad, reside in this region. Our previous research indicates that the toad population at Blackrock is declining at 5-6% per year and that disease due to the amphibian chytrid fungus is contributing to this decline. Our demographic work at this site began in 2003, focusing solely on the boreal toad. Additional funding in 2012 allowed us to increase the scope of the project and assess chorus frog, salamander and Columbia spotted frog populations, invertebrate assemblages, work to quantify the use of mitigation sites by amphibians, and to expand efforts to include sites on Togwotee Pass a short distance away from Blackrock. Because most previous studies of amphibian use of created wetlands have taken place in the eastern United States, this project, incorporating demographic and disease dynamics as well as community composition and mitigation effects of created wetlands, is unique and provides a case study in the Intermountain West. By 2015, all four native amphibian species were observed at one of the created wetlands, and all of them, including the boreal toad, were breeding (evidenced by breeding behavior, eggs or tadpoles). The columns are defined as follows: A. UTM coordinate in NAD83: Easting B. UTM coordinate in NAD83: Northing C. Site Name D. Location: BR=Blackrock; TOG = Togwotee Pass E. Wetland type: Reference = naturally occurring; Created = man-made; Impacted = naturally occurring but affected by man-made disturbance. F. State = Wyoming G. County = Teton H. Invertebrates present in water in 2015: Y = yes; N = no I. elevation of site in meters J. Fish present in water (any year): Y = yes; N = no K. year constructed - applies only to Created sites; NA = not applicable L. Total area referes to the total wetted area of the wetland M. Distance to source refers to nearest pond
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BR_site_covariates.csv.xml Original FGDC Metadata
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Purpose
Data were collected to inform conservation and management of amphibian populations. Information will be used to understand demographics of natural populations (survival, recruitment, and population growth rate), disease, and occupancy of amphibians across a landscape. Additional site specific data such as invertebrate species, calls of other organisms (i.e. birds), and vegetation will inform the implementation of mitigation (e.g. as required when amphibian habitat is destroyed during road construction, or possibly the creation of new amphibian-specific sites for reintroduction).
