Journal article
Calling phenology of a diverse amphibian assemblage in response to meteorological conditions
International Journal of Biometeorology, Vol.62(5), pp.873-882
2018
Abstract
The strong association between amphibian activity, breeding and recruitment with local environmental conditions raises concerns regarding how changes in climate may affect the persistence of species populations into the future. Additionally, in a highly diverse assemblage of anurans, competition for breeding sites affects the time and duration of activity, as species compete for limited resources such as water. Meteorological conditions are strong drivers of amphibian activity, so we assessed whether temperature, rainfall, atmospheric pressure and humidity were associated with the calling phenology of an assemblage of anurans in South East Queensland, Australia. We performed calling surveys and collected digital recordings at 45 ponds in an area known for high anuran diversity. We performed detection analyses to investigate the influence of 10 meteorological variables in detection of calling activity in 19 amphibian species. Our results suggest four breeding strategies in the assemblage: explosive summer breeders, prolonged breeders, opportunistic breeders and a winter breeder. Classifying these species into associations provides a framework for understanding how species respond to environmental conditions. Explosive breeders (i.e. species demonstrating short and highly synchronised breeding periods) were particularly responsive to temperature. Our findings help elucidate the breeding phenology of frogs and provide valuable information on their mating systems in native Australian forests. This study highlights the difficulties of surveying even common anurans. We highlight the importance of predictability and stability in climate and the vulnerability of species for which reproduction appears to require highly specific environmental cues. © 2017 ISB
Details
- Title
- Calling phenology of a diverse amphibian assemblage in response to meteorological conditions
- Authors
- T L Plenderleith (Author) - Monash UniversityDanial Stratford (Author)G W Lollback (Author) - Tweed Shire CouncilD G Chapple (Author) - Monash UniversityR D Reina (Author) - Monash UniversityJean-Marc Hero (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
- Publication details
- International Journal of Biometeorology, Vol.62(5), pp.873-882
- Publisher
- Springer
- Date published
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.1007/s00484-017-1490-2
- ISSN
- 0020-7128
- Copyright note
- Copyright (c) 2018. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in International Journal of Biometeorology. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00484-017-1490-2
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99451137002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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