{"title":"Natural disturbance allows multiple anuran taxa to persist in a dynamic wetland complex","authors":"Victoria Tawa, Douglas C. Tozer, David M. Green","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.22617","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>The maintenance of biological diversity is frequently enhanced in a heterogenous landscape by some level of disturbance. Thus, when a landscape becomes stabilized and homogenized through the spread of an invasive plant species, there may be consequences for native biodiversity, particularly for those biotas that depend on the pre-existing, natural disturbance regime of that landscape. At Long Point, Ontario, Canada, a sandspit in Lake Erie, the community of anuran amphibians experienced the co-incidence of 2 major disturbance events, 1 anthropogenic and 1 natural: an intervention to remove the invasive form of the common reed (<i>Phragmites australis australis</i>) and a spate of extensive dune washouts caused by high water levels and storms. As a result of the unequal distribution of disturbance in the landscape, different areas were affected by only the dune washouts, only the common reed treatment, both disturbances, or neither disturbance. From May to August 2021, we explored how the disturbances affected the resident frog and toad species habitat associations in the 4 different disturbance conditions in the landscape. By means of minnow traps, acoustic surveys, and visual surveys, we determined that the dune washouts had a greater influence on resident anurans than the common reed treatment. Ranid frogs (Ranidae) tended to inhabit non-washout sites, whereas Fowler's toads (<i>Anaxyrus fowleri</i>) congregated in the newly formed, sand flats and shallow, de-vegetated pools resulting from the washouts. Neither ranid frogs nor Fowler's toads demonstrated avoidance of the sites affected by the herbicide treatment and mechanical rollover of the common reed. This evidence of species sorting, which enables multiple species to persist in a dynamic and heterogeneous landscape, suggests that wildlife management in aid of threatened species recovery may find success by encouraging natural disturbance regimes in dynamic landscapes. Future management endeavors should consider refraining from complete dune stabilization in these landscapes to allow the natural washouts to occur at a higher frequency, while ensuring the continued effectiveness of the invasive common reed eradication.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jwmg.22617","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Wildlife Management","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.22617","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The maintenance of biological diversity is frequently enhanced in a heterogenous landscape by some level of disturbance. Thus, when a landscape becomes stabilized and homogenized through the spread of an invasive plant species, there may be consequences for native biodiversity, particularly for those biotas that depend on the pre-existing, natural disturbance regime of that landscape. At Long Point, Ontario, Canada, a sandspit in Lake Erie, the community of anuran amphibians experienced the co-incidence of 2 major disturbance events, 1 anthropogenic and 1 natural: an intervention to remove the invasive form of the common reed (Phragmites australis australis) and a spate of extensive dune washouts caused by high water levels and storms. As a result of the unequal distribution of disturbance in the landscape, different areas were affected by only the dune washouts, only the common reed treatment, both disturbances, or neither disturbance. From May to August 2021, we explored how the disturbances affected the resident frog and toad species habitat associations in the 4 different disturbance conditions in the landscape. By means of minnow traps, acoustic surveys, and visual surveys, we determined that the dune washouts had a greater influence on resident anurans than the common reed treatment. Ranid frogs (Ranidae) tended to inhabit non-washout sites, whereas Fowler's toads (Anaxyrus fowleri) congregated in the newly formed, sand flats and shallow, de-vegetated pools resulting from the washouts. Neither ranid frogs nor Fowler's toads demonstrated avoidance of the sites affected by the herbicide treatment and mechanical rollover of the common reed. This evidence of species sorting, which enables multiple species to persist in a dynamic and heterogeneous landscape, suggests that wildlife management in aid of threatened species recovery may find success by encouraging natural disturbance regimes in dynamic landscapes. Future management endeavors should consider refraining from complete dune stabilization in these landscapes to allow the natural washouts to occur at a higher frequency, while ensuring the continued effectiveness of the invasive common reed eradication.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Wildlife Management publishes manuscripts containing information from original research that contributes to basic wildlife science. Suitable topics include investigations into the biology and ecology of wildlife and their habitats that has direct or indirect implications for wildlife management and conservation. This includes basic information on wildlife habitat use, reproduction, genetics, demographics, viability, predator-prey relationships, space-use, movements, behavior, and physiology; but within the context of contemporary management and conservation issues such that the knowledge may ultimately be useful to wildlife practitioners. Also considered are theoretical and conceptual aspects of wildlife science, including development of new approaches to quantitative analyses, modeling of wildlife populations and habitats, and other topics that are germane to advancing wildlife science. Limited reviews or meta analyses will be considered if they provide a meaningful new synthesis or perspective on an appropriate subject. Direct evaluation of management practices or policies should be sent to the Wildlife Society Bulletin, as should papers reporting new tools or techniques. However, papers that report new tools or techniques, or effects of management practices, within the context of a broader study investigating basic wildlife biology and ecology will be considered by The Journal of Wildlife Management. Book reviews of relevant topics in basic wildlife research and biology.