Table Of ContentAMPHIBIAN DECLINES
AMPHIBIAN DECLINES
THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF UNITED STATES SPECIES
Edited by
MICHAEL LANNOO
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley Los Angeles London
University of California Press
Berkeley and Loss Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2005 by the Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Amphibian declines: The conservation status of United States species
/ edited by Michael Lannoo.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-520-23592-4 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Amphibian declines. 2. Amphibian declines—United States. I.
Lannoo, Michael
QL644.7.A48 2005
333.95’78—dc22
2004015272
Printed in Canada
10 09 08 07 06 05
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements
of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper).
Wededicate this effort to David Wake, George Rabb, and Whit Gibbons, around whose
energy and insight and influence we in amphibian conservation have gathered. The
story of how Dave saw the pattern in the early scattered reports of amphibian declines,
organized herpetologists, and helped to create the Declining Amphibian Populations
Task Force is part of our folklore. We continue to rely on his wisdom and guidance.
George, who furiously works both in front of and behind the scenes, is truly one of the
great conservation biologists of our time. Whit’s kind and infectious enthusiasm
mobilizes both scientists and lay people alike. They are the giants upon whose shoulders
we now stand.
We also dedicate this effort to the memories of two great mentors from an earlier
generation, who passed when this book was in its early stages: Sherman Minton, Jr.
(1920–1999), whose last published paper is included here; and Richard V. Bovbjerg
(1919–1999), who in 1964 was one of the first scientists to speak to the issue of amphibian
conservation.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS IX DECLINES 22 13 Risk Factors and Declines in
ADVISORY BOARD XI Northern Cricket Frogs
CONTRIBUTORS XIII 6 Meeting the Challenge of Amphibian (Acris crepitans) 75
PREFACE XIX
Declines with an Interdisciplinary Val R. Beasley, Sandra A. Faeh,
Michael Lannoo
Research Program 23 Brigit Wikoff, Craig Staehle, Joyce
James P. Collins, Nicholas Cohen, Eisold, Donald Nichols, Rebecca
Elizabeth W. Davidson, Joyce E. Cole, Anna M. Schotthoefer, Martin
PART ONE
Conservation Essays 1 Longcore, and Andrew Storfer Greenwell, and Lauren E. Brown
7 Biology of Amphibian Declines 14 Ultraviolet Radiation 87
David M. Green 28 Andrew R. Blaustein and Lisa
K. Belden
INTRODUCTION 2 8 Declines of Eastern North
15 Xenobiotics 89
American Woodland Salamanders
1 Diverse Phenomena (Plethodon) 34 Christine M. Bridges and
Influencing Amphibian Raymond D. Semlitsch
Richard Highton
Population Declines 3
16 Variation in Pesticide Tolerance 93
Tim Halliday 9 Decline of Northern Cricket Frogs
(Acris crepitans) 47 Christine M. Bridges and
2 Why Are Some Species Raymond D. Semlitsch
Robert H. Gray and Lauren
in Decline but Others
E. Brown 17 Lucké Renal Adenocarcinoma 96
Not? 7
Robert G. McKinnell and Debra
Martha L. Crump 10 Overwintering in Northern Cricket
L. Carlson
Frogs(Acris crepitans) 55
3 Philosophy, Value
Jason T. Irwin 18 Malformed Frogs in Minnesota:
Judgments, and Declining
History and Interspecific
Amphibians 10
Differences 103
Sarah Aucoin, Robert G. Jaeger,
CAUSES 59 David M. Hoppe
and Steve Giambrone
19 Parasites of North American
4 Embracing Human Diversity in 11 Repercussions of Global
Frogs 109
Conservation 15 Change 60
Daniel Sutherland
Whit Gibbons Jamie K. Reaser and Andrew
20 Parasite Infection and Limb
Blaustein
5 Declining Amphibian Populations Malformations: A Growing Problem
Task Force 17 12 Lessons from Europe 64 in Amphibian Conservation 124
W. Ronald Heyer and James B. K. Henle (Translation by Pieter T.J. Johnson and Kevin
Murphy William T. Leja) B. Lunde
VII
21 Pine Silviculture 139 Suzanne C. Fowle and Scott Andrew T. Snider and Elizabeth
D. Bruce Means M. Melvin Arbaugh
22 Commercial Trade 146 37 Population Manipulations 265 51 A Thousand Friends of Frogs:
Anthony B. Wilson C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr. Its Origins 341
Tony P. Murphy
38 Exotic Species 271
CONSERVATION 149 Walter E. Meshaka, Jr.
A PERSPECTIVE 343
39 Protecting Amphibians While
23 Houston Toads and Texas
Restoring Fish Populations 275
Politics 150 52 Of Men and Deformed Frogs:
Debra Patla
Lauren E. Brown and Ann A Journalist’s Lament 344
Mesrobian 40 Reflections Upon Amphibian William Souder
Conservation 277
24 Amphibian Conservation
Thomas K. Pauley
Needs 168
PART TWO
Edward D. Koch and Charles
Species Accounts 349
R. Peterson SURVEYS AND MONITORING
25 Amphibian Population Cycles and 282
Long-Term Data Sets 177 Introduction 351
Howard H. Whiteman and 41 Distribution of South Dakota Michael Lannoo, Alisa L. Gallant,
Scott A. Wissinger Anurans 283 Priya Nanjappa, Laura Blackburn
David E. Naugle, Tate D. Fischer, and Russell Hendricks
26 Landscape Ecology 185
Kenneth F. Higgins, and Douglas
David E. Naugle, Kenneth F. C. Backlund
Higgins, Rex R. Johnson, Tate
ANURA 381
42 Nebraska’s Declining
D. Fischer, and Frank R. Quamen
Amphibians 292 Ascaphidae 382
27 Conservation of Texas Spring and Bufonidae 384
David S. McLeod
Cave Salamanders (Eurycea) 193 Dendrobatidae 440
Paul T. Chippindale and 43 Museum Collections Can Assess Hylidae 441
Andrew H. Price Population Trends 295 Leptodactylidae 491
Jeff Boundy Microhylidae 501
28 Lessons from the Tropics 198
Pelobatidae 508
44 Monitoring Salamander
Karen R. Lips and Maureen
Pipidae 522
Populations in Great Smoky
A. Donnelly
Ranidae 526
Mountains National Park 300
29 Taxonomy and Amphibian Rhinophrynidae 599
Erin J. Hyde and Theodore R. Simons
Declines 206
45 North American Amphibian
Sherman A. Minton
Monitoring Program (NAAMP) 307 CAUDATA 601
30 Conservation Systematics: The Linda A. Weir and Michael Ambystomatidae 602
Bufo boreasSpecies Group 210 J. Mossman Amphiumidae 642
Anna M. Goebel Cryptobranchidae 648
46 Evaluating Calling Surveys 314
Dicamptodontidae 651
31 Factors Limiting the
Sam Droege and Paige Eagle Plethodontidae 656
Recovery of Boreal Toads
(Bufo b. boreas) 222 47 Geographical Information Systems Proteidae 866
Cynthia Carey, Paul Stephen Corn, and Survey Designs 320 Rhyacotritonidae 874
Salamandridae 884
Mark S. Jones, Lauren J. Livo, Erin Charles R. Peterson, Stephen R.
Sirenidae 908
Muths, and Charles W. Loeffler Burton, and Debra A. Patla
32 Southwestern Desert Bufonids 237 48 Impacts of Forest Management on
Brian K. Sullivan Amphibians 326 FACTORS IMPLICATED IN AMPHIBIAN
POPULATION DECLINES IN THE UNITED
Rochelle B. Renken
33 Amphibian Ecotoxicology 241 STATES 915
Raymond D. Semlitsch and 49 Monitoring Pigment Pattern David F. Bradford
Christine M. Bridges Morphs of Northern Leopard Frogs
328
34 Museum Collections 244 CONCLUSION 926
Robert G. McKinnell, David M.
John W. Ferner, Jeffrey G. Davis, Michael Lannoo
Hoppe, and Beverly K. McKinnell
and Paul J. Krusling
35 Critical Areas 247 LITERATURE CITED 927
EDUCATION 338
Hugh R. Quinn and Colleen Scott INDEX 1077
36 Creating Habitat Reserves for 50 The National Amphibian
Migratory Salamanders 260 Conservation Center 339
VIII CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work truly represents an effort from the community of This project has been supported by funding provided by the
United States herpetologists, and I thank each and every one of following agencies or organizations: National Fish and Wildlife
the 215 contributors to this volume for their efforts, for work- Foundation; Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund; Partners in
ing with me, and for sharing my views on the necessity and ur- Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC); USGS National
gency of this effort. I am humbled. I also thank a subset of these Mapping Division; USGS EROS Data Center; Office of the
workers, my Advisory Board, for the guidance and perspective Provost (Warren Vander Hill) and Faculty Publications Com-
they have offered. Thanks also to Norm Scott, Ronn Altig, and mittee (Ione DeOllos), Ball State University; Office of Academic
Erin E. Clark for their constructive comments on an earlier Research and Sponsored Programs (James Pyle, Kristi Koriath),
draft and to Floyd Scott for tracking down citations. Ball State University; Virginia Herpetological Society; City of
Many other herpetologists have assisted, including Kraig Elkhart (Indiana) Environmental Science Center; and Linn
Adler, James Andrews, Tom Anton, Richard Baker, Val Beasley, County (Iowa) Environmental Council. I am grateful. I am also
Robert Bezy, Sean Bloomquist, James Bogart, Alvin Breisch, grateful for the following technical support I have received
Janalee Caldwell, Cynthia Carey, Isaac Chellman, James from the staff at Ball State University: Contracts and Grants Of-
Collins, Joseph Collins, Jeffrey Davis, Phillip deMaynadier, fice (Sharon Armbrust, Sharon Harris) and Library Services (Jan
Katie Distler, James Dixon, Sara E. Faust, John Ferner, Suzanne Vance).
Fowle, Lindsay D. Funk, Alisa Gallant, Carl Gerhardt, Harry The research in this volume was supported by an array of
Green, Dave Golden, Robert H. Goodman Jr., Tim Halliday, Dan federal (e.g., The National Science Foundation and the USGS’s
Helsel, Laura Herbeck, Richard Highton, Julia Holloway, David Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative), state, and pri-
Hoppe, Arthur C. Hulse, Erin Hyde, John Iverson, Robert Jaeger, vate organizations. The authors acknowledge and are grateful
Tom R. Johnson, John Jones, Robin E. Jung, Daryl Karns, Robert for this support. Similarly, the authors acknowledge and thank
Klaver, Jon Klingel, Ted Koch, Ken Lang, William Leonard, Lau- the many people that contributed their unpublished observa-
ren J. Livo, Timothy Maret, Bryce A. Maxell, Kelly McAllister, tions, local knowledge, and critical comments.
Roy McDiarmid, Sherman A. Minton, David J. Morafka, John This project could not have been done without the talents
Moriarty, Stephen Morreale, David Morris, Michael Mossman, and dedication of my team: Priya Nanjappa, Laura Blackburn,
Robert W. Murphy, David Naugle, Holly Niederriter, George Laura Guderyahn, Donna Helfst, Molly Schaller, Jason Hall,
Oliver, Deanna Olson, Stanley Orchard, Joseph H.K. Pech- Marti Tiedeman, Chris Lawhorn, and Susan Johnson Lannoo.
mann, Stephen A. Perrill, Charles Peterson, James Petranka, Thanks to you all. And finally, a special thanks to Dick and Debby
Tom Pluto, Andrew H. Price, John O. Reiss, Alan Resetar, Alan Baker, Gary Casper, Bob Cruden, Bill Cummings, Joe Eastman,
Savitzky, Greg Schneider, A. Floyd Scott, Stan Sessions, Doug Alisa Gallant, Ken Lang, Susie Lannoo, Barb Mendenhall, Hank
Siegel, Melody Stoneham, Bruce Taubert, Howard Whiteman, Miguel, Ole Oldefest, Jane Shuttleworth, Bill Souder, Dan Suther-
Jill A. Wicknick, David Withers, and Richard Wassersug. I thank land, Arnold van der Valk, and Judy and Mark Wehrspann—each
Jim Petranka for his fine book, and the organizers and the nu- a biologist in their own way. They have learned, independent of
merous contributors of the Catalogue of American Amphibians each other, that the necessity to live life is at least as important as
and Reptiles—you have made a portion of our job much easier. the drive to study life; and that’s why we are friends.
IX
