PS 66-98
Using GIS to determine the success of amphibian reproduction in man-made vernal pools
Amphibian populations are declining worldwide because of various factors such as habitat destruction and disease. Creating new habitat and/or rehabilitating damaged or lost habitat has become an important tool used to restore amphibian populations. For our study, we were working in Mark Twain National Forest to determine if amphibians will use man-made vernal pools. To identify the species using each pond, we used calling surveys and collected tadpoles or larvae using traps and dip nets. We further wanted to determine which man-made vernal pools would be most suitable for amphibian reproduction using GIS (ESRI ArcGIS). To this end, we correlated various habitat types or categories to species richness as well as the presence of individual species.
Results/Conclusions
We found that a variety of different amphibian species used the vernal pools: including, Lithobates clamitans; Lithobates spenocephalus; Anaxyrus americanus; Anaxyrus fowleri; Acris crepitans; Pseudacris crucifer; Ambystoma maculatum; and Ambystoma opacum. From our GIS analysis, we found that pools 1, 12, 13, and 16 were the most successful of the pools. We believe that these pools are the most successful because they are some of the deepest pools we sampled. This would allow amphibians to move up and down the water column to help thermoregulation during the summer. With this information, the Mark Twain National Forest Service will be able to better understand how to build vernal pools and also if the vernal pools are successful.