OPS 2
New Frontiers in Amphibian Conservation

Monday, August 10, 2015: 4:30 PM-6:30 PM
Exhibit Hall, Baltimore Convention Center
Organizer:
William Fields, U.S. Geological Survey
Co-organizer:
Evan H. Campbell Grant, US Geological Survey
Conservation biology has traditionally been framed as a crisis discipline that is responding to the loss of biological diversity, and this has led to some progress in addressing species declines. However, a broader, and more proactive, perspective is needed to plan for a future in which novel climates, continued habitat loss, emerging diseases, invasive species, and other factors threaten species. Amphibian ecology presents an opportunity to refocus on processes affecting populations more broadly. Progress in conservation biology can be made through a better mechanistic understanding of population and community dynamics and by developing quantitative methods for monitoring species and structuring decisions. This session includes a diverse group of amphibian ecologists who will report on these areas of research in amphibian ecology. The effects of climate change, a dominant concern for biodiversity, are explored for amphibian populations through observational studies on how wetland hydrology interacts with breeding phenology to affect larval recruitment. Talks will also focus on the evolution of dispersal and the response of amphibians to landscape structure, which is critical for understanding spatial population dynamics, and how species interact in developed landscapes. Finally, this session will also include presentations about quantitative methods for combining monitoring data to improve inferences about populations and incorporating genetic data into structured decision making for rare species. All session participants have been asked to chart opportunities for future, synthetic research for conservation and management of amphibian populations in their respective topics.
 Climate change and amphibians demographics: Can we identify common mechanisms across species and regions?
Thierry Chambert, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center; Erin Muths, USGS Fort Collins Science Center; Evan H. Campbell Grant, US Geological Survey; David A.W. Miller, Penn State University
 Amphibian decline, uncertainty, risk, and management
Evan H. Campbell Grant, US Geological Survey; David A.W. Miller, Penn State University; Erin Muths, USGS Fort Collins Science Center
 Amphibians and climate change: Perspectives on where we are & looking forward
Maureen E. Ryan, University of Washington; Meghan Halabisky, University of Washington; Se-Yeun Lee, University of Washington; Wendy J. Palen, Simon Fraser University; Alan Hamlet, University of Notre Dame; Michael Adams, USGS
 Species traits, habitat dynamics, and community interactions determine amphibian responses to changing water availability
Courtney Davis, Penn State University; David A.W. Miller, Penn State University; Susan C. Walls, U.S. Geological Survey; William J. Barichivich, U.S. Geological Survey; Jeffrey Riley, USGS
 The effects of experimental wetland warming and drying on subarctic wood frogs
Jon M. Davenport, Southeast Missouri State University; Blake Hossack, USGS; LeeAnn Fishback, Churchill Northern Studies Centre
 The role of wetland habitat quality in evaluating functional connectivity for desert amphibians
Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle, Texas Tech University; Nancy E. McIntyre, Texas Tech University; Jordan Calvert, Texas Tech University; Joseph Drake, Texas Tech University; Anja Kiesow, Texas Tech University
 Combining population-level and individual-level studies to assess salamander responses to disturbances
Katherine M. O'Donnell, University of Missouri; Frank R. Thompson III, USDA Forest Service; Raymond D. Semlitsch, University of Missouri
 Gaining knowledge and improving societal value for terrestrial salamanders: A model for amphibian conservation
Sean Sterrett, US Geological Survey; Evan H. Campbell Grant, US Geological Survey; Adrianne B. Brand, U.S. Geological Survey; Andrew Dietrich, U.S. Geological Survey; David A.W. Miller, Penn State University; David J. Munoz, Penn State University
 Movement behavior and stream network structure predict salamander abundance
William Fields, U.S. Geological Survey; Evan H. Campbell Grant, US Geological Survey