10.5061/DRYAD.RT1KG
Harper, Elizabeth B.
Queens College, CUNY
Patrick, David A.
Queens College, CUNY
Gibbs, James P.
Queens College, CUNY
Data from: Impact of forestry practices at a landscape scale on the
dynamics of amphibian populations
Dryad
dataset
2015
Lithobates sylvaticus
Ambystoma talpoideum
Ambystoma maculatum
pool-breeding
metapopulation
clear-cut
2015-05-28T14:20:11Z
2015-05-28T14:20:11Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1890/14-0962.1
205863 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Forest loss is a primary cause of worldwide amphibian decline. Timber
harvesting in the United States has caused dramatic changes in quality and
extent of forest ecosystems, and intensive forest management still occurs.
Although numerous studies have documented substantial reductions in
amphibian densities related to timber harvest, subsequent extinctions are
rare. To better understand the population dynamics that have allowed so
many amphibian species to persist in the face of widespread forest
disturbance, we developed spatially explicit metapopulation models for
four forest-dependent amphibian species (Lithobates sylvaticus, Ambystoma
opacum, A. talpoideum, and A. maculatum) that incorporated demographic and
habitat selection data derived from experiments conducted as part of the
Land Use Effects on Amphibian Populations Project (LEAP). We projected
local and landscape-scale population persistence under 108 different
forestry practice scenarios, varying treatment (partial cut, clear-cut
with coarse woody debris [CWD] removed, and clear-cut with CWD retained),
cut patch size (1, 10, or 50 ha), total area cut (10, 20, or 30%), and
initial amphibian population size (5, 50, or 500 adult females per local
breeding population). Under these scenarios, landscape-scale extinction
was highly unlikely, occurring in <1% of model runs and for only 2
of the 4 species, because landscape-scale populations were able to persist
via dispersal even despite frequent local extinctions. Yet for all
species, population sizes were reduced to ~50% in all clear-cut scenarios,
regardless of the size of harvested patches. These findings suggest that
debate over timber harvesting on pool-breeding amphibian populations in
the United States should focus not on questions of landscape-scale
extinction but on the ecological consequences of dramatic reductions in
amphibian biomass, including changes in trophic interactions, nutrient
cycling, and energy transfer. Additionally, we conclude that amphibian
declines and extinctions are far more likely to occur as a result of
permanent habitat loss resulting from development than from the temporary
degradation of habitat caused by current forestry practices.
AMMA 10x10k loopsMatlab code for Ambystoma maculatumAMTA 10x10k
loopsMatlab code for Ambystoma talpoideum populationsRASY 10x10km
loopsMatlab code for Lithobates sylvaticus populationsAMOP 10x10k
loopsMatlab code for Ambystoma opacum populations
Maine
Missouri
South Carolina