10.5061/DRYAD.V67003C
Sterrett, Sean C.
United States Geological Survey
Katz, Rachel A.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Fields, William R.
United States Geological Survey
Grant, Evan H.C.
United States Geological Survey
Campbell Grant, Evan H.
United States Geological Survey
Data from: The contribution of road-based citizen science efforts to the
conservation of pond-breeding amphibians
Dryad
dataset
2019
spotted salamander
population simulation model
optimal resource allocation
conservation action
2019-01-11T21:09:08Z
2019-01-11T21:09:08Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13330
8919 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
1. Road-side amphibian citizen science programs bring together volunteers
focused on collecting scientific data while working to mitigate population
declines by directly reducing road mortality of pond-breeding amphibians.
Despite the international popularity of these movement-based road-side
conservation efforts (i.e., ‘big nights’, ‘bucket brigades’ and ‘toad
patrols’), direct benefits to conservation have rarely been quantified or
evaluated. 2. As a case study, we used a population simulation approach to
evaluate how volunteer intensity, frequency and distribution influence
three conservation outcomes (minimum population size, population growth
rate, and years to extinction) of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma
maculatum) – a common, focal pond-breeding amphibian of citizen science
and conservation programs in the United States. 3. Sensitivity analysis
supported the expectation that populations were primarily
recruitment-driven. Thus, conservation outcomes were highest when
volunteers focused on out-migration of metamorphs as opposed to
in-migration of adults –contrary to the typical timing of such volunteer
events. 4. Almost every volunteer strategy resulted in increased
conservation outcomes compared to a no-volunteer strategy. Specifically,
volunteer frequency during metamorph migration increased outcomes more
than the same increases in volunteer effort during adult migration. Small
population sizes resulted in a negligible effect of volunteer intensity.
Volunteers during the first adult in-migration had a relatively small
effect compared to most other strategies. 5. Synthesis and applications.
Although citizen science focused conservation actions could directly
benefit declining populations, other conservation measures are
additionally needed to halt or reverse local amphibian declines. This
study demonstrates a need to evaluate the effectiveness of focusing
citizen science mitigation efforts on the metamorph stage, as opposed the
adult stage, which may be challenging, compared to other management
actions such as road-crossing infrastructure. Current amphibian citizen
science programs will be challenged to balance implementing evidence-based
conservation measures on the most limiting life stage while retaining the
social and community benefits to volunteers.
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