Journal article
Amphibian abundance and detection trends during a large flood in a semi-arid floodplain wetland
JF Ocock, RT Kingsford, TD Penman, JJL Rowley
Herpetological Conservation and Biology | HERPETOLOGICAL CONSERVATION & BIOLOGY | Published : 2016
Abstract
Amphibian abundance and occupancy are often reduced in regulated river systems near dams, but comparatively little is known about how they are affected on floodplain wetlands downstream or the effects of actively managed flows. We assessed frog diversity in the Macquarie Marshes, a semi-arid floodplain wetland of conservation significance, identifying environmental variables that might explain abundances and detection of species. We collected relative abundance data of 15 amphibian species at 30 sites over four months, coinciding with a large natural flood. We observed an average of 39.9 ± (SE) 4.3 (range, 0-246) individuals per site survey, over 47 survey nights. Three non-burrowing, ground..
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Funding Acknowledgements
We thank landholders and Reserve rangers for permission to access the Macquarie Marshes, particularly Ray and Sue Jones, Garry and Leanne Hall, Simon and Kelly Earl, Adam and Leone Coleman, David Thornton, Doug and Christine Andrews, and John Stuart. Funding and support were provided by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, particularly Debbie Love, the NSW Frog and Tadpole Society, and the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife Service. For their assistance in the field, we thank Carly Humphries, Jonathon Windsor, Ashley Soltysiak, Sarah Meredith, David Herasimtschuk, Angela Knerl, Diana Grasso, and Bill Koutsamanis. The study was approved by the Animal Care and Ethics Committee, University of New South Wales, Australia (09/102B) and scientific license 13162, Office of Environment and Heritage, New South Wales, Australia.