Maine Project: Amphibian use of wetland-limited landscapes (Collaborator: A.J.K. Calhoun, UMaine)

Maine Project

Amphibian use of wetland-limited landscapes (Collaborator: A.J.K. Calhoun, UMaine)

January 2010 - December 2016

Personnel

Participating Agencies

Maine EPSCor Project

High elevation fishless lake in western Maine.

Amphibian populations face a multitude of complex threats, and habitat loss or modification is contributing to amphibian declines globally. This study examines vernal pool breeding amphibian species’ use of wetland-limited landscapes, to understand factors potentially affecting persistence of these species in western and northern Maine. We are monitoring movements of post-breeding wood frogs with radio telemetry to determine their hibernacula selection, and we resume tracking in late winter to determine wetlands used for breeding. The habitat use information gained from our telemetry studies will be combined with data from presence and reproductive effort surveys to improve our understanding of how wetlands and the surrounding high elevation landscapes are used throughout the year by pool-breeding species in Maine.

Research Publications

Research Publications	Publication Date
Groff, L.A., A.J.K Calhoun, C.S. Loftin. 2015. LITHOBATES SYLVATICUS (Wood Frog). HABITAT USE. Northeastern Naturalist 46(2): 2015. \| Download	June 2015
Groff, L.A., A.J.K. Calhoun, and C.S. Loftin. 2016. Hibernal Habitat Selection by Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) in a Northern New England Montane Landscape. Journal of Herpetology 50(4):559-569. http://dx.doi.org/10.1670/15-131R1 \| Abstract	October 2016	Poikilothermic species, such as amphibians, endure harsh winter conditions via freeze-tolerance or freeze-avoidance strategies. Freeze-tolerance requires a suite of complex, physiological mechanisms (e.g., cryoprotectant synthesis), however, behavioral strategies (e.g., hibernal habitat selection) may also affect thermoregulation during hibernation. We investigated the hibernal ecology of the freeze-tolerant Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) in Maine’s Quebec/New England Boundary Mountains ecoregion. Our objectives were to characterize the speices’ hibernacula microclimate (i.e., temperature, relative humidity), evaluate hibernal habitat selection, and describe the spatial arrangement of breeding, post-breeding, and hibernal habitats. We monitored 15 Wood Frogs during two winters (2011/12: n = 10; 2012/13: n = 5), measured hibernal habitat features at micro (2 m) and macro (10 m) spatial scales, and recorded mircoclimate hourly in three strata (hibernaculum, leaf litter, ambient air). We compared these data to that of 57 random locations with logistic regression models, Akaike Information Criterion, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. The top-ranked a priori micro- and macrohabitat model included three covariates: distance to nearest breeding site, distance to post-breeding activity center, and percent canopy cover. Model averaging indicated that canopy cover (-), leaf litter depth (+), and number of logs and stumps (+) were important predictors of Wood Frog hibernal habitat. Hibernal habitat features facilitate snowpack accumulation, which insulates hibernating frogs from extreme and variable above-ground air temperatures. Altered winter temperature and precipitation patterns due to climate-change may reduce snowpack insulation, facilitate greater temperature variation in the underlying hibernacula, and potentially compromise Wood Frog winter survival.
Groff, L.A., A.J.K. Calhoun, C.S. Loftin. 2017. Amphibian Terrestrial Habitat Selection and Movement Patterns Vary With Annual Life History Period. Canadian Journal of Zoology 95:433-442. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2016-0148	July 2017
Groff, L.A., A.L. Pitt, R.F. Baldwin, A.J.K. Calhoun, and C.S. Loftin. 2015. Evaluation of a waistband for attaching external transmitters to anurans. Wildlife Society Bulletin. \| Download	July 2015
Groff, L.A., C.S. Loftin, and A.J.J. Calhoun. 2016. Predictors of Breeding Site Occupancy by Amphibians in Montane Landscapes. Journal of Wildlife Management. DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21184	October 2016

Presentations

Presentations	Presentation Date
Groff, L., C.S. Loftin, and A.J.K Calhoun. 2011. Use of High Elevation Lake Landscapes by Pool Breeding Amphibians, 12 April, Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Annual Coordinating Committee Meeting, Wells Commons, University of Maine, Orono (poster). Invited.	April 2011
Groff, L., C.S. Loftin, and A.J.K Calhoun. 2011. Use of High Elevation Lake Landscapes by Pool Breeding Amphibians, 15 April, EPScOR; 2011 Annual NECC Meeting, Wells Conference Center, University of Maine, Orono (poster). Invited.	April 2011
Groff, L.A., A.J.K. Calhoun and C.S. Loftin. 2012. Habitat Use by Pool-Breeding Amphibians in Maine’s Western Highlands. Annual Coordinating Committee Meeting of the U.S. Geological Survey, Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; Orono, Maine, USA. 20 March. (poster)	March 2012
Groff, L.A., A.J.K. Calhoun and C.S. Loftin. 2012. Northeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation; Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, USA. 25 July. (poster)	July 2012
Groff, L.A., A.J.K. Calhoun, and C.S. Loftin. 2013. Hibernation ecology of Lithobates sylvaticus in Maine's montane landscape. Northeast Natural History Conference, 13-15 April, Springfield, MA.	April 2013
Groff, L.A., C.S. Loftin, and A.J.K. Calhoun. 2014. Hibernation ecology of Lithobates sylvaticus in Maine's montane landscape. Presentation at the 70th Annual Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, April 13-15, Portland, ME.	April 2014
Groff, L.A., A.J.K. Calhoun, and C.S. Loftin. 2015. Habitat features mediate wood frog hibernaculum microclimate. 9th Northeast Alpine Stewardship Gathering, Baxter State Park, Millinocket, ME, 6-8 November 2015.	November 2015
Groff, L.A., A.J.K. Calhoun, and C.S. Loftin. 2015. Habitat features mediate wood frog hibernaculum microclimate. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, 15-19 July, Reno, NV.	July 2015
Groff, L.A., C.S. Loftin, and A.J.K. Calhoun. 2015. Local- and landscape-scale predictors of breeding site occupancy by pool-breeding amphibians in wetland-limited, montane landscapes. Presentation at the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, 15-19 July, Reno, NV.	July 2015
Groff, L.A., C.S. Loftin, and A.J.K. Calhoun. 2015. Local- and landscape-scale predictors of breeding site occupancy by pool-breeding amphibians in wetland-limited, montane landscapes. Presentation at the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, 15-19 July, Reno, NV.	July 2015
Groff, L.A., C.S. Loftin, and A.J.K. Calhoun. 2015. Predictors of breeding site occupancy by pool-breeding amphibians in Maine's wetland-limited, montane landscapes. 9th Northeast Alpine Stewardship Gathering, Baxter State Park, Millinocket, ME, 6-8 November 2015.	November 2015
Groff, L.A., C.S. Loftin, and A.J.K.Calhoun. 2015. Habitat selection by pool-breeding amphibians in Maine's montane landscape. Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Annual Coordinating Committee Meeting, Wells Conference Center, University of Maine, Orono,ME, 25 March.	March 2015

Theses and Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations	Publication Date
Groff, L. 2016. The habitat ecology of pool breeding amphibians during all annual life history periods in the Mountains of the Dawn. Dissertation. The University of Maine, Orono, Maine. 147 pp.	December 2016

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Maine Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Maine Project

Amphibian use of wetland-limited landscapes (Collaborator: A.J.K. Calhoun, UMaine)

January 2010 - December 2016

Personnel

Participating Agencies

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Maine
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources