Amphibian Dispersal in Fragmented Landscapes
EPA Grant Number: U915537Title: Amphibian Dispersal in Fragmented Landscapes
Investigators: Birchfield, Gayle L.
Institution: University of Missouri - Columbia
EPA Project Officer: McClure, Karen
Project Period: August 1, 1999 through August 1, 2002
Project Amount: $89,328
RFA: STAR Graduate Fellowships (1999)
Research Category: Academic Fellowships , Fellowship - Ecology and Ecosystems , Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration
Description:
Objective:In summer and fall 1999, radio tracking was conducted in two populations of green frogs, Rana clamitans, to examine post-breeding movement patterns and locate terrestrial overwintering sites. The first population, located at the Baskett Wildlife Research Area in Boone County, MO, breeds in a manmade pond surrounded by essentially continuous second-growth deciduous forest. The second population is located in a more fragmented landscape at the A. L. Gustin golf course in Columbia, near the University of Missouri campus. Here the breeding pond is isolated from forested land by at least 100 m on all sides. In summer 2000, radio tracking and powdered fluorescent pigments will be used to examine microhabitat use by frogs dispersing to breeding ponds and by frogs displaced in the terrestrial habitat.
Expected Results:This study will provide basic information about the movement patterns and habitat use of green frogs, which will be helpful in assessing the effects of habitat fragmentation in amphibian populations.
Supplemental Keywords:animal movement, habitat selection, predation, pond-breeding amphibians, radio tracking, wetland management , Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, RFA, Biology, amphibians, Ecology, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, pond breeding, animal movement, predation, amphibian bioindicator, amphibian dispersal, habitat selection, radio tracking