SEARMI Program Overview

Amphibian Declines

The problem of declining amphibian species and populations has been recognized world wide, with credible reports of declines or disappearances from many regions and habitat types.  No single cause has been demonstrated, although acid precipitation, environmental contaminants, the introduction of exotic predators, disease agents, parasites, and the effects of ultraviolet radiation have been suggested to be involved. Habitat loss has been and continues to be a major factor.

In the United States, amphibian declines of unknown origin were first reported on the island of Puerto Rico and in the western States, where many populations tend to be small and isolated. In addition, malformed amphibians in high numbers were observed in the upper Midwest and around the Great Lakes region into northern New England. Nearly all declines in the southeastern U.S. have all been traced to habitat loss, although a few species have seemingly declined without apparent reason. Although not all regions of the U.S. are affected to the same degree, the scope of amphibian declines and malformations suggests that vigilance is needed throughout the Nation to ensure the conservation of amphibian populations.

The National Initiative

In response to alarming indications of worldwide declines in amphibian populations, the President and the Congress directed Department of Interior (DOI) agencies in fiscal year 2000 to initiate a national program of amphibian monitoring, research and conservation. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the science and research bureau for DOI, was given lead responsibility for planning and organizing the program in cooperation with the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management. In February 2000 a National Framework was drafted and Regional Initiatives began to operate as the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI). Within USGS, the Biological Resources Division (BRD), Water Resources Division (WRD) and the National Mapping Division (NMD) are responsible for the Regional Initiatives.  A central database has been developed at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Research on disease and malformations is being coordinated by the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison Wisconsin.

The Southeastern Initiative

The objectives of Southeastern ARMI are to determine the status and trends of amphibian populations on DOI lands in the southeastern United States and U.S. Caribbean and to provide information useful in determining causes of declines should they be discovered.

In terms of numbers of species and individual animals, the southeastern states far exceed any other region of the Nation in the diversity and abundance of amphibians. With more than 140 species of amphibians, it has well over half of all the species known from the U.S., and large areas such as the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia may have literally millions of amphibians per square mile. Habitat diversity is likewise great, ranging from the high mountain peaks of the Great Smoky Mountains, to the humid forested lowlands of the coastal plain, to the vast marshes of South Florida. Southeastern amphibians have diverse life histories, from aquatic salamanders that never leave the water to terrestrial salamanders that never enter the water.  They also include a great variety of salamanders and frogs that spend portions of their life cycle in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. Some species are widespread, abundant, and robust in numbers, while others are rare, localized, and highly vulnerable to extirpation.

Determining the status and tracking trends of populations in the southeast is a daunting task. Sampling methods developed for ecological systems in other regions cannot address all of the complexities found in the diverse communities in the southeast.  Meeting the needs and expectations of the Nation for monitoring the status of southeastern amphibians requires a combination of methods (old, new, and some yet to be developed). Not only must SE ARMI address the complexities of the region, but also the directives of the National Initiative for comparability among sites and regions.

Framework (link to framework page)