Spatial correlates of amphibian use of constructed wetlands in an urban landscape |
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Authors: | Judith A Simon Joel W Snodgrass Ryan E Casey Donald W Sparling |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, 8000 York Road, Towson, MD 21252, USA;(2) Department of Chemistry, Towson University, 8000 York Road, Towson, MD 21252, USA;(3) Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-6501, USA |
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Abstract: | Many amphibian species rely on both aquatic and terrestrial habitats to complete their life cycles. Therefore, processes operating
both within the aquatic breeding habitat, and in the surrounding uplands may influence species distributions and community
composition. Moreover, changes in land use adjacent to breeding site may degrade aquatic habitats. To assess land use effects
on pond-breeding amphibian assemblages, we investigated relationships between land use, breeding habitat conditions, and breeding
amphibian use of constructed wetlands in urban environments of the Baltimore metropolitan area, USA. Forest and impervious
surface associations with species richness and occurrence occurred at spatial scales ranging from 50 to 1,000 m, with strongest
relationships at 500 m. Forest and impervious surface cover within 1,000 m of ponds were also related to water and sediment
quality, which in turn were capable of explaining a proportion of the observed variation in species richness and occurrence.
Taken together, our results suggest that forest and other land covers within relatively proximal distances to ponds (i.e.,
within 50–1,000 m) may be influencing species richness directly via the provisioning of upland habitat, and indirectly via
influences on within pond habitat quality.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. |
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Keywords: | Urbanization Stormwater management Impervious surface Anura Caudata Habitat use |
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