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ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF ALTERNATIVE LANDSCAPE DESIGNS ON AMPHIBIAN POPULATION DYNAMICS
Citation:
Rustigian, H. L., M. V. Santelmann, AND N H. Schumaker. ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF ALTERNATIVE LANDSCAPE DESIGNS ON AMPHIBIAN POPULATION DYNAMICS. LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Hingham, MA, 18:65-81, (2003).
Description:
An individual-based, spatially explicit population model was used to predict the onsequences of future land-use alternatives for populations of four amphibian species in two agricultural watersheds in central Iowa. The model included both breeding and upland habitat and incorporated the effects of hydroperiod and demographic stochasticity. Data requirements of the model include life history characteristics, dispersal behavior, and habitat affinities, and GIS maps of the landscapes. Future scenarios were ranked according to change in intrinsic rate of increase and breeder abundance, saturation, and distribution, compared to baseline conditions. Sensitivity of simulation results to changes in model parameters was also examined. Simulation results suggest that while the four species modeled will persist under present and future scenario conditions, two may be more at risk to future landscape change. Although the study species are all widespread generalists regarded as having a low conservation priority, they are dependent on wetlands and ponds, increasingly endangered habitats in agricultural landscapes. Broader conservation strategies in the region would ensure that these currently common organisms do not become the endangered species of the future.