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EVIDENCE FOR FIRST YEAR METAMORPHOSIS OF BULLFROGS IN AN EPHEMERAL POND
Citation:
Wegner, K. AND S. Heppell. EVIDENCE FOR FIRST YEAR METAMORPHOSIS OF BULLFROGS IN AN EPHEMERAL POND. Presented at 2001 Joint Meeting Oregon Chapters American Fisheries Society and Wildlife Society, Portland, OR, February 14-16, 2001.
Description:
It is widely accepted that bullfrog ( R catesbeiana) tadpoles in the Pacific Northwest require more than one year for metamorphosis. Often time to metamorphosis increases along a latitudinal gradient. During our pond surveys at the EE Wilson Reserve, we found evidence of first year metamorphosis in a shallow, warm pond. This particular pond dried down completely last fall and is not connected to any other water source, yet this year there were metamorphosing tadpoles and many small metamorphs. This observation suggests plasticity in the Pacific Northwest bullfrog life history and has important implications for potential control of this invasive species.