Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Landscape and Urban Planning
Publisher
Elsevier
Rights and Access Note
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the rights-holder(s) for educational uses. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Publication Date
1-2017
Publisher location
Amsterdam, Netherlands
First Page
26
Last Page
35
Volume Number
157
Abstract/ Summary
Globally, urbanization threatens ∼950 amphibian species with extinction. Yet a lack of knowledge on the factors influencing common and infrequently encountered species in landscapes that are under increasing pressure from urban development is limiting effective conservation. We examined the relative importance of aquatic variables (pond) and terrestrial variables (at three spatial scales: 10 m, 100 m and 1 km), for commonly and infrequently encountered frogs in an urbanizing forested landscape in southeastern Australia. Species richness and the occurrence of four common species were influenced by the aquatic environment (water body size, aquatic vegetation). Species richness also decreased with increasing urbanization within 1 km. This trend was driven by a strong decrease in richness of infrequently encountered species with increasing road length within 1 km from breeding ponds. Richness of infrequently encountered species also decreased with a reduction in forest cover within 10 m to 1 km from breeding ponds. Our findings suggest that frog conservation in urbanizing landscapes requires a mix of strategies across different spatial scales. Maintaining or re-establishing common frogs in urbanizing forested landscapes is likely to be achieved by providing ponds with suitable habitat. However, to conserve several frog species that are sensitive to forest loss and urbanization, breeding habitats need to be maintained within a network of large forest reserves.
Repository Citation
Villaseñora, Nélida R.; Driscoll, Don A.; Gibbons, Philip; Calhoun, Aram J K; and Lindenmayer, David B., "The Relative Importance of Aquatic and Terrestrial Variables for Frogs in an Urbanizing Landscape: Key Insights for Sustainable Urban Development" (2017). Publications. 111.
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mitchellcenter_pubs/111
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Nélida R. Villaseñor,N.R., Driscoll, D.A., Gibbons, P., Calhoun,A.J.K., Lindenmayer, D.B. (2017), The relative importance of aquatic and terrestrial variables for frogs in an urbanizing landscape: Key insights for sustainable urban development, Landscape and urban Planning, 157, 26-35.10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.06.006.
Publisher Statement
© 2016 Elsevier B.V.
DOI
10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.06.006
Version
post-print (i.e. final draft post-refereeing with all author corrections and edits)
Rights Statement
