Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Different Anuran Species Show Different Relationships to Agricultural Intensity

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Wetlands Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Studies on associations between agricultural intensity and anurans have found inconsistent results among species. However, studies vary in their definitions of agricultural intensity and spatial scales of analyses. If differences are real, they might be caused by differences among species’ adult or juvenile habitat associations with agricultural intensity, and/or differences in sensitivities to agricultural inputs, e.g., fertilizers. We estimated relative abundances of eight anuran species in 39 ponds located in landscapes of varying agricultural intensity. We measured row crop and cereal grain cover, our measure of agricultural intensity, at multiple spatial extents. We then constructed path models for individual species to determine direction and potential causes of associations with agricultural intensity, measured at the scale of effect of each species. We found highly variable associations with agricultural intensity among anurans. As predicted, much of this variation could be explained by adult habitat amount and larval habitat quality. Overall, our results suggest that agricultural intensity, at least at levels found in eastern Ontario, can affect anurans through multiple pathways and mechanisms, in both positive and negative directions. We therefore suggest that authors use caution if making general statements about the impacts of agricultural intensity on anurans.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahlgren MO, Bowen SH (1991) Growth and survival of tadpoles (Bufo americanus) fed amorphous detritus derived from natural waters. Hydrobiologia 218:49–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • American Public Health Association (1998) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, American Water Works Association, and water environment federation. United Book Press, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Babbitt KJ, Baber MJ, Childers DL, Hocking D (2009) Influence of agricultural upland habitat type on larval anuran assemblages in seasonally inundated wetlands. Wetlands 29:294–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beja P, Alcazar R (2003) Conservation of Mediterranean temporary ponds under agricultural intensification: an evaluation using amphibians. Biological Conservation 114:317–326

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell T (2002) The ecological consequences of unpalatable prey: phytoplankton response to nutrient and predator additions. Oikos 99:59–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bentler PM (1990) Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin 107:238

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bentler PM, Chou CP (1987) Practical issues in structural modeling. Sociological Methods & Research 16:78–117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berven KA, Grudzien TA (1990) Dispersal in the wood frog (Rana sylvatica) – implications for genetic population-structure. Evolution 44:2047–2056

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bishop CA, Petit KE, Gartshore ME, MacLeod DA (1997) Extensive monitoring of anuran populations using call counts and road transects in Ontario (1992 to 1993). In: Green DM (ed) Amphibians in decline, Canadian studies of a global problem, herpetological conservation, vol Volume 1. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, St. Louis, pp. 149–160

    Google Scholar 

  • Bollen KA (1989) A new incremental fit index for general structural equation models. Sociological Methods & Research 17:303–316

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonin J, Desgranges J-L, Rodrigue J, Ouellet M (1997a) Anuran species richness in agricultural landscapes of Quebec: foreseeing long-term results of road call surveys. In: Green DM (ed) Amphibians in decline: Canadian studies of a global problem. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, St. Louis, pp. 141–149

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonin J, Ouellet M, Rodrigue J, DesGranges J-L, Gagne E, Sharbel TE, Lowcock LA (1997b) Measuring the health of frogs in agricultural habitats subjected to pesticides. In: Green DM (ed) Amphibians in decline: Canadian studies of a global problem. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, St. Louis, pp. 246–257

    Google Scholar 

  • Boone MD, Bridges-Britton CM (2006) Examining multiple sublethal contaminants on the gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor): effects of an insecticide, herbicide, and fertilizer. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 25:3261–3265

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boutin CL, Jobin BT (1998) Intensity of agricultural practices and effects on adjacent habitats. Ecological Applications 8:544–557

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bury RB, Whelan JA (1984) Ecology and management of the bullfrog. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Resource Publication Number 155, Washington

  • Cayuela H, Lambrey J, Vacher JP, Miaud C (2015) Highlighting the effects of land-use change on a threatened amphibian in a human-dominated landscape. Population Ecology 57:433–443

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapin JW, Thomas JS (2003) Burrower bugs (Heteroptera: Cydnidae) in peanut: seasonal species abundance, tillage effects, grade reduction effects, insecticide efficacy, and management. Journal of Economic Entomology 96:1142–1152

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Collins JT (1993) Amphibians and reptiles in Kansas. Third edition, revised. Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

  • Conant R, Collins JT (1975) A field guide to reptiles and amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Massachusetts

  • Conant R, Collins JT (1991) Field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and Central North America, 2nd edn. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts

    Google Scholar 

  • Conant R, Collins JT (1998) A field guide to amphibians and reptiles: eastern and Central North America, Third edition, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts

    Google Scholar 

  • Cushman SA (2006) Effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on amphibians: a review and prospectus. Biological Conservation 128:231–240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Wijer P, Watt PJ, Oldham RS (2003) Amphibian decline and aquatic pollution: effects of nitrogenous fertiliser on survival and development of larvae of the frog Rana temporaria. Applied Herpetology 1:3–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dole JW (1965a) Summer movements of adult leopard frogs, Rana pipiens Schreber, in northern Michigan. Ecology 46:236–255

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dole JW (1965b) Spatial relations in natural populations of the leopard frog, Rana pipiens Schreber, in northern Michigan. Amer. Midl Nat 74:464–478

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donald PF, Sanderson FJ, Burfield IJ, van Bommel FPJ (2006) Further evidence of continent-wide impacts of agricultural intensification on European farmland birds. 1990–2000. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 116:189–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donyavi V, Rabiei M, Nikfarjam M, Nezhady BM (2015) Body image and meta-worry as mediators of body dysmorphic disorder. International Journal of Clinical Medicine 6:170–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunn AM, Julien G, Ernst WR, Cook A, Doe KG, Jackman PM (2011) Evaluation of buffer zone effectiveness in mitigating the risks associated with agricultural runoff in Prince Edward Island. Science of the Total Environment 409:868–882

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ecobichon DJ (2001) Pesticide use in developing countries. Toxicology 160:27–33

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eigenbrod F, Hecnar SJ, Fahrig L (2008) The relative effects of road traffic and forest cover on anuran populations. Biological Conservation 141:35–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott NC, Kieckhefer RW, Lee JH, French BW (1999) Influence of within-field and landscape factors on aphid predator populations in wheat. Landscape Ecology 14:239–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Figueredo CC, Giani A (2005) Ecological interactions between Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus, L.) and the phytoplanktonic community of the Furnas reservoir (Brazil). Freshwater Biology 50:1391–1403

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gagné SA, Fahrig L (2007) Effect of landscape context on anuran communities in breeding ponds in the National Capital Region, Canada. Landscape Ecology 22:205–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia TS, Thurman LL, Rowe JC, Selego SM (2012) Antipredator behavior of American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) in a novel environment. Ethology 118:867–875

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geiger F, Bengtsson J, Berendse F, Weisser W, Emmerson M, Morales MB, Ceryngier P, Liira J, Tscharntke T, Winqvist C, Eggers S, Bommarco R, Part T, Bretagnolle V, Plantegenest M, Clement L, Dennis C, Palmer C, Onate JJ, Guerrero I, Hawro V, Aavik T, Thies C, Flohre A, Hanke S, Fischer C, Goedhart PW, Inchausti P (2010) Persistent negative effects of pesticides on biodiversity and biological control potential on European farmland. Basic and Applied Ecology 11:97–105

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs JP, Breisch AR, Ducey PK, Johnson G, Behler JL, Bothner RC (2007) The amphibians and reptiles of New York state. Oxford University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Guerry AD, Hunter ML (2002) Amphibian distributions in a landscape of forests and agriculture: an examination of landscape composition and configuration. Conservation Biology 16:745–754

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hair Jr JF, Black WC, Babin BJ, Anderson RE, Tatham RL (2006) Multivariate data analysis (6th ed.) Prentice Hill, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

  • Hammerson GA (1999) Amphibians and reptiles in Colorado, Second edn. University Press of Colorado, Boulder

    Google Scholar 

  • Hazell D (2003) Frog ecology in modified Australian landscapes: a review. Wildlife Research 30:193–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hecnar SJ (1995) Acute and chronic toxicity of ammonium nitrate fertilizer to amphibians from southern Ontario. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 14:2131–2137

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hecnar SJ, M’Closkey RT (1997) The effects of predatory fish on amphibian species richness and distribution. Biological Conservation 79:123–131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirao T, Murakami M, Iwamoto J, Takafumi H, Oguma H (2008) Scale-dependent effects of windthrow disturbance on forest arthropod communities. Ecological Research 23:189–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoff KS, Blaustein AR, McDiarmid RW, Altig R (1999) Behavior: interactions and their consequences. In: McDiarmid RW, Altig R (eds) Tadpoles: the biology of anuran larvae. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 125–239

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland JD, Bert DG, Fahrig L (2004) Determining the spatial scale of species’ response to habitat. Bioscience 54:227–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Homan RN, Atwood MA, Dunkle AJ, Karr SB (2010) Movement orientation by adult and juvenile wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) and American toads (Bufo americanus) over multiple years. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 5:64–72

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu LT, Bentler PM (1999) Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: a Multidisciplinary Journal 6:1–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joern A, Hoagland KD (1996) In defense of whole-community bioassays for risk assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 15:407–409

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson JR (2005) Multi-scale investigations of gray treefrog movements: patterns of migration, dispersal, and gene flow (Doctoral dissertation, University of Missouri–Columbia)

  • Johnson JR, Semlitsch RD (2003) Defining core habitat of local populations of the gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) based on choice of oviposition site. Oecologia 137:205–210

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kiffney PM, Richardson JS (2001) Interactions among nutrients, periphyton, and invertebrate and vertebrate (Ascaphus truei) grazers in experimental channels. Copeia 2001:422–429

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klemens MW (1993) Amphibians and reptiles of Connecticut and adjacent regions. State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut, Bulletin Number 112, Hartford

  • Knutson MG, Richardson WB, Reineke DM, Gray BR, Parmelee JR, Weick SE (2004) Agricultural ponds support amphibian populations. Ecological Applications 14:669–684

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Land Information Ontario (2010) NRVIS/OLIW data management model for wetland unit. Available Online. http://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/land-information-ontario Accessed: 13 December 2012

  • Lannoo MJ (1996) Okoboji wetlands: a lesson in natural history. University of Iowa Press, Iowa City

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Féon V, Schermann-Legionnet A, Delettre Y, Aviron S, Billeter R, Bugter R, Hendrickx F, Burel F (2010) Intensification of agriculture, landscape composition and wild bee communities: a large scale study in four European countries. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 137:143–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leibold MA, Wilbur HM (1992) Interactions between food-web structure and nutrients on pond organisms. Nature 360:341–343

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maberly SC, King L, Dent MM, Jones RI, Gibson CE (2002) Nutrient limitation of phytoplankton and periphyton growth in upland lakes. Freshwater Biology 47:2136–2152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mazerolle MJ (2001) Amphibian activity, movement patterns, and body size in fragmented peat bogs. Journal of Herpetology 35:13–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAllister KL, Leonard WP, Hays DW, Friesz LC (1999) Washington state status report for the northern leopard frog. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia

    Google Scholar 

  • Merrell DJ (1977) Life history of the leopard frog, Rana pipiens, in Minnesota. Occasional Paper Number 15. Bell Museum of Natural History. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

  • O’Rourke N, Psych R, Hatcher L (2013) A step-by-step approach to using SAS for factor analysis and structural equation modeling. SAS Institute

  • Oldham RS (1967) Orienting mechanisms of the green frog, Rana clamitans. Ecology 48:477–491

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ontario Hydro Network (2011) Ontario hydro network-waterbody. Available Online. https://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/ohn-waterbody Accessed 12 December 2012

  • Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food & Rural Affairs (2010) Agricultural resource inventory. Available Online. http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/landuse/gis/ari_1983.htm Accessed: 1 January 2013

  • Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (2016) Guide to weed control 2016–2017. OMAFRA, Toronto, ON Publ 75, pp. 80

  • Pauley TK, Lannoo MJ (2005) Rana clamitans Latreille, 1801. In: Green F, Green DM (eds) Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, Los Angeles, pp. 549–552

    Google Scholar 

  • Peltzer PM, Lajmanovich RC, Sánchez-Hernandez JC, Cabagna MC, Attademo AM, Bassó A (2008) Effects of agricultural pond eutrophication on survival and health status of Scinax nasicus tadpoles. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 70:185–197

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Petraitis PS, Dunham AE, Niewiarowski PH (1996) Inferring multiple causality: the limitations of path analysis. Functional Ecology 10:421–431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petranka JW, Thomas DAG (1995) Explosive breeding reduces egg and tadpole cannibalism in the wood frog, Rana sylvatica. Animal Behaviour 50:731–739

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pope SE, Fahrig L, Merriam HG (2000) Landscape complementation and metapopulation effects on leopard frog populations. Ecology 81:2498–2508

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ptacek MB (1992) Calling sites used by male gray treefrogs, Hyla versicolor and Hyla chrysoscelis, in sympatry and allopatry in Missouri. Herpetologica 48:373–382

    Google Scholar 

  • Quammen JK, Durtsche RD (2003) Diet comparisons in three tadpole species, Rana sylvatica, Bufo americanus, and Pseudacris crucifer, in a northern temperate climate. Norse Scientist 1:45–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Redmer M (2002) Natural history of the wood frog (Rana sylvatica) in the Shawnee National Forest, southern Illinois. Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 36:163–194

    Google Scholar 

  • Relyea R (2005) The lethal impact of roundup on aquatic and terrestrial amphibians. Ecological Applications 15:1118–1124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Relyea RA, Elliott JE, Bishop CA, Morrissey CA (2011) Amphibians are not ready for roundup. Wildlife Ecotoxicology, Springer, New York, pp. 267–300

    Google Scholar 

  • Rouse JD, Bishop CA, Struger J (1999) Nitrogen pollution: an assessment of its threat to amphibian survival. Environmental Health Perspectives 107:799–803

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sala OE, Stuart Chapin IIIF, Armesto JJ, Berlow E, Bloomfield J, Dirzo R, Huber-Sanwald E, Huenneke LF, Jackson RB, Kinzig A, Leemans R, Lodge DM, Mooney HA, Oesterheld M, Poff NL, Sykes MT, Walker BH, Walker M, Wall DH (2000) Global biodiversity scenarios for the year 2100. Science 287:1770–1774

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schreinemachers P, Tipraqsa P (2012) Agricultural pesticides and land use intensification in high, middle and low income countries. Food Policy 37:616–626

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sih A, Bell AM, Kerby JL (2004) Two stressors are far deadlier than one. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 19:274–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith GR, Temple KG, Dingfelder HA, Vaala DA (2006) Effects of nitrate on the interactions of the tadpoles of two ranids (Rana clamitans and R. catesbeiana). Aquatic Ecology 40:125–130

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stoate C, Boatman ND, Borralho RJ, Carvalho C, De Snoo GR, Eden P (2001) Ecological impacts of arable intensification in Europe. Journal of Environmental Management 63:337–365

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Storer TI (1922) The eastern bullfrog in California. California Fish and Game 8:219–224

    Google Scholar 

  • Tárano Z, Fuenmayor E (2013) Mate choice based on acoustic features in Johnstone’s whistling frog Eleutherodactylus johnstonei: an experimental approach. South American Journal of Herpetology 8:52–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomson LJ, McKenzie J, Sharley DJ, Nash MA, Tsitsilas A, Hoffmann AA (2010) Effect of woody vegetation at the landscape scale on the abundance of natural enemies in Australian vineyards. Biological Control 54:248–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torras X, Cardona L, Gisbert E (2000) Cascading effects of the flathead grey mullet Mugil cephalus in freshwater eutrophic microcosmos. Hydrobiologia 429:49–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vasconcelos D, Calhoun AJK (2004) Movement patterns of adult and juvenile Rana sylvatica (LeConte) and Ambystoma maculatum (Shaw) in three restored seasonal pools in Maine. Journal of Herpetology 38:551–561

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Venter O, Brodeur NN, Nemiroff L, Belland B, Dolinsek IJ, Grant JWA (2006) Threats to endangered species in Canada. Bioscience 56:903–910

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vonesh JR, De la Cruz O (2002) Complex life cycles and density dependence: assessing the contribution of egg mortality to amphibian declines. Oecologia 133:325–333

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werner EE, McPeek MA (1994) Direct and indirect effects of predators on two anuran species along an environmental gradient. Ecology 75:1368–1382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werner EE, Relyea RA, Yurewicz KL, Skelly DK, Davis CJ (2009) Comparative landscape dynamics of two anuran species: climate-driven interaction of local and regional processes. Ecological Monographs 79:503–521

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitaker JO Jr (1971) A study of the western chorus frog, Pseudacris triseriata, in Vigo County, Indiana. Journal of Herpetology 5:127–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whiting A (2004) Population ecology of the western chorus frog, Pseudacris triseriata. M. Sc. Thesis. McGill University, Montréal

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiens JA (1989) Spatial scaling in ecology. Functional Ecology 3:385–397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilcove DS, Rothstein D, Dubow J, Phillips A, Losos E (1998) Quantifying threats to imperiled species in the United States. Bioscience 48:607–615

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright AH (1932) Life Histories of the Frogs of the Okefinokee Swamp, Georgia. North American Salientia (Anura) Number 2. Macmillan Press, New York

  • Wright AH, Wright AA (1949) Handbook of frogs and toads of the United States and Canada, Third edn. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Gabriel Blouin-Demers, Sara Collins, Steven Cooke, Susie Crowe, Jude Girard, Tom Hotte, Amanda Martin, Sandra Martins de Freitas, and Liv Monck-Whipp for ideas and comments on previous drafts. Chris Love was an invaluable field assistant. Two anonymous reviewers provided helpful comments on an earlier version. This work was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada grant to LF.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Research Laboratory, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada

    Alex Koumaris & Lenore Fahrig

Authors
  1. Alex Koumaris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lenore Fahrig
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alex Koumaris.

Electronic supplementary material

Data Accessibility

All raw data have been made available in Online Resource 1

ESM 1

(PDF 263 kb)

ESM 2

(PDF 113 kb)

ESM 3

(PDF 266 kb)

ESM 4

(PDF 563 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Koumaris, A., Fahrig, L. Different Anuran Species Show Different Relationships to Agricultural Intensity. Wetlands 36, 731–744 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-016-0781-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-016-0781-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation