Abstract
Soil removal from surface mining activities can create depressions that eventually form wetlands that may support amphibian communities. Little is known about the function of these wetlands that have never been deliberately reclaimed yet have experienced vegetative succession. Amphibian persistence in artificial or disturbed wetlands can indicate habitat quality for wetland-dependent species. Here, we describe the wetland characteristics in a post-mined landscape that influenced amphibian species occupancy, species richness, and diversity. We used single species occupancy models to determine the wetland features that influenced larval presence of five common species. We examined the response of the amphibian community (i.e., richness, diversity, composition) to wetland features with linear models and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Occupancy for each species varied, but the presence of predatory fish, hydroperiod, and emergent vegetation cover were the most influential predictors of occupancy. Amphibian species richness and diversity were influenced by the water conductivity level, the presence of predatory fish, hydroperiod, and emergent vegetation cover within the wetland. Amphibian community composition was similar among wetlands regardless of their mining history or management. While species’ occupancy patterns varied, the wetlands across our study area provided sufficient habitat to support a diverse amphibian community. Increasing the variation in wetlands through their protection, reclamation, and management could allow amphibians and other wetland-dependent species to persist on post-mined landscapes.
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Data Availability
The dataset analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on request.
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Acknowledgments
We thank A. Henderson, S. Scholes, and G. Sisson for their help with field work. The research which is the subject of this publication has been financed, in part, with federal funds from the Fish and Wildlife Service, a division of the United States Department of Interior, and administered by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. The contents and opinions, however, do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Interior or the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. We conducted this research under the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks permit number SC-054-2022.
Funding
The research which is the subject of this publication has been financed, in part, with federal funds from the Fish and Wildlife Service, a division of the United States Department of Interior, and administered by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks under grant #T-57-R-1F19AF00512, Mod #0. The contents and opinions, however, do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Interior or the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. We conducted this research under the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks permit number SC-054-2022.
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EMB, CCR-B, and ADG contributed to the study design. Data collection and data analysis was performed by EMB. The first draft of the manuscript was written by EMB and supervised by CCR-B, and ADG. EMB, CCR-B, and ADG contributed to the preparation of the manuscript and approved the final manuscript.
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Buckardt, E.M., Rega-Brodsky, C.C. & George, A.D. Post-Mined Wetlands Provide Breeding Habitat for Amphibians. Wetlands 43, 75 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-023-01720-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-023-01720-4