Abstract
Life-history information sets the foundation for our understanding of ecology and conservation requirements. For many species, this information is lacking even for basic demographic rates such as survival and movement. When survival and movement estimates are available, they are often derived from mixed demographic groups and do not consider differences among life stages or sexes, which is critical, because life stages and sexes often contribute differentially to population dynamics. We used hierarchical models informed with spatial capture–mark–recapture data of Ascaphus montanus (Rocky Mountain tailed frog) in five streams and A. truei (coastal tailed frog) in one stream to estimate variation in survival and movement by sex and age, represented by size. By incorporating survival and movement into a single model, we were able to estimate both parameters with limited bias. Annual survival was similar between sexes of A. montanus [females = 0.885 (95% CI 0.614–1), males = 0.901 (0.657–1)], but was slightly higher for female A. truei [0.836 (0.560–0.993)] than for males [0.664 (0.354–0.962)]. Survival of A. montanus peaked at mid-age, suggesting that lower survival of young and actuarial senescence may influence population demographics. Our models suggest that younger A. montanus moved farther than older individuals, and that females moved farther than males in both species. Our results provide uncommon insight into age- and sex-specific rates of survival and movement that are crucial elements of life-history strategies and are important for modeling population growth and prescribing conservation actions.
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Acknowledgements
This manuscript is dedicated to Joshua W. Wilkerson who passed away shortly after the completion of the field portion of this project, to which Mr. Wilkerson made vital contributions. Field technicians R. M. Bourque, M. P. Capozzoli, M. D. Larson, N. E. Proffitt, K. J. Van Atta, and C. A. Wheeler also made valuable contributions to this project. L. A. Eby and P. M. Lukacs provided insight and review on project development. M. Schaub provided assistance with coding Bayesian models. K. A. Smith and many other USFS personnel provided logistical assistance. Comments by T. Chambert, members of W. Lowe’s laboratory, and two anonymous reviewers improved this manuscript. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. This manuscript is contribution number 695 of the U.S. Geological Survey Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI).
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Funding for this project was provided by the USFS Aquatic Organism Passage program, USFS Pacific Southwest Research Station, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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JMG, RKH, and WHL conceived and designed the field experiments. JMG and RKH performed the field experiments. RKH analyzed the data. BRH and RKH led authorship of the manuscript; JMG and WHL provided extensive editorial input through many revisions of the manuscript.
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Communicated by Howard Whiteman.
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Honeycutt, R.K., Garwood, J.M., Lowe, W.H. et al. Spatial capture–recapture reveals age- and sex-specific survival and movement in stream amphibians. Oecologia 190, 821–833 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04464-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04464-3