Plants Matter: How Human-Driven Changes to Terrestrial and Wetland Vegetation May Impact Priority Amphibian Specoies in Southeastern Pine Savannas. Burrow, A. K. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 2021. abstract bibtex Plants are foundational components of ecosystems that have large effects on the composition and abundance of animal communities. The objectives of this dissertation were to synthesize the literature demonstrating effects of plants on pond-breeding amphibians and test specific mechanisms by which plants affect amphibian performance specifically related to management actions. In chapter 2, I synthesized the available literature on the influence of plants on pond-breeding amphibian ecology in aquatic and terrestrial environments. While the literature is biased toward pond-breeding amphibians in North America and Europe, I made the case that variation in plant communities is often a strong yet overlooked gradient driving variation in amphibian ecology. In chapter 3, I utilized an aquatic mesocosm study to investigate the impact of wetland succession, via changes in light and detritus quality, on two amphibian species of conservation concern. This work demonstrated that wetland succession in southeastern pine savannas may significantly reduce juvenile amphibian recruitment and emerging juveniles may be delayed and smaller. In chapter 4, using a terrestrial mesocosm study I found that historical legacies of disturbance, low coverage of native wiregrass (Aristida spp.) and high abundance of predacious ants reduced survival of juvenile amphibians. This work is one of few studies focusing on how plant communities can moderate predation risk of juvenile amphibians. Additionally, we established that Dorymyrmex ant predation is a risk to small vertebrates within southeastern pine savannas with histories of significant soil disturbance. In chapter 5, I explored how ground vegetation and the availability of terrestrial refugia may affect survival and terrestrial distributions of juvenile Gopher frogs (Rana capito) under two weather regimes. My model suggested that the effects of ground cover could improve juvenile amphibian survival, but this potential effect was sensitive to model parameters including assumptions about frog behavior, the availability of refugia, and weather conditions. Despite its complexity, my model identified outstanding knowledge gaps in amphibian biology; mechanistic research including behavioral studies of frog microhabitat resource selection will enable future model refinement to predict the effects of fine-scale habitat change. Collectively, this work supports management efforts to evaluate vegetation management approaches for priority amphibian species.
@phdthesis{burrow_plants_2021,
address = {Athens, Georgia},
type = {Ph.{D}. {Dissertation}},
title = {Plants {Matter}: {How} {Human}-{Driven} {Changes} to {Terrestrial} and {Wetland} {Vegetation} {May} {Impact} {Priority} {Amphibian} {Specoies} in {Southeastern} {Pine} {Savannas}},
abstract = {Plants are foundational components of ecosystems that have large effects on the composition and abundance of animal communities. The objectives of this dissertation were to synthesize the literature demonstrating effects of plants on pond-breeding amphibians and test specific mechanisms by which plants affect amphibian performance specifically related to management actions. In chapter 2, I synthesized the available literature on the influence of plants on pond-breeding amphibian ecology in aquatic and terrestrial environments. While the literature is biased toward pond-breeding amphibians in North America and Europe, I made the case that variation in plant communities is often a strong yet overlooked gradient driving variation in amphibian ecology. In chapter 3, I utilized an aquatic mesocosm study to investigate the impact of wetland succession, via changes in light and detritus quality, on two amphibian species of conservation concern. This work demonstrated that wetland succession in southeastern pine savannas may significantly reduce juvenile amphibian recruitment and emerging juveniles may be delayed and smaller. In chapter 4, using a terrestrial mesocosm study I found that historical legacies of disturbance, low coverage of native wiregrass (Aristida spp.) and high abundance of predacious ants reduced survival of juvenile amphibians. This work is one of few studies focusing on how plant communities can moderate predation risk of juvenile amphibians. Additionally, we established that Dorymyrmex ant predation is a risk to small vertebrates within southeastern pine savannas with histories of significant soil disturbance. In chapter 5, I explored how ground vegetation and the availability of terrestrial refugia may affect survival and terrestrial distributions of juvenile Gopher frogs (Rana capito) under two weather regimes. My model suggested that the effects of ground cover could improve juvenile amphibian survival, but this potential effect was sensitive to model parameters including assumptions about frog behavior, the availability of refugia, and weather conditions. Despite its complexity, my model identified outstanding knowledge gaps in amphibian biology; mechanistic research including behavioral studies of frog microhabitat resource selection will enable future model refinement to predict the effects of fine-scale habitat change. Collectively, this work supports management efforts to evaluate vegetation management approaches for priority amphibian species.},
language = {en},
school = {University of Georgia},
author = {Burrow, Angela Kay},
year = {2021},
}
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In chapter 2, I synthesized the available literature on the influence of plants on pond-breeding amphibian ecology in aquatic and terrestrial environments. While the literature is biased toward pond-breeding amphibians in North America and Europe, I made the case that variation in plant communities is often a strong yet overlooked gradient driving variation in amphibian ecology. In chapter 3, I utilized an aquatic mesocosm study to investigate the impact of wetland succession, via changes in light and detritus quality, on two amphibian species of conservation concern. This work demonstrated that wetland succession in southeastern pine savannas may significantly reduce juvenile amphibian recruitment and emerging juveniles may be delayed and smaller. In chapter 4, using a terrestrial mesocosm study I found that historical legacies of disturbance, low coverage of native wiregrass (Aristida spp.) and high abundance of predacious ants reduced survival of juvenile amphibians. This work is one of few studies focusing on how plant communities can moderate predation risk of juvenile amphibians. Additionally, we established that Dorymyrmex ant predation is a risk to small vertebrates within southeastern pine savannas with histories of significant soil disturbance. In chapter 5, I explored how ground vegetation and the availability of terrestrial refugia may affect survival and terrestrial distributions of juvenile Gopher frogs (Rana capito) under two weather regimes. My model suggested that the effects of ground cover could improve juvenile amphibian survival, but this potential effect was sensitive to model parameters including assumptions about frog behavior, the availability of refugia, and weather conditions. Despite its complexity, my model identified outstanding knowledge gaps in amphibian biology; mechanistic research including behavioral studies of frog microhabitat resource selection will enable future model refinement to predict the effects of fine-scale habitat change. Collectively, this work supports management efforts to evaluate vegetation management approaches for priority amphibian species.","language":"en","school":"University of Georgia","author":[{"propositions":[],"lastnames":["Burrow"],"firstnames":["Angela","Kay"],"suffixes":[]}],"year":"2021","bibtex":"@phdthesis{burrow_plants_2021,\n\taddress = {Athens, Georgia},\n\ttype = {Ph.{D}. {Dissertation}},\n\ttitle = {Plants {Matter}: {How} {Human}-{Driven} {Changes} to {Terrestrial} and {Wetland} {Vegetation} {May} {Impact} {Priority} {Amphibian} {Specoies} in {Southeastern} {Pine} {Savannas}},\n\tabstract = {Plants are foundational components of ecosystems that have large effects on the composition and abundance of animal communities. The objectives of this dissertation were to synthesize the literature demonstrating effects of plants on pond-breeding amphibians and test specific mechanisms by which plants affect amphibian performance specifically related to management actions. In chapter 2, I synthesized the available literature on the influence of plants on pond-breeding amphibian ecology in aquatic and terrestrial environments. While the literature is biased toward pond-breeding amphibians in North America and Europe, I made the case that variation in plant communities is often a strong yet overlooked gradient driving variation in amphibian ecology. In chapter 3, I utilized an aquatic mesocosm study to investigate the impact of wetland succession, via changes in light and detritus quality, on two amphibian species of conservation concern. This work demonstrated that wetland succession in southeastern pine savannas may significantly reduce juvenile amphibian recruitment and emerging juveniles may be delayed and smaller. In chapter 4, using a terrestrial mesocosm study I found that historical legacies of disturbance, low coverage of native wiregrass (Aristida spp.) and high abundance of predacious ants reduced survival of juvenile amphibians. This work is one of few studies focusing on how plant communities can moderate predation risk of juvenile amphibians. Additionally, we established that Dorymyrmex ant predation is a risk to small vertebrates within southeastern pine savannas with histories of significant soil disturbance. In chapter 5, I explored how ground vegetation and the availability of terrestrial refugia may affect survival and terrestrial distributions of juvenile Gopher frogs (Rana capito) under two weather regimes. My model suggested that the effects of ground cover could improve juvenile amphibian survival, but this potential effect was sensitive to model parameters including assumptions about frog behavior, the availability of refugia, and weather conditions. 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