{"id":14705,"date":"2017-01-09T18:18:51","date_gmt":"2017-01-09T18:18:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gsmit.org\/?page_id=14705"},"modified":"2021-02-16T09:57:05","modified_gmt":"2021-02-16T14:57:05","slug":"pond-breeding-amphibians","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gsmit.org\/community-science\/amphibians\/pond-breeding-amphibians\/","title":{"rendered":"Pond Breeding Amphibians"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Community<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Early<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/span>

Pond Breeding Amphibians<\/h1><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

There’s nothing quite like wading into a winter pond surrounded by amphibian eggs, tadpoles, and the chorus of thousands of croaking Wood Frogs!<\/p>\n

From late January to mid April, we visit 3 sites in the Park every two weeks to monitor Wood Frog and Spotted Salamander breeding. \u00a0We count the number of egg masses of each species and take water chemistry measurements.\u00a0 To do this, we don chest waders and muck around in the deep, dark, cold water of these ephemeral pools.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/span>

Why It Matters<\/h2><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

This is the only long-term pond breeding amphibian monitoring project in the Park.\u00a0 In addition to sparking curiosity and, in the case of frogs, offering nightly serenades, amphibians are integral to ecosystem health. Both predator and prey, amphibians eat tiny insects and macroinvertebrates, converting their mass into their own bodies, which moves up the ecosystem as thy are eaten by raccoons, birds, otters, and others. These populations face risk from feral hogs (they roll around the wetlands, destroying eggs and tadpoles), ranavirus, chytrid fungus, and climate change (drought).\u00a0 Because of these threats, this is a top priority project, as we can monitor their populations and inform conservation decisions based on the data.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>