Progress 09/10/08 to 09/09/13
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): To access the impact of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) implemented wetland projects in the Mid-Atlantic region on the populations and activities of amphibian. Approach (from AD-416): The presence or absence of amphibians in the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) implemented wetland projects will be accessed via a variety of techniques. These will include daytime vocalizations, egg mass counts, larval dipnet surveys, minnow trap surveys, and visual encounter surveys (VES) of adults and larvae. This will involve field visits to each site during appropriate seasons to conduct egg mass, larval, and VES. Frog loggers will be used to record calling male frogs. This research supports project objective 3: Develop practices and technologies that enhance denitrification with minimized nitrous oxide emissions in water table managed fields and wetlands. The USDA�s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) offer incentives to private landowners to conserve and restore wetlands in the United States. A primary goal is to enhance ecosystem services and address the effects and effectiveness of wetland restorations under USDA conservation programs. This study was part of a larger Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) effort to compare biological and physical attributes of constructed and natural wetlands in the mid-Atlantic region. Of the 49 wetlands selected for this study, 19 were restored wetlands that had previously been in crop production, 14 were natural wetlands, and 16 were former wetlands in current and active agricultural landscapes. Present were 21 species of amphibians, 17 anurans and four salamanders. Restored and natural wetlands supported an equivalent number of species (17 and 15, respectively) and had approximately equal proportions of habitat generalists and specialists. Community similarity was low (48%) due to species distribution patterns and the occurrence of several habitat specialists only in natural wetlands. CRP and WRP wetland restoration programs in the mid-Atlantic region have been successful by providing habitats for most of the typical regional amphibians.
Impacts
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Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): To access the impact of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) implemented wetland projects in the Mid-Atlantic region on the populations and activities of amphibian. Approach (from AD-416): The presence or absence of amphibians in the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) implemented wetland projects will be accessed via a variety of techniques. These will include daytime vocalizations, egg mass counts, larval dipnet surveys, minnow trap surveys, and visual encounter surveys (VES) of adults and larvae. This will involve field visits to each site during appropriate seasons to conduct egg mass, larval, and VES. Frog loggers will be used to record calling male frogs. This research supports project objective 3: Develop practices and technologies that enhance denitrification with minimized nitrous oxide emissions in water table managed fields and wetlands. Total amphibian species richness in the 48 wetlands selected for this study was 18, of which 14 were frogs and four were salamanders. Total species richness in all restored sites was identical to that in natural sites, whereas only about half of these species occurred in the prior converted sites that held water. Jaccard�s coefficient of community similarity revealed that amphibian assemblages in the Northern region (Delmarva) are only 50% similar to those in the Southern region (Virginia and northeastern North Carolina). The ranges of several species include Delmarva, whereas those of other species include southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. In the Northern region, species richness in restored sites (10) was equal to that in natural sites (10), and both were twice as high as in Prior Converted sites (5). In the Southern region, total species richness in restored sites (10) was higher than in natural (5) and prior converted sites (3). Rank order of total amphibian species richness for combined samples was restored>natural>>prior converted. The presence of amphibian larvae (frog tadpoles and salamander larvae) indicates which species actually use a wetland for reproduction. Mean number of amphibian species based solely on larval samples in all restored sites was similar to the mean for natural sites, and both were higher than the mean for prior converted sites; however, the difference is not significant. The wide range of variation in this metric in all of the wetlands contributed to the lack of significance. Rank order of amphibian larval species richness for combined samples was restored>natural>prior converted. Canopy cover has been shown to be a key factor in breeding site selection by some amphibians. Number of species in restored wetlands with open or partial canopies were similar to numbers in natural wetlands. None of the relationships were significant; however, natural wetlands with full canopies that shaded the wetland throughout the day tended to support the fewest species. The abundance of emergent aquatic vegetation was highly variable and had little effect on species richness in Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) wetlands. Several wetlands with abundant emergent aquatic vegetation supported similar numbers to those with little to no vegetation. The relative abundance of the amphibian larvae was highly variable among the three types of wetlands and between regions, years, and habitat characteristics (canopy cover and aquatic vegetation). In general, restored wetlands supported higher numbers of larvae than natural and prior converted wetlands. The extreme variation among sites and between years, however, hindered revelation of any significant differences. The primary conclusion of this study is that the Cooperative Resolution Program (CRP) and Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) restored wetlands were functionally similar or superior to natural wetlands in their ability to support diverse amphibian assemblages. Some restored wetlands exceeded natural wetlands in the number of species they supported. Restored wetlands with shallow to deep basins with several terraces that have open canopies, no fish, support aquatic vegetation, and dry by mid-summer are optimal habitats for amphibians in the mid-Atlantic region. Longer hydrologies would allow establishment of fish, all of which are predators of amphibians. Natural Resources Conservation Service wetland restoration projects should take amphibian habitat requirements into consideration to ensure that such wetlands are suitable for most of the species in the landscape. CRP and WRP programs in the mid-Atlantic have successfully created the conditions needed by amphibians to provide their own unique ecosystem services in this region.
Impacts
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Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) To access the impact of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) implemented wetland projects in the Mid-Atlantic region on the populations and activities of amphibian. Approach (from AD-416) The presence or absence of amphibians in the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) implemented wetland projects will be accessed via a variety of techniques. These will include daytime vocalizations, egg mass counts, larval dipnet surveys, minnow trap surveys, and visual encounter surveys (VES) of adults and larvae. This will involve field visits to each site during appropriate seasons to conduct egg mass, larval, and VES. Frog loggers will be used to record calling male frogs. This project is related to inhouse objective 3: Develop practices or technologies that enhance denitrification in riparian buffers and wetlands for improving water quality in streams. The field work for the amphibian component of the Natural Resources Conservation Service Mid-Atlantic Conservation Effects Assessment Project was completed in July 2011. Each of the 48 sites was sampled quantitatively at least four times between 2009 and 2011. Sample sites consisted of wetlands currently in agricultural use (prior converted [PC]) , restored wetlands formerly in agricultural production, and natural sites. Twenty of the sites were located in northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, and 28 of the sites were located on the eastern shore of Maryland and Delaware. Several PC sites had standing water in associated ditches, allowing an assessment of the species that likely occurred in these wetlands before conversion to agriculture. The total number of frog and salamander species registered for the restored sites (13) in the study was higher than that for the PC (6) and natural (11) sites. These results suggest that the wetlands restored through the Wetlands Restoration Program provide the ecological services needed by most of the amphibians in the Mid-Atlantic region. Progress was monitored via planning meetings and site selection visits.
Impacts
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Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) To access the impact of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) implemented wetland projects in the Mid-Atlantic region on the populations and activities of amphibian. Approach (from AD-416) The presence or absence of amphibians in the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) implemented wetland projects will be accessed via a variety of techniques. These will include daytime vocalizations, egg mass counts, larval dipnet surveys, minnow trap surveys, and visual encounter surveys (VES) of adults and larvae. This will involve field visits to each site during appropriate seasons to conduct egg mass, larval, and VES. Frog loggers will be used to record calling male frogs. This research relates to the inhouse objective: To obtain knowledge and develop tools that will enable planners, decision makers, and producers to more effectively manage, conserve, and protect water resources. The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) and natural wetland sites in the Virginia and North Carolina portion of the mid-Atlantic study were a mixed lot of dried depressions, partially filled depressions, Delmarva Bays, and several that will not hold water except for very wet periods but dry quickly. It was possible to obtain amphibian data from only 5 of the 16 wetlands sampled in Virginia and North Carolina. One was an agricultural depression, one was a restored site, and 3 were natural sites. Because dry depressions afford no data on the amphibian community, the effective sample size for this study will be less than the 48 we had hoped to study. The 5 sites in Maryland studied in late May ranged from shallow depressions in plowed fields to a Delmarva Bay protected by The Nature Conservancy. The natural and restored sites yielded the most species. Some of the southern sites are not directly comparable to other wetland depressions on the Delmarva. These sites may work out adequately for the plant and physical science components of this study but they appear to have limited value for the amphibian portion of the study. It appears that the restored wetlands are the best sites for amphibians with the natural sites following closely behind in value. A more complete evaluation awaits the completion of the remaining sites. The project is monitored via planning meetings and site selection visits.
Impacts
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Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/09
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) To access the impact of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) implemented wetland projects in the Mid-Atlantic region on the populations and activities of amphibian. Approach (from AD-416) The presence or absence of amphibians in the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) implemented wetland projects will be accessed via a variety of techniques. These will include daytime vocalizations, egg mass counts, larval dipnet surveys, minnow trap surveys, and visual encounter surveys (VES) of adults and larvae. This will involve field visits to each site during appropriate seasons to conduct egg mass, larval, and VES. Frog loggers will be used to record calling male frogs. Significant Activities that Support Special Target Populations Amphibians around the world have suffered dramatic declines and several extinctions over the past several decades due to habitat loss and diseases. Wetland habitats throughout the United States have declined sharply in numbers due to these primary factors. One way to enhance amphibian populations is to restore or create wetlands in the landscape. Agriculture throughout the United States was one of the leading causes of amphibian losses because of conversion of wetlands to fields. Restoration and creation of wetland habitats in former agricultural lands are prime ways to decrease amphibian losses. The mid-Atlantic Conservation Effect Assessment Project (CEAP) assesses the success of restored and created wetlands in several ways, including counts of tadpoles and salamander larvae to obtain relative abundance and sizes. Several CEAP wetlands were studied in Maryland�s Eastern Shore. It was determined that restored and created wetlands in agricultural wetlands support the highest diversity of amphibians and reptiles relative to non-restored wetlands and some natural ponds with full canopy cover. Restored wetlands are shallow, often ephemeral, have high food resources, and lack full canopy cover. Amphibians are prime indicators of wetland and ecosystem health due to their sensitivity to factors that negatively impact wetlands. They can be viewed as environmental sentinels that indicate a positive effect from wetland conservation practices. The project will be monitored via planning meetings and site selection visits.
Impacts
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