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Anurans as Indicators of Wetland Condition in the Prairie
Pothole Region
Dorothy G. Bowers1, David E. Andersen1,2, and Ned H.
Euliss, Jr.3
A two-year EMAP pilot study was initiated in 1995 to 1) describe anuran relative
abundance, species composition, and species distribution in selected study sites
within the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North Dakota; 2) determine a suitable
road survey method(s) for estimating anuran relative abundance and describing
anuran distribution; and 3) determine if relationships exist between anuran distribution
and relative abundance and land-use patterns associated with the study site. The
first year of the study was completed in 1995, and descriptive summaries of nightly
calling intervals, calling seasons, and weather associations are presented. A
combination of calling surveys and night driving surveys provided a more complete
description of species distribution and species composition in study sites than
either method used alone. Additionally, preliminary data analyses suggest that
Bufo americanus, B. cognatus, and H. versicolor/ chrysoscelis distribution
and occurrence may be associated with land-use patterns.
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U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Laurel, MD, USA 20708-4038
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/naamp3/naamp3.html
Contact: Sam Droege, email: Sam_Droege@usgs.gov
Last Modified: June 2002