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Species Assessment for Boreal Toad (Bufo Boreas Boreas)

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Species Assessment for Boreal Toad (Bufo Boreas Boreas) SPECIES ASSESSMENT FOR BOREAL TOAD (BUFO BOREAS BOREAS ) IN WYOMING prepared by 1 2 MATT MCGEE AND DOUG KEINATH 1 Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, 1000 E. University Ave, Dept. 3381, Laramie, Wyoming 82071; 307-766-3023 2 Zoology Program Manager, Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, 1000 E. University Ave, Dept. 3381, Laramie, Wyoming 82071; 307-766-3013; [email protected] drawing by Summers Scholl prepared for United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Wyoming State Office Cheyenne, Wyoming March 2004 McGee and Keinath – Bufo boreas boreas March 2004 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 3 NATURAL HISTORY ........................................................................................................................... 4 Morphological Description ...................................................................................................... 4 Taxonomy and Distribution ..................................................................................................... 5 Habitat Requirements............................................................................................................. 8 General ............................................................................................................................................8 Spring-Summer ...............................................................................................................................9 Summer-Fall....................................................................................................................................9 Winter............................................................................................................................................10 Area Requirements........................................................................................................................11 Landscape Pattern .........................................................................................................................12 Movement and Activity Patterns ............................................................................................13 Daily Activity................................................................................................................................13 Broad-scale movement patterns ....................................................................................................14 Reproduction and Survivorship..............................................................................................15 Breeding Behavior.........................................................................................................................15 Breeding Phenology ......................................................................................................................16 Breeding Habitat ...........................................................................................................................17 Fecundity and Survivorship ..........................................................................................................17 Population Demographics......................................................................................................18 Metapopulation Dynamics ............................................................................................................19 Genetic Concerns ..........................................................................................................................20 Food Habits...........................................................................................................................21 Food items.....................................................................................................................................21 Foraging Strategy..........................................................................................................................22 Foraging Variation ........................................................................................................................22 Community Ecology...............................................................................................................23 Predators and Competitors ............................................................................................................23 Parasites and Disease ....................................................................................................................23 Symbiotic and Mutualistic Interactions.........................................................................................24 CONSERVATION .............................................................................................................................. 25 Conservation Status ..............................................................................................................25 Federal Endangered Species Act...................................................................................................25 Bureau of Land Management........................................................................................................25 Forest Service................................................................................................................................25 State Wildlife Agencies.................................................................................................................25 Heritage Ranks and WYNDD’s Wyoming Significance Rank.....................................................26 Biological Conservation Issues..............................................................................................26 Abundance.....................................................................................................................................26 Trends............................................................................................................................................27 Range Context...............................................................................................................................29 Extrinsic Threats and Reasons for Decline ...................................................................................30 Anthropogenic Impacts...........................................................................................................30 Air Quality and Atmospheric Deposition ..........................................................................................30 Timber Harvest ..................................................................................................................................32 Livestock Grazing..............................................................................................................................33 Page 1 of 86 McGee and Keinath – Bufo boreas boreas March 2004 Fire and Fire Management Activities.................................................................................................34 Pesticides, Herbicides, and Environmental Contaminants.................................................................35 Habitat Development and Fragmentation ..........................................................................................36 Harvest and Commerce......................................................................................................................37 Invasive Species......................................................................................................................38 Genetic Factors .......................................................................................................................40 Stochastic Factors (e.g., weather events)................................................................................41 Natural Predation....................................................................................................................41 Intrinsic Vulnerability ...................................................................................................................42 Habitat Specificity and Fidelity..............................................................................................42 Territoriality and Area Requirements.....................................................................................42 Susceptibility to Disease.........................................................................................................43 Dispersal Capability................................................................................................................44 Reproductive Capacity............................................................................................................44 Sensitivity to Disturbance.......................................................................................................45 Protected Areas .............................................................................................................................45 Population Viability Analyses (PVAs)..........................................................................................45 CONSERVATION ACTION ................................................................................................................ 45 Existing or Future Conservation Plans...................................................................................45 Existing Regulatory Mechanisms..................................................................................................45
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