Blanchard's Cricket Frog Acris Blanchardi Overwintering Ecology
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Herpetological Conservation and Biology 11(1):101–111. Submitted: 12May 2014; Accepted: 17 March 2016; Published: 30 April 2016. BLANCHARD’S CRICKET FROG ACRIS BLANCHARDI OVERWINTERING ECOLOGY IN SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN ANDREW F. BADJE1,4, TYLER J. BRANDT1, TARA L. BERGESON1, RORI A. PALOSKI1, JOSHUA M. KAPFER2, AND GREGOR W. SCHUURMAN1,3 ¹Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation, 101 S. Webster Street, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, Wisconsin 53707, USA ²Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Upham Hall, Rm. 352, Whitewater, Wisconsin 53190, USA ³National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 200, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525, USA 4Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected] Abstract.—Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs (Acris blanchardi) were once considered among the most abundant frog species in southern Wisconsin, USA. Although historically documented in 31 counties, it is currently found in only a handful of these due to substantial population declines in the late 20th Century. Explanations for this dramatic reduction in numbers include environmental pollutants, climate change, and habitat loss. Unfortunately, a poor understanding of the basic ecology and natural history of this species hinders effective conservation. To achieve a more thorough understanding of overwintering ecology at the northern edge of their range, we surveyed 10 sites in southwestern Wisconsin in an effort to describe the hibernacula and pre-hibernation behavior of Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs. We conducted transect and haphazard surveys to determine when most cricket frogs entered hibernacula and the type of hibernacula available (e.g., crayfish burrow, crack in stream banks). Of 385 possible hibernacula assessed, only 20 at four sites were occupied by Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs. Most hibernation occurred in exposed cracks formed by the sloughing of river banks, but we observed partially individual frogs twice within small (1 cm diameter) burrows. Hibernating cricket frogs were never observed in large crayfish burrows, under grass, leaves, or logs, or burrowed in gravel banks, as observed elsewhere in their range. Communal hibernation was observed in 13 of the occupied hibernacula. Mean minimum hibernation depth for cricket frogs was 4.7 cm. Our results suggest that exposed, south- facing river banks are critical habitat, and effective Blanchard’s Cricket Frog conservation in southern Wisconsin should protect such habitat near known populations. Key Words.—conservation; hibernacula; hibernation; microhabitat INTRODUCTION Irwin (2005) suggested that a lack of suitable overwintering locations influences the distribution of Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs (Acris blanchardi) were this species across its northern and western range limits, once common throughout the Midwestern United States and may be partially responsible for its recent decline. (reviewed by Gray et al. 2005), but have declined Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs differ from some hylid dramatically along the northern and western boundaries species that hibernate terrestrially in that they cannot of their range, (Vogt 1981; Lannoo 1998; Lehtinen 2002; physiologically modify tissue glucose levels as a Gamble et al. 2008; Burdick and Swanson 2010). For cryoprotectant (Swanson and Burdick 2010). example, this species was historically widespread in Furthermore, they do not have the ability to avoid southern Wisconsin with confirmed records in 33 freezing by digging below the frost line (Irwin et al. counties, but today persists in only nine (Wisconsin 1999). They also cannot withstand inundation in anoxic Department of Natural Resources, unpubl. data) and has water for more than 24 h nor in initially oxygenated been listed as a state endangered species since 1982. water beyond 10 d (Irwin et al. 1999). Blanchard’s Explanations for why the Blanchard’s Cricket Frog has Cricket Frogs therefore rely on other wildlife and natural declined include environmental pollutants, climate environmental events to create suitable hibernacula, change, and habitat loss (Beasley et al. 2005; Lehtinen which limits the amount of potentially available and Skinner 2006; McCallum 2010). Unfortunately, its hibernacula for this species. In Illinois they hibernate in ecology, including habitat requirements, is not well shoreline cracks and crevices, under logs, and beneath understood, which hinders appropriate conservation onshore leaves (Garman 1892; Pope 1944; Gray 1971). (McCallum et al. 2011). In Ohio, Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs have been found within gravel shorelines at burrow depths of 20–36 cm, Copyright © 2016. Andrew F Badje 101 All Rights Reserved. Badje et al.—Blanchard’s Cricket Frog overwintering ecology. information systems (ArcMap 10; ESRI, Redlands, California, USA) to map locations of formerly occupied sites and subsequently visited study sites with favorable habitat including open or semi-open canopies with ponds, wetlands, and streams. We visited and assessed 13 potential study sites, selecting the 10 most favorable sites for hibernaculum surveys (Table 1). Transect assessments.—Initial assessments of our survey sites included haphazard exploratory searches along wetland and pond shorelines and river banks to identify suitable locations for transect surveys. We established transect locations based on coarse assessments of Blanchard’s Cricket Frog abundance and distribution at each site, and because they contained a diversity of habitat features (i.e., crayfish burrows and FIGURE 1. Study locations by township of Blanchard’s Cricket Frog (Acris blanchardi) in southwestern Wisconsin, USA. Locations are cracks on a variety of steep eroded banks, low-lying mud listed by site identification numbers and are further described in Table flats, and narrow benches caused by sloughing of the 1. Locations are shown by township due to the legally designated bank). We then established two 100 m transects, one on endangered status of Acris blanchardi in Wisconsin. each bank of the river/stream, parallel to the edge of the water at each of our study sites. and hibernating beneath onshore vegetation masses Along their northern boundary, congregations of (Walker 1946). Swanson and Burdick (2010) reported cricket frogs have been observed in late-fall and are that hibernating Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs in South described to immediately precede their entrance into Dakota were most often observed in burrows and nearby hibernacula (Swanson and Burdick 2010). We crevices along river banks that remained moist but did therefore conducted non time-constrained transect not freeze. They will also migrate substantial distances surveys from 19 October through 2 November 2010 to (i.e., 1.3 km) to find appropriate hibernacula (Gray best overlap our survey efforts with those of prior 1983), which further exposes them to various sources of overwintering studies. During surveys we identified all mortality. potential hibernacula along transects and investigated Despite the importance of overwintering habitat (Irwin them for Blanchard’s Cricket Frog occupancy. We 2005), data on physical characteristics of hibernacula completed transects for all 10 sites one time. Survey chosen by Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs are particularly effort was dependent on the availability of potential rare in the upper Midwest. Given that protection of hibernacula within transect boundaries, ranging from suitable hibernacula can potentially influence persistence 2.6–5.2 h. We examined potential hibernacula for of this rare species in the northern portions of its range, internal use of cricket frogs with the combination of a an improved understanding of its overwintering ecology flashlight and a digital camera with fiber optic extension in the upper Midwest is essential for effective 1 m long and 1.5 cm in diameter (Ridgid 30063 Micro conservation. Due to the dearth of data available on this Explorer Inspection Camera; Ridge Tool Company, subject, the objectives of this study were to (1) identify Elyria, Ohio, USA). We also incorporated the Stomping and document Blanchard’s Cricket Frog overwintering method (described in Gray 1971) for drawing cricket habitat and hibernacula in southwest Wisconsin; (2) frogs from hibernacula. We repeated this technique by compare the characteristics of occupied versus non- treading both subtly and heavily and also by pounding occupied hibernacula; and (3) observe pre-hibernation our feet on the ground near potential hibernacula. behavior, including identifying dates when most We recorded a variety of microhabitat features for all individuals were using hibernacula. This information hibernacula discovered within transect boundaries. We will guide conservation and management for this measured the maximum widths and lengths of all cracks imperiled species. and the diameters of burrow entrances with a caliper to the nearest 0.1 cm. Preceding the documentation of hibernaculum depth measurements, we waited until all MATERIALS AND METHODS visually detected cricket frogs had exited. Taking precautions not to excavate hibernating frogs or alter Study sites.—Study sites were located in areas known hibernaculum structure and microclimate, we then to contain Blanchard’s Cricket Frog populations in measured the depth of cracks and burrows. We did this Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette counties in southwestern by inserting a wooden dowel or a more maneuverable Wisconsin, USA (Fig. 1). We used geographic fiber optic extension cable, both with 1 cm markings,