Integrating copper toxicity and climate change to understand extinction risk to two species of pond‐breeding anurans
Abstract
Abstract Chemical contamination is often suggested as an important contributing factor to amphibian population declines, but direct links are rarely reported. Population modeling provides a quantitative method to integrate toxicity data with demographic data to understand the long‐term effects of contaminants on population persistence. In this study we use laboratory‐derived embryo and larval toxicity data for two anuran species to investigate the potential for toxicity to contribute to population declines. We use the southern toad ( Anaxyrus terrestris ) and the southern leopard frog ( Lithobates sphenocephalus ) as model species to investigate copper (Cu) toxicity. We use matrix models to project populations through time and quantify extinction risk (the probability of quasi‐extinction in 35 yr). Life‐history parameters for toads and frogs were obtained from previously published literature or unpublished data from a long‐term (>35 yr) data set. In addition to Cu toxicity, we investigate the role of climate change on amphibian populations by including the probability of early pond drying that results in catastrophic reproductive failure ( CRF , i.e., complete mortality of all larval individuals). Our models indicate that CRF is an important parameter for both species as both were unable to persist when CRF probability was >50% for toadsmore »
- Authors:
-
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory University of Georgia P.O. Drawer E Aiken South Carolina 29802 USA
- Environmental Science and Studies Towson University Towson Maryland 21252 USA
- Publication Date:
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1401874
- Grant/Contract Number:
- DE‐−FC09‐−07SR22506
- Resource Type:
- Publisher's Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Ecological Applications
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Ecological Applications Journal Volume: 26 Journal Issue: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 1051-0761
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
Weir, Scott M., Scott, David E., Salice, Christopher J., and Lance, Stacey L. Integrating copper toxicity and climate change to understand extinction risk to two species of pond‐breeding anurans. United States: N. p., 2016.
Web. doi:10.1890/15-1082.
Weir, Scott M., Scott, David E., Salice, Christopher J., & Lance, Stacey L. Integrating copper toxicity and climate change to understand extinction risk to two species of pond‐breeding anurans. United States. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-1082
Weir, Scott M., Scott, David E., Salice, Christopher J., and Lance, Stacey L. Fri .
"Integrating copper toxicity and climate change to understand extinction risk to two species of pond‐breeding anurans". United States. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-1082.
@article{osti_1401874,
title = {Integrating copper toxicity and climate change to understand extinction risk to two species of pond‐breeding anurans},
author = {Weir, Scott M. and Scott, David E. and Salice, Christopher J. and Lance, Stacey L.},
abstractNote = {Abstract Chemical contamination is often suggested as an important contributing factor to amphibian population declines, but direct links are rarely reported. Population modeling provides a quantitative method to integrate toxicity data with demographic data to understand the long‐term effects of contaminants on population persistence. In this study we use laboratory‐derived embryo and larval toxicity data for two anuran species to investigate the potential for toxicity to contribute to population declines. We use the southern toad ( Anaxyrus terrestris ) and the southern leopard frog ( Lithobates sphenocephalus ) as model species to investigate copper (Cu) toxicity. We use matrix models to project populations through time and quantify extinction risk (the probability of quasi‐extinction in 35 yr). Life‐history parameters for toads and frogs were obtained from previously published literature or unpublished data from a long‐term (>35 yr) data set. In addition to Cu toxicity, we investigate the role of climate change on amphibian populations by including the probability of early pond drying that results in catastrophic reproductive failure ( CRF , i.e., complete mortality of all larval individuals). Our models indicate that CRF is an important parameter for both species as both were unable to persist when CRF probability was >50% for toads or 40% for frogs. Copper toxicity alone did not result in significant effects on extinction risk unless toxicity was very high (>50% reduction in survival parameters). For toads, Cu toxicity and high probability of CRF both resulted in high extinction risk but no synergistic (or greater than additive) effects between the two stressors occurred. For leopard frogs, in the absence of CRF survival was high even under Cu toxicity, but with CRF Cu toxicity increased extinction risk. Our analyses highlight the importance of considering multiple stressors as well as species differences in response to those stressors. Our models were consistently most sensitive to juvenile and adult survival, further suggesting the importance of terrestrial stages to population persistence. Future models will incorporate multiple wetlands with different combinations of stressors to understand if our results for a single wetland result in a population sink within the landscape.},
doi = {10.1890/15-1082},
journal = {Ecological Applications},
number = 6,
volume = 26,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Sep 02 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Fri Sep 02 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1890/15-1082
https://doi.org/10.1890/15-1082
Other availability
Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Cited by: 5 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science
Web of Science
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.
Works referenced in this record:
Density dependence in the terrestrial life history stage of two anurans
journal, July 2007
- Harper, Elizabeth B.; Semlitsch, Raymond D.
- Oecologia, Vol. 153, Issue 4
Catastrophic Reproductive Failure, Terrestrial Survival, and Persistence of the Marbled Salamander
journal, June 2006
- Taylor, Barbara E.; Scott, David E.; Gibbons, J. Whitfield
- Conservation Biology, Vol. 20, Issue 3
Elevated Trace Element Concentrations in Southern Toads, Bufo terrestris, Exposed to Coal Combustion Waste
journal, August 1998
- Hopkins, W. A.; Mendonça, M. T.; Rowe, C. L.
- Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Vol. 35, Issue 2
Declining Downwind: Amphibian Population Declines in California and Historical Pesticide use
journal, December 2004
- Davidson, Carlos
- Ecological Applications, Vol. 14, Issue 6
Simulating viability of a spadefoot toad Pelobates fuscus metapopulation in a landscape fragmented by a road
journal, December 2002
- Hels, Tove; Nachman, Gosta
- Ecography, Vol. 25, Issue 6
Venue and outcome in ecological experiments: manipulations of larval anurans
journal, July 2001
- Skelly, David K.; Kiesecker, Joseph M.
- Oikos, Vol. 94, Issue 1
Comparative Contaminant Toxicity: Are Amphibian Larvae More Sensitive than Fish?
journal, October 2002
- Bridges, C. M.; Dwyer, F. J.; Hardesty, D. K.
- Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Vol. 69, Issue 4
Growth and Survival of Postmetamorphic Toads: Interactions among Larval History, Density, and Parasitism
journal, December 1994
- Goater, Cameron P.
- Ecology, Vol. 75, Issue 8
Making leaps in amphibian ecotoxicology: translating individual-level effects of contaminants to population viability
journal, September 2012
- Willson, J. D.; Hopkins, W. A.; Bergeron, C. M.
- Ecological Applications, Vol. 22, Issue 6
Using Logistic Regression to Analyze the Sensitivity of PVA Models: a Comparison of Methods Based on African Wild Dog Models
journal, October 2001
- Cross, Paul C.; Beissinger, Steven R.
- Conservation Biology, Vol. 15, Issue 5
Impacts of road Deicing salt on the Demography of Vernal Pool-Breeding Amphibians
journal, April 2008
- Karraker, Nancy E.; Gibbs, James P.; Vonesh, James R.
- Ecological Applications, Vol. 18, Issue 3
Size matters: insights from an allometric approach to evaluate control methods for invasive Australian Rhinella marina
journal, October 2013
- Beaty, Lynne E.; Salice, Christopher J.
- Ecological Applications, Vol. 23, Issue 7
Effects of chronic copper exposure on development and survival in the southern leopard frog (Lithobates [Rana] sphenocephalus)
journal, May 2012
- Lance, Stacey L.; Erickson, Matthew R.; Flynn, R. Wesley
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 31, Issue 7
Complex causes of amphibian population declines
journal, April 2001
- Kiesecker, Joseph M.; Blaustein, Andrew R.; Belden, Lisa K.
- Nature, Vol. 410, Issue 6829
Lessons from case studies of metals: investigating exposure, bioavailability, and risk
journal, September 2003
- Caussy, Deoraj; Gochfeld, Michael; Gurzau, Eugen
- Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, Vol. 56, Issue 1
Complex life cycles and density dependence: assessing the contribution of egg mortality to amphibian declines
journal, November 2002
- Vonesh, James R.; De la Cruz, Omar
- Oecologia, Vol. 133, Issue 3
Wildlife and the Coal Waste Policy Debate: Proposed Rules for Coal Waste Disposal Ignore Lessons from 45 Years of Wildlife Poisoning
journal, August 2012
- Lemly, A. Dennis; Skorupa, Joseph P.
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 46, Issue 16
Survival of embryos, tadpoles, and adults of the frogs Rana aurora aurora and Rana pretiosa pretiosa sympatric in southwestern British Columbia
journal, May 1974
- Licht, Lawrence E.
- Canadian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 52, Issue 5
Is the per capita rate of increase a good measure of population-level effects in ecotoxicology?
journal, July 1999
- Forbes, Valery E.; Calow, Peter
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 18, Issue 7
Density Dependence in the Terrestrial Stage of Wood Frogs: Evidence from a 21-Year Population Study
journal, June 2009
- Berven, Keith A.
- Copeia, Vol. 2009, Issue 2
Multiple Stressors and Amphibians: Contributions of Adverse Health Effects and Altered Hydroperiod to Population Decline and Extinction
journal, December 2012
- Salice, Christopher J.
- Journal of Herpetology, Vol. 46, Issue 4
Ranking ecological risks of multiple chemical stressors on amphibians
journal, April 2012
- Fedorenkova, Anastasia; Vonk, J. Arie; Lenders, H. J. Rob
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 31, Issue 6
Multiple stressors and complex life cycles: Insights from a population-level assessment of breeding site contamination and terrestrial habitat loss in an amphibian
journal, October 2011
- Salice, Christopher J.; Rowe, Christopher L.; Pechmann, Joseph H. K.
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 30, Issue 12
Matrix Model Investigation of Invasive Species Control: Bullfrogs on Vancouver Island
journal, December 2005
- Govindarajulu, Purnima; Altwegg, Res; Anholt, Bradley R.
- Ecological Applications, Vol. 15, Issue 6
Multiple Stressors and Salamanders: Effects of an Herbicide, food Limitation, and Hydroperiod
journal, August 2004
- Rohr, Jason R.; Elskus, Adria A.; Shepherd, Brian S.
- Ecological Applications, Vol. 14, Issue 4
What Is Missing in Amphibian Decline Research: Insights from Ecological Sensitivity Analysis
journal, June 2002
- Biek, Roman; Funk, W. Chris; Maxell, Bryce A.
- Conservation Biology, Vol. 16, Issue 3
Water relations in the toad (Bufo viridis) and a comparison with the frog (Rana ridibunda)
journal, January 1980
- Katz, U.; Graham, R.
- Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology, Vol. 67, Issue 2
Importance of Habitat Quality and Landscape Connectivity for the Persistence of Endangered Natterjack Toads
journal, October 2008
- Stevens, Virginie M.; Baguette, Michel
- Conservation Biology, Vol. 22, Issue 5
Global amphibian declines: sorting the hypotheses
journal, March 2003
- Collins, James P.; Storfer, Andrew
-
Diversity
Distributions, Vol. 9, Issue 2
From metamorphosis to maturity in complex life cycles: equal performance of different juvenile life history pathways
journal, March 2012
- Schmidt, Benedikt R.; Hödl, Walter; Schaub, Michael
- Ecology, Vol. 93, Issue 3
An Analysis of Density Effects and Predation in Bufo Americanus Tadpoles
journal, July 1969
- Brockelman, Warren Y.
- Ecology, Vol. 50, Issue 4
Toxicological Responses of Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) to Soil Exposures of Copper
journal, September 2008
- Bazar, Matthew A.; Quinn, Michael J.; Mozzachio, Kristie
- Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Vol. 57, Issue 1
Recent Advancements in Amphibian and Reptile Ecotoxicology
book, June 2010
- Sparling, Donald; Linder, Greg; Bishop, Christine
- Ecotoxicology of Amphibians and Reptiles, Second Edition
Priority Effects in Experimental Pond Communities: Competition between Bufo and Rana
journal, August 1985
- Alford, Ross A.; Wilbur, Henry M.
- Ecology, Vol. 66, Issue 4
Multiple Stressors in Amphibian Communities: Effects of Chemical Contamination, Bullfrogs, and fish
journal, January 2007
- Boone, Michelle D.; Semlitsch, Raymond D.; Little, Edward E.
- Ecological Applications, Vol. 17, Issue 1
Within- and among-population level differences in response to chronic copper exposure in southern toads, Anaxyrus terrestris
journal, June 2013
- Lance, Stacey L.; Flynn, R. Wesley; Erickson, Matthew R.
- Environmental Pollution, Vol. 177
A Hypothesis Regarding the Abruptness of Density Dependence and the Growth Rate of Populations
journal, October 1996
- Getz, Wayne M.
- Ecology, Vol. 77, Issue 7
Pesticides, mortality and population growth rate
journal, September 2004
- Schmidt, B.
- Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Vol. 19, Issue 9
Maternal Transfer of Contaminants and Reduced Reproductive Success of Southern Toads (Bufo [Anaxyrus] terrestris) Exposed to Coal Combustion Waste
journal, February 2013
- Metts, Brian S.; Buhlmann, Kurt A.; Tuberville, Tracey D.
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 47, Issue 6
Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment: Five Decades of Experience †
journal, January 2011
- Vymazal, Jan
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 45, Issue 1
Possible Interrelations among Environmental Toxicants, Amphibian Development, and Decline of Amphibian Populations
journal, May 1995
- Carey, Cynthia; Bryant, Corrie J.
- Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 103
Amphibian Population Declines at Savannah River site are Linked to Climate, not Chytridiomycosis
journal, December 2005
- Daszak, P.; Scott, D. E.; Kilpatrick, A. M.
- Ecology, Vol. 86, Issue 12
Density-Dependent Aspects of Growth and Metamorphosis in Bufo Americanus
journal, January 1977
- Wilbur, Henry M.
- Ecology, Vol. 58, Issue 1
Reconstruction and Analysis of Spring Rainfall over the Southeastern U.S. for the Past 1000 Years
journal, December 1992
- Stahle, David W.; Cleaveland, Malcolm K.
- Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Vol. 73, Issue 12
Irreversible climate change due to carbon dioxide emissions
journal, January 2009
- Solomon, Susan; Plattner, Gian-Kasper; Knutti, Reto
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 106, Issue 6
Density-Dependent Aspects of Metamorphosis in Ambystoma and Rana Sylvatica
journal, November 1976
- Wilbur, Henry M.
- Ecology, Vol. 57, Issue 6
Agrochemicals increase trematode infections in a declining amphibian species
journal, October 2008
- Rohr, Jason R.; Schotthoefer, Anna M.; Raffel, Thomas R.
- Nature, Vol. 455, Issue 7217
Failed Recruitment of Southern Toads ( Bufo terrestris ) in a Trace Element-Contaminated Breeding Habitat: Direct and Indirect Effects That May Lead to a Local Population Sink
journal, March 2001
- L. Rowe, W. A. Hopkins, V. R. Coffm, C.
- Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Vol. 40, Issue 3
Evaluating the Effects of Anthropogenic Stressors on Source-Sink Dynamics in Pond-Breeding Amphibians: Pollution and Amphibian Metapopulations
journal, April 2013
- Willson, John D.; Hopkins, William A.
- Conservation Biology, Vol. 27, Issue 3
Fish Predation: A Factor Affecting the Spatial Distribution of a Stream-Breeding Salamander
journal, August 1983
- Petranka, James W.
- Copeia, Vol. 1983, Issue 3
Influence of Drought on Salamander Occupancy of Isolated Wetlands on the Southeastern Coastal Plain of the United States
journal, March 2013
- Walls, Susan C.; Barichivich, William J.; Brown, Mary E.
- Wetlands, Vol. 33, Issue 2