Brooks, G.C. orcid.org/0000-0001-9006-6465, Chandler, H.C., Jiao, Y. et al. (2 more authors) (2024) Predicting the population viability of an endangered amphibian under environmental and demographic uncertainty. Population Ecology, 66 (3). pp. 184-195. ISSN 1438-3896
Abstract
Population viability analyses (PVAs) represent a key component of many recovery plans for threatened and endangered species. Demography links the processes that affect individuals to population-level patterns, and hence projections constructed from demographic data are the most common tools for PVAs. We constructed a size-structured integral projection model (IPM) for the United States federally endangered Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander, Ambystoma bishopi, to evaluate demographic influences on population growth and predict the efficacy of future management actions. Flatwoods salamanders breed in ephemeral wetlands in the Southeastern United States. The ephemeral nature of breeding sites can result in complete recruitment failure in drought years when wetlands fail to fill, or dry before metamorphosis occurs. As a result, this species exhibits marked temporal variability in vital rates that must be accounted for in projection models. We constructed a stochastic IPM using 13 years of mark-recapture data (2010–2023) from two breeding wetlands. Variable survival rates exhibited by flatwoods salamanders, coupled with a high probability of recruitment failure, result in a low predicted probability of population persistence. Sensitivity analyses revealed age at maturity and the frequency of recruitment exerted the greatest influence on population growth, and thus managers should prioritize conservation efforts that target these demographic processes. Additional management should consider strategies to dampen temporal variability in larval survival, something that could be achieved through emergency salvage operations, captive rearing efforts, and manipulation of wetland hydroperiods.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. Population Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Society of Population Ecology. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. |
Keywords: | Ambystoma bishopi; conservation; extinction; flatwoods salamander; integral projection model |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Biosciences (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 18 Dec 2023 16:29 |
Last Modified: | 01 Nov 2024 15:26 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/1438-390x.12172 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:206751 |