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The relative importance of aquatic and terrestrial variables for frogs in an urbanizing landscape: key insights for sustainable urban development
journal contribution
posted on 2017-01-01, 00:00 authored by N R Villaseñor, Don DriscollDon Driscoll, P Gibbons, A J K Calhoun, D B LindenmayerGlobally, urbanization threatens ∼950 amphibian species with extinction. Yet a lack of knowledge on the factors influencing common and infrequently encountered species in landscapes that are under increasing pressure from urban development is limiting effective conservation. We examined the relative importance of aquatic variables (pond) and terrestrial variables (at three spatial scales: 10 m, 100 m and 1 km), for commonly and infrequently encountered frogs in an urbanizing forested landscape in southeastern Australia. Species richness and the occurrence of four common species were influenced by the aquatic environment (water body size, aquatic vegetation). Species richness also decreased with increasing urbanization within 1 km. This trend was driven by a strong decrease in richness of infrequently encountered species with increasing road length within 1 km from breeding ponds. Richness of infrequently encountered species also decreased with a reduction in forest cover within 10 m to 1 km from breeding ponds. Our findings suggest that frog conservation in urbanizing landscapes requires a mix of strategies across different spatial scales. Maintaining or re-establishing common frogs in urbanizing forested landscapes is likely to be achieved by providing ponds with suitable habitat. However, to conserve several frog species that are sensitive to forest loss and urbanization, breeding habitats need to be maintained within a network of large forest reserves.
History
Journal
Landscape and urban planningVolume
157Pagination
26 - 35Publisher
ElsevierLocation
Amsterdam, The NetherlandsPublisher DOI
ISSN
0169-2046Language
engPublication classification
C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2016, Elsevier B.VUsage metrics
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Categories
Keywords
Common and rare speciesCrinia signiferaLitoria peroniiLimnodynastes peroniiPond-breeding amphibiansForest-urban gradientScience & TechnologySocial SciencesLife Sciences & BiomedicinePhysical SciencesEcologyEnvironmental StudiesGeographyGeography, PhysicalRegional & Urban PlanningUrban StudiesEnvironmental Sciences & EcologyPhysical GeographyPublic AdministrationPOOL-BREEDING AMPHIBIANSHABITAT LOSSBIODIVERSITYEXTINCTIONMANAGEMENTCOMMONROADSMODEL