Size fluctuations in amphibian populations at single breeding sites are related to variations in recruitment from the larval stage. However, overall patterns of abundance should be related to the pattern of recruitment success at the many sites where breeding occurs over a landscape. Recruitment patterns for six amphibian species, Ambystoma laterale, A. maculatum, Bufo americanus, Hyla versicolor, Pseudacris crucifer and Rana sylvatica, were investigated at multiple sites within the 10 km 2 Mont St. Hilaire nature reserve during 2001 and 2002. Amphibians bred at eighteen sites but recruitment occurred at only 8 and 11 sites in each year, respectively. Hydroperiod and predation were the most important determinants of recruitment. Four species suffered multiple recruitment failures both years. However, when sites were considered collectively, recruitment was successful for all species because of asynchronous recruitment patterns across heterogeneous sites. Amphibian population dynamics may be stochastic at any single site but recruitment success at multiple sites is a plausible predictor of abundance and trends in regional population persistence.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.78250 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Bol, Leslie D. |
| Contributors | Green, David M. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Biology.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001982865, proquestno: AAIMQ88158, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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