Date of Graduation

12-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Biology (MS)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Biological Sciences

Advisor/Mentor

Willson, John D.

Committee Member

DeGregorio, Brett A.

Second Committee Member

Roberts, Caleb P.

Third Committee Member

Kross, Chelsea S.

Keywords

amphibian; Conservation; Crawfish frog; Grassland; Movement; Prairie

Abstract

The prairie peninsula was an expansive and important habitat that covered much of midwestern North America, from Canada to Arkansas, USA. But the prairie peninsula has shrunk by as much as 99% since 1830, and therefore, land acquisition and public/private partnerships are critical for the preservation of prairies and their associated species. In Arkansas, one species that benefits from protected prairies is the Crawfish Frog (Lithobates areolatus), which is currently declining precipitously throughout its range. Adult Crawfish Frogs spend most of their lives in terrestrial refugia (crayfish burrows), making them highly vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation, thereby creating a need to understand their movement and burrow site selection within extant prairie habitats. To that end, we implanted VHF transmitters into adult male Crawfish Frogs (n=74) from four breeding wetlands and radio-located them during spring 2021- 2023 at protected prairie sites in Arkansas. We also investigated what microhabitat factors frogs may be selecting for when choosing primary burrows (i.e. vegetation composition, vegetation density, and elevation). On average, Crawfish Frogs moved 164 m (Range 19 - 396 m) from breeding wetlands to primary burrows, which is half the distance recorded for the species at the southern and northern extents of the range. The differences in migration distance in Arkansas may be influenced by climate, habitat quality and composition, or site management history. Additionally, although there were differences in vegetation composition between sites, there was no evidence that vegetation composition or structure influenced primary burrow site selection within open canopy prairie sites. Overall, this study suggests that Crawfish Frogs in Arkansas may require less upland habitat around breeding wetlands than in other parts of their range. My data suggests that a minimum upland buffer size of 358 m around breeding wetlands may be needed to maintain a population of Crawfish Frogs in Arkansas. Additionally, the conservation value of protected prairies without nearby fishless breeding wetlands could be enhanced by wetland creation or restoration. This study has important management implications for the conservation of this declining species.

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