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Herpetological Research Team (FRESC)

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By Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center September 20, 2017

The Herpetological Research Team focuses on issues related to conservation and management of amphibians and other aquatic and semi-aquatic species. Among our current studies are effects of invasive species, disease, and land use change on the dynamics of amphibian communities to inform conservation and management decision making.

Many of our projects are supported by the USGS Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI). ARMI works with Department of Interior (DOI) and other federal and state agencies to respond to information gaps that are critical to the implementation of effective conservation and management strategies for amphibian communities. ARMI’s work includes research on the status and threats of native species, development and evaluation of quantitative and field methods, and monitoring designs to address conservation and management information needs at multiple spatial and temporal scales.

Principal Investigator

Michael Adams - Supervisory Research Ecologist

Federal Staff

Brome McCreary - Wildlife Biologist

Christopher Pearl - Wildlife Biologist

Jennifer Rowe - Wildlife Biologist

Meredith Diskin - Biological Science Technician

Jennifer Fredrickson - Ecologist

Affiliate

Adam Duarte - Research Ecologist at Oregon State University

 

 

 

Science Themes of the FRESC Herpetological Research Team are highlighted below.

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Bullfrog Young Adult

Aquatic Invasive Species

Aquatic invasive species, like bullfrogs, stocked fish, crayfish, and reed canarygrass can affect aquatic systems in a variety of ways and have been linked to declines in some amphibians.
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Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
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Aquatic Invasive Species

Aquatic invasive species, like bullfrogs, stocked fish, crayfish, and reed canarygrass can affect aquatic systems in a variety of ways and have been linked to declines in some amphibians.
Learn More

If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.

Filter Total Items: 21

Annotated bibliography of grazing effects on amphibians and their habitats (ver. 2.0, February 2022)

This database contains literature citations and associated summaries pertaining to livestock grazing effects on amphibians and their habitats, with an emphasis on the Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) and other listed/sensitive wetland-breeding amphibians in the western United States. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, nor did we perform a systematic meta-analysis; rather...
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Capture-mark-recapture data for Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa) along the Deschutes River, Oregon, 2016-2019

This dataset contains information from capture-mark-recapture sampling of Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa) conducted 2016-2019 by USGS as part of a study relating R. pretiosa survival and abundance to wetland inundation in the upper Deschutes River. Data consist of site, survey, habitat, and species detection covariates, as well as 10 years of hydrological and drought metrics used to...
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

North Coast and Cascades Network consolidated amphibian database (1984-2005)

This data set is an amalgamation of twenty-nine original data sets, which represent amphibian surveys in the seven national parks comprising the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) of the National Park Service. The data were collected from 1984-2005, and include the localities of 19 species of amphibians at various life stages, 18 native to the Pacific Northwest and one invasive...
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) monitoring data for metademographic analysis 2010-2018, Oregon

This dataset contains information from surveys conducted 2010-2018 by USGS as part of a long-term Oregon spotted frog monitoring effort in the central Oregon range. Data consist of site, survey, habitat, and species detection covariates, as well as inter-site distance measurements.
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) telemetry and habitat use at Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, USA

We used radio-telemetry to study late-season movement and habitat use by Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa) at Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. This data release includes frog location and habitat use data, as well as visualizations of telemetry data. Tracking events occurred roughly weekly between August and December of 2017.
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Nutrients, estrogenicity, and fecal indicators in surface water collected from wetlands in the Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon, 2017-2018

The data was gathered to determine the effects of cattle grazing on wetland water quality in the Klamath National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. Surface water samples from sites representing a range of grazing histories were collected between June and October in 2017 and 2018. Samples were analyzed for nutrients (ammonia, nitrate plus nitrite, nitrite and orthophosphate), total coliforms, E...
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.

Early action to address an emerging wildlife disease

A deadly fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) that affects amphibian skin was discovered during a die-off of European fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) in 2014. This pathogen has the potential to worsen already severe worldwide amphibian declines. Bsal is a close relative to another fungal disease known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Many scientists...
Authors
M. J. Adams, M.Scott Harris, Daniel A. Grear
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center
Filter Total Items: 46

Late season movement and habitat use by Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) in a large reservoir in Oregon, USA

Dam-created reservoirs are common landscape features that can provide habitat for amphibians, but their water level fluctuations and nonnative predators can differ markedly from more natural habitats. We compared fall movement and habitat use by the Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana pretiosa) in the reservoir pool with nearby river and pond habitats at Crane Prairie Reservoir in central Oregon...
Authors
Christopher Pearl, Jennifer Christine Rowe, Brome McCreary, M. J. Adams
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Looking ahead, guided by the past: The role of U.S. national parks in amphibian research and conservation

Protected areas like national parks are essential elements of conservation because they limit human influence on the landscape, which protects biodiversity and ecosystem function. The role of national parks in conservation, however, often goes far beyond limiting human influence. The U.S. National Park Service and its system of land units contribute substantively to conservation by...
Authors
Brian Halstead, Andrew M. Ray, Erin L. Muths, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Rob Grasso, M. J. Adams, Kathleen Semple Delaney, Jane Carlson, Blake Hossack
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

An updated assessment of status and trend in the distribution of the Cascades frog (Rana cascadae) in Oregon, USA

Conservation efforts need reliable information concerning the status of a species and their trends to help identify which species are in most need of assistance. We completed a comparative evaluation of the occurrence of breeding for Cascades Frog (Rana cascadae), an amphibian that is being considered for federal protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Specifically, in 2018...
Authors
Adam Duarte, Christopher Pearl, Brome McCreary, Jennifer Christine Rowe, M. J. Adams
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Demography of the Oregon spotted frog along a hydrologically modified river

Altered flow regimes can contribute to dissociation between life history strategies and environmental conditions, leading to reduced persistence reported for many wildlife populations inhabiting regulated rivers. The Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) is a threatened species occurring in floodplains, ponds, and wetlands in the Pacific Northwest with a core range in Oregon, USA. All life...
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Jennifer Christine Rowe, Adam Duarte, Christopher Pearl, Brome McCreary, Patricia Haggerty, John Jones, M. J. Adams
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Enhanced between-site biosecurity to minimize herpetofaunal disease-causing pathogen transmission

Pathogens and their associated diseases have the potential to severely affect wildlife populations, including herpetofauna. Concern is increasing for transmission pathways of herpetofaunal diseases, especially for amphibians affected by the fungal pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd: Longcore et al. 1999) and B. salamandrivorans (Bsal: Martel et al. 2013), and amphibians and...
Authors
Deanna H. Olson, Katherine H. Haman, Matthew J. Gray, Reid N. Harris, Tracy Thompson, Marley E. Iredale, Michelle R. Christman, Jennifer M. Williams, M. J. Adams, Jennifer R. Ballard
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Monitoring wetland water quality related to livestock grazing in amphibian habitats

Land use alteration such as livestock grazing can affect water quality in habitats of at-risk wildlife species. Data from managed wetlands are needed to understand levels of exposure for aquatic life stages and monitor grazing-related changes afield. We quantified spatial and temporal variation in water quality in wetlands occupied by threatened Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) at...
Authors
Kelly Smalling, Jennifer Christine Rowe, Christopher Pearl, Luke Iwanowicz, Carrie E. Givens, Chauncey W. Anderson, Brome McCreary, M. J. Adams
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Below are news stories associated with this project.

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ARMI Scientist Michael Adams Receives 2020 PARC Honor

Dr. Michael Adams, Lead for the USGS Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) and Supervisory Research Ecologist at the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, has been selected to receive the 2020 Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) Alison Haskell Award for Excellence in Herpetofaunal Conservation.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
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