Frogs To Forests

This project aims to use climate change refugia modeling and mapping to inform a decision science framework that will identify key management actions to take in the near-term that also ensure the long-term persistence of FYLF and other at-risk species.

Climate change refugia for FYLF could include areas where FYLF populations already occur that are likely to maintain habitat suitability and have sufficient stream flows for breeding, warranting conservation. Identified refugia that do not hold current FYLF could be potential sites for re-introduction or assisted migration. Once refugia and actions are identified, the framework will then be applied to additional at-risk species in the area, such as Western Pond Turtles or Giant Sequoia, with the goal of maximizing multi-species benefits of climate change refugia. Management actions will aim to increase the adaptive capacity of species to anticipated climatic changes while also meeting immediate needs and preventing maladaptive management options. 

Key focal points identified by November 18, 2019, workshop:

• Amphibians of the Sierra Nevada

Potential Management Actions:

• In-situ head starting

• Establish new or augment existing populations at sites within the climate refugia

• Invasive species management

• Target environmental flows for dam releases to mimic flows necessary for survival

• Manage recreational use in areas of high priority

• Riparian habitat restoration

• Meadow restoration to increase upstream water storage capacity

• Increase forest heterogeneity by forest thinning and returning natural fire regime to increase water table

Data Gaps/ Next steps:

• Detailed stream data

• Metapopulation model

• Use results to pursue further grants for project implementation

• Apply framework to further at-risk species to maximize co-benefits and reach ecosystem-based management

Follow the links below to see full project description:

• SW CASC: https://cascprojects.org/#/project/4f8c6580e4b0546c0c397b4e/5f2d99ba82ceae4cb3c368e5

References

1. Hayes, Marc P, Wheeler, Clara A, Lind, Amy J, Green, Gregory A, Macfarlane, & Diane C. (2016). United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station General Technical Report Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog Conservation Assessment in California. August.

2. Adams, A. J., Pessier, A. P., & Briggs, C. J. (2017). Rapid extirpation of a North American frog coincides with an increase in fungal pathogen prevalence: Historical analysis and implications for reintroduction. Ecology and Evolution, 7(23), 10216–10232. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3468

3. Kattelmann, R. C., Berg, N. H., & Rector, J. (1983). the Potential for Increasing Streamflow from Sierra Nevada Watersheds. JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 19(3), 395–402. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-1688.1983.tb04596.x

4. Lapp, S., Byrne, J., Townshend, I., & Kienzle, S. (2005). Climate warming impacts on snowpack accumulation in an alpine watershed. International Journal of Climatology, 25(4), 521–536. https://doi.org/10.1002/JOC.1140

5. Swain, D. L., Langenbrunner, B., Neelin, J. D., & Hall, A. (2018). Increasing precipitation volatility in twenty-first-century California. Nature Climate Change, 8(5), 427–433. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0140-y

6. Lind, A. J., Spinks, P. Q., Fellers, G. M., & Shaffer, • H Bradley. (2011). Rangewide phylogeography and landscape genetics of the Western U.S. endemic frog Rana boylii (Ranidae): implications for the conservation of frogs and rivers. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-010-0138-0

7. Howard, J. K., Fesenmyer, K. A., Grantham, T. E., Viers, J. H., Ode, P. R., Moyle, P. B., Kupferburg, S. J., Furnish, J. L., Rehn, A., Slusark, J., Mazor, R. D., Santos, N. R., Peek, R. A., & Wright, A. N. (2018). A freshwater conservation blueprint for California: Prioritizing watersheds for freshwater biodiversity. Freshwater Science, 37(2), 417–431. https://doi.org/10.1086/697996

8. Albano, C. M., McClure, M. L., Gross, S. E., Kitlasten, W., Soulard, C. E., Morton, C., & Huntington, J. (2019). Spatial patterns of meadow sensitivities to interannual climate variability in the Sierra Nevada. Ecohydrology, 12(7), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2128

The foothill yellow-legged frog (FYLF) is a stream dwelling and obligate stream-breeding species that occurs throughout the state of California and in Southern Oregon. Of the clades that occur within the Sierra Nevada range of California, the Southern Sierra Nevada clade has been identified as a high priority for conservation because of their known genetic diversity and many accounts of recent declines (Lind et al., 2011).  The main threats to the species are land use changes and altered stream flow regimes caused by dams, which can either scour or desiccate egg masses during breeding season (Hayes et al., 2016). In addition, predation and competition from non-native species, such as the American Bullfrog, and disease, including Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, pose a significant risk to FYLF (Adams et al., 2017).

With forecasted changes in precipitation and reduced snowpack in the region due to climate change, the foothill yellow-legged frog will continue to face further threats to their persistence. These include continued volatility in stream flows based on earlier snow melt, increased rain-on-snow events, changes in peak flows, and reduced water availability (Lapp et al., 2005; Swain et al. 2018). Increased temperature and drought are also expected to exacerbate stresses from non-native species and increase the concentration of disease (Adams et al., 2017).