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Declinaciones de Anfibios y Cambio Ambiental: Uso de Datos de Percepción Remota para Identificar Correlaciones Ambientales
Author(s) -
Carey Cynthia,
Heyer W. Ronald,
Wilkinson John,
Alford Ross A.,
Arntzen J. W.,
Halliday Tim,
Hungerford Laura,
Lips Karen R.,
Middleton Elizabeth M.,
Orchard Stan A.,
Rand A. Stanley
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
conservation biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.2
H-Index - 222
eISSN - 1523-1739
pISSN - 0888-8892
DOI - 10.1046/j.1523-1739.2001.015004903.x
Subject(s) - amphibian , geography , ecology , habitat , environmental change , environmental data , physical geography , climate change , biology
Populations of many amphibian species are declining worldwide, and a few species appear to have become extinct. In an attempt to evaluate the potential usefulness of remote‐sensing techniques as a tool for identifying the causes of these declines, we compiled a database that contains descriptions of 120 localities, both at which declines have been documented and at which no declines are yet known. The number of species involved, dates and degree of declines, habitat characteristics, and other factors are provided for each locality. Four relatively undisturbed areas in northeastern Australia, Costa Rica–Panama, central Colorado, and Puerto Rico were chosen for examination of environmental correlates coincident with mass mortalities at these localities. We used data predicted by models or collected by satellites, airplanes, or direct sampling on the ground to evaluate variations over time in temperature, precipitation, wind direction, UV‐B radiation, and concentrations of certain contaminants at these sites. We asked whether unusual changes in these environmental variables occurred either just in advance of or concurrent with dates of amphibian mass mortalities. The variation in certain environmental variables documented by others (Alexander & Eischeid 2001; Middleton et al. 2001; Stallard 2001 [all this issue]) appears unlikely to have directly caused amphibian deaths. But correlations between these environmental changes and the occurrence of amphibian die‐offs invite further investigation into synergistic interactions among environmental variables and possible indirect causal relationships.