The following schedule is from the 72nd Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies which was held October 21-24, 2018 in Mobile, Alabama.
AUTHORS: Rebekah Magee, Julia E. Earl – Louisiana Tech University
ABSTRACT: Leaf litter plays an important role in the forest ecosystem, as it impacts various processes and hinders erosion. While there is variability in the chemical and nutritional properties of leaf litter, the effects that these variables have on organisms within the environment is not well known. These different characteristics could play a role in the behavior of organisms, specifically animals that utilize ponds within the ecosystem, since the tree leaves leach these nutrients and compounds into these bodies of water. One type of these compounds are tannins, a type of organic secondary compound that has deleterious effect on tadpoles. Amphibians have complex life cycles, which involves laying their eggs in water. Female frogs tend to oviposit in ponds where their offspring will have the highest chance of survival, which increases their fitness in the environment. In order to evaluate this behavioral response, we placed 45 wading pools on Louisiana Tech University’s farm near a forest edge. These pools vary in the species of leaf litter input with fifteen different tree species treatments (including two invasive species), replicated three times. We measured the water quality (conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen) over time within each pool. The tree frogs’ responses were measured by counting the number of eggs laid in each pool. We examined treatment effects by examining correlations between number of eggs laid and water quality, leaf chemistry, and treatment type. We predict a preference for environments with higher water quality and lower tannin concentrations.
