Biology

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Species Management Plan for
Rana pipiens & Rana catesbeiana on the Durango
Nature Studies nature Center Property
Jasper Graves and Ally Kuhns
Durango, CO
2011










Field condition form: Ally Kuhns
Pan Development: Ally Kuhns
The ecological requirements of the northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) consist of habitat, temperature, and diet. As tadpoles they require shallow water with a mud bottom, not bedrock shoreline, and low salinity. The water must be at least two meters in depth. They must have a body of water that is free of predaceous fish such as bluegills. When adults, clean fresh water, and lightly wooded areas with surrounding grass several inches to a foot high satisfy the leopard frog’s needs. They are most active after sunset in warm, wet weather. In winter, they live under stones in moving water as long as there is enough oxygen. (raysweb,10/10/11) The diet of a leopard frog consists of mainly live insects such as crickets, darkling beetles, ground beetles, meal worms, and earthworms. (Kramer)
The American Bullfrog (Rana catebeina) has similar needs to live. When they are tadpoles, the babies grow up in shallow, non-flowing bodies of water. (bullfrog)The tadpoles normally forage for algae near the banks of the pool but occasionally feed on dead animals. Tadpoles favor warm water environments (24-30˚c) Adult bullfrogs prefer, deep, water that has dense vegetation surrounding it.(michigan) They normally eat anything they can swallow such as, invertebrates and small vertebrates such as mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, even turtles and other frogs.(allaboutfrogs) Bullfrogs breed in the vegetation choked shallows of permanent bodies of water.(amphibiaweb) A female bullfrog may lay up to 25,000 eggs that are held together at the surface of the water. When they finally hatch, bullfrog tadpoles can remain in that stage for up to two years.(allaboutfrogs) During the winter, hibernation usually takes place under water where individuals bury themselves in surface mud or construct protective pits or cave-like holes.(amphibiaweb) Bullfrogs are a very invasive species, They were accidentally introduced during trout stockings; also introduced through the aquarium trade and for sport and pest control(nasusda). Some scientists think this is a problem because the bullfrog population is growing so quickly in parts of the world where there are no bull frog predators they are getting out of control.(frog-life-cycle)
The Durango Nature Studies Center is what Animas High School Students' projects are based on. They're main focus is to decrease the number of bullfrogs and increase the number of leopard frogs that reside in the pond and river area of the center. Bullfrogs are an aggressive generalist predator that out compete native amphibians, such as the leopard frog. Durango Nature Studies does not want the invasive bullfrogs to take over and drive off the leopard frogs.
The Animas High students went to the pond and river to conduct surveys testing water quality, visual encounters, and bio-diversity testing. They found through water testing that the Animas river contained 1 ppm and 2ppm in the pond. Phosphate levels above .03 can be assumed to attribute to increased plant growth. The visual encounter surveys were conducted to see the population levels of leopard frogs and bullfrogs in the pond and river area. The class identified two bullfrogs, and ten leopard frogs in the vicinity. This study was helpful because it allowed the class to understand the bullfrog to leopard frog ratio in the range that they were studying. The students also conducted a bio-diversity test by collecting macroinvertabrates. Macroinvertabrates are an accurate way of diversity and water quality in fresh water areas. Different types of bugs will determine the water quality. For example, the insects that were found at the pond contained mostly damselflies and mayflies were found. This means the water was probably slightly poluted because both of the insects can tolerate more pollution than others. In the river, the water seems to be less polluted than the pond because 120 caddisflies were found in it. Caddisflies can't tolerate as much pollution as either damselflies or mayflies so the students concluded that the Animas River is less polluted than the DNS pond.
Plan Implementation: Jasper Graves
Because bull frogs are an invasive species and carry a disease that kills off other frogs such as leopard frogs they need to be eradicated form the Durango Nature Studies pond so that they will not reduce the leopard populations there (Bullfrog, 2011). To do this, pit fall traps will be dug in a circle around the pond, these will be covered so that nothing is captured until necessary (USGS,2008). Routinely, every month unless winter when the frogs are hibernating, Animas High School will conduct visual encounter surveys, during the summer when school is out any groups of people visiting the property will continue the duties. If any bull frogs are seen or suspected to live in the area, for one week at the beginning of each month the bull frogs remain in the area Animas High School will uncover the traps and check them, If any bull frogs are found they will be killed, if there are any leopard frogs the students any will marked and set free.
The traps will be made by digging holes in the ground 12in diameter 2feet deep; in these holes we will bury white 5 gallon buckets. In the bottom of the buckets we will sprinkle fish food which gives off a strong order to attract the bullfrogs (USGS,2008). Twelve 5 gallon buckets cost $38.40 fish food costs $9.00 for 4.2oz we will need to resupply only if bullfrogs are found. Gas for the drive from Animas to DNS property once every month for one year is $255 if bull frogs are detected every month the maximum cost for gas is $630. The total price for one year is roughly $302.4 to $677.4 depending on driving.
Leopard frog populations will be increased. This will be done using an aerating pump to increase the macro invertebrates in the water when the water becomes more aerated more of these creatures can survive; this will increases the amount of food frogs have to eat (Questions, 2011). The aerating pump that will be purchased will be silent so as not to disturb any of the other populations in the pond (Fig, 1). It will be powered using a rechargeable battery that will be turned on at the beginning of the month and left on until the battery is drained. As the leopard frog’s increase we will not need to aerate the pond so much and the pump will not be used as much.
The pump will be attached directly to the end of the dock; the electric cables will lead back to the battery which will be on the dry land, it will be camouflaged so that it is not disturbed. The pump will cost $134, the rechargeable battery will cost, 50$. Total for the entire leopard population increases it will cost $184.
Plan Evaluation: Ally Kuhns
The plan seems that it will be effective but it will have some downsides. The pitfall traps that are being used in management and monitoring will be capable of collecting bullfrogs for extermination but may also have a potential impact on other, non-target species in the pond area. These species might include animals such as rodents, other frogs, and possibly reptiles. The animals that are unintentionally caught may affect the trap's ability to the main targets: bullfrogs. The objectives can be met by replacing the non-target species back to their native habitat.
Leopard frog tadpoles normally metamorphosis between 60-80 days after hatching and are sexually mature at the age of three. Based on this data, the leopard frogs should be marked and recaptured every year during the summer to observe the population until the data shows an increase in population. The bullfrog population will be monitored by visual encounter surveys during the time of capturing leopard frogs but will be captured and removed from the habitat.
The proposed plan will be in progress until the airated pump's battery life has drained. When the tests show that there has been no bullfrog activity and an increase in leopard frog population in the area after three years, then the main goal has been met.









Figure 1

Figure 2
Figure 3

Coliform tested +
Final Class Data - Macroinvertebrate
DNS Pond Florida River
Damselfly 53 Caddisfly 120
Mayfly 41 Mayfly 125
Midge 5 Midge 15
Caddisfly 2 Blackfly 5
Dragonfly 1 Coleoptera 5
Blackfly 0 Stonefly 0
Coleoptera 0 Damselfly 0
Stonefly 0 Dragonfly 0
Diversity Index 102 0.98 Diversity Index 270 1.02
Figure 4






Bibliography
"Pitfall trap." wikipedia. wikipedia, 22 May 2011. google. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitfall_trap
"bullfrog." wikipedia. wikipedia, 12 Oct. 2011. google. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullfrog>.
Humphrey, Jeff, Jeff Servoss, and Michelle Christman. "Questions and Answers: Chiricahua Leopard Frog Critical Habitat and Listing Proposal ." U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 21 Sept. 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/Documents/SpeciesDocs/CLF/CLF_2011_pCH_NOA_fQHYPERLINK "http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/Documents/SpeciesDocs/CLF/CLF_2011_pCH_NOA_fQ%26A(AESO).pdf"&HYPERLINK "http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/Documents/SpeciesDocs/CLF/CLF_2011_pCH_NOA_fQ%26A(AESO).pdf"A(AESO).pdf>.
"Bullfrog." USDA. National Agricultural Library, 7 Apr. 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nalusda.gov/aquatics/bullfrog.shtml>.
"Invasive Species: Aquatic Species - Bullfrog (Rana Catesbeiana)." National Invasive Species Information Center. Web. 03 Nov. 2011. <http://invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/bullfrog.shtml>
10/11/11
Smith, B.E., Keinath, D. 2004, Species Assessment for the Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens) in Wyoming, United States, Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management
Spitzen, A.M. 2010, Literature Review on the American Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana, Stitching RAVON, Nijmegen, the Neatherlands
August, Early. "Northern Leopard Frog [Rana Pipiens]." Ray Rasmussen Photography, Haiku, Haibun, Canyonlands, Willmore. Web. 03 Nov. 2011. <http://raysweb.net/specialplaces/pages/frog.html>.





Species Management Plan Refection
A.      This project was about finding a species management plan for the Durango nature studies property. We conducted field work as a class and analyzed data such as macro invertebrates, Shannon-Weiner indexes and water quality. Then we created chats and grafts on the information we found. With all of this data we were able to come up with a well composed plan on how to remove unwanted spices from the nature studies property.
B.      The point of this article is to explain that even if an animal is an evasive species it is not necessarily bad for the environment, furthermore sometimes a native species are more harmful. Some examples that are given by the article are the zebra mussels and the pine beetle. This article suggests that invasive species be defined as “Invasive” if they are harmful to a healthy ecosystem.
C.      I do think that bullfrogs should be of concern to Colorado because they are disrupting a healthy thriving ecosystem. I do not think that native species are an issue globally because in many cases they work perfectly together, I do think that occasionally they can be a threat. I do think that the work I did was worthwhile because the plan I made could be used to remove an animal that is harming the pond on the Durango Nature Center’s property.
D.      Over this project I learned how to use PowerPoint, which I did very well on. I also learned how to speak more politically correct in front of an audience.
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