2010 Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park amphibian monitoring report
Surdyk S. 2014. 2010 Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park amphibian monitoring report. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/KLGO/NRDS—2014/627. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Amphibian monitoring has been conducted in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (KLGO) since 2004. The 2010 monitoring season spanned a four-month period between April 26 and August 28. Bufo boreas, also called the Western or Boreal toad, was the only amphibian species detected. One hundred and fifty-one routine amphibian surveys were conducted at 6 core breeding sites in Dyea, three non-core sites and 5 extensive sites along the Chilkoot Trail corridor. B. boreas breeding activity was observed at 5 of the core sites, all of which exhibited a fully successful breeding cycle. This was highly productive in relation to the previous year’s (2009) monitoring efforts, which found only 2 sites where eggs laid during spring breeding season hatched, developed in metamorphs, and migrated to their upland winter sites. Overall, 81 adult Western toads, 38 of which were in amplexus, 22 egg masses, and thousands of metamorphs were detected during the 2010 monitoring season. Additionally, egg, tadpole, and metamorph lifestages were detected at earlier dates than average in the 7 years of monitoring. Of the individual adults detected, 21 were swabbed for the presence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (BD), and 11 of those individuals from 6 different sites tested positive for BD. For the first time since the monitoring program began dead adults were found at breeding ponds without any obvious cause of death (i.e. vehicle mortality). A necropsy of the one found at DY14 by the National Wildlife Health Center found the cause of death to be chytridiomycosis, the fungal disease caused by BD. No PIT tags were detected on any of the individuals captured.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Surdyk, SHelby
- Date of Issue
- 2014-02
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- KLGO , NRSS
- Keywords
- Amphibian, Boreal toad, Chilkoot Trail, chytrid, Dyea, KLGO, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Monitoring, Nelson Slough, Western toad
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Infestations and Disease | Animal Diseases , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Amphibians and Reptiles