Investigating a Management Program for Introduced Green Treefrogs at Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Asper J. 2015. Investigating a Management Program for Introduced Green Treefrogs at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. University of Georgia
The mandate of Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP) is to preserve its resources in ways that will leave them essentially unaltered by human influences, which includes the management of nonnative species. Non-native Green treefrogs (Hyla cinerea) were introduced and have established large population throughout Cades Cove, GSMNP. We used capture-mark-recapture to estimate the size of the breeding population at the putative introduction site, and call surveys to estimate native anuran and H. cinerea occupancy among wetlands. We also used mesocosms to test the effects of wetland type on larval performance. Finally, using data from these studies and literature, we used Individual Based Modeling (IBM) to evaluate likely scenarios for the invasion of H. cinerea into Cades Cove. Models suggest that facilitated “dispersal”, possibly via tourists, likely plays a role in the spread of H. cinerea throughout Cades Cove and therefore effective management strategies may require understanding visitor behavior.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Asper, Jennifer
- Date of Issue
- 2015
- Publisher
- University of Georgia
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- Cades Cove, green treefrog, GRSM-01141, Individual Based Modeling, Population Estimation, population management, thesis
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Invasive Species | Invasive/Exotic animals , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Amphibians and Reptiles