Amphibian Monitoring on the Manitou Islands, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Bowen KD and Beever EA. 2008. Amphibian Monitoring on the Manitou Islands, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Great Lakes Network Reports. GLKN/2008/01. Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network. Ashland, WI
Long-term monitoring of amphibian populations is necessary to obtain accurate estimates of distribution and abundance. We used the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) Database to identify a priori potential habitat for aquatic-breeding amphibians on North and South Manitou Islands, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan, USA. Our goal was to identify sites for long-term monitoring of amphibian species. We also made use of two effective survey techniques, perimeter walking surveys and daytime call surveys, which are valuable for remote wilderness areas, especially for wetlands where there is high concern about introduction of exotic invasions. We detected four species of amphibian (two salamanders and two anurans) on each island, and identified a number of potential long-term survey sites. Our techniques allow for easy a priori identification of numerous high-quality survey sites and rapid but effective field surveys that require a minimum of manpower, equipment, and disturbance, both of which are necessary for surveys in protected areas.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Bowen, Kenneth; Beever, Erik
- Date of Issue
- 2008-01
- Publisher
- Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network
- Units
- GLKN , SLBE
- Keywords
- Abundance (Biodiversity), Amphibian, Amphibian Monitor, anuran, Distribution (Biodiversity), Lake Michigan, Observations, Presence (Biodiversity), Salamander, Sleeping Bear Dunes