Journal
URBAN ECOSYSTEMS
Volume 19, Issue 1, Pages 347-359Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s11252-015-0495-z
Keywords
Life-history stage; Stormwater wetland; Recruitment; Body size; Density dependence; Tadpole; Metamorph; Urbanization
Funding
- Alberta Conservation Association
- Alberta North American Waterfowl Management Plan
- Alberta Sports, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation
- Canadian Circumpolar Institute
- City of Edmonton
- Friends of Elk Island National Park
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
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Constructed wetlands in urban environments may be used by urban amphibian populations for breeding. Yet, few studies have examined the performance of young-of-the-year from created wetlands even though the success of terrestrial life stages is directly linked to the performance of individuals at the egg and larval stage. We assessed how early-stage amphibians developing within constructed stormwater wetlands compared in body size (one metric of performance) to those in nearby natural wetlands. We conducted surveys for wood frog, Lithobates sylvaticus, larvae and young-of-the-year metamorphs at 13 wetlands located in the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and compared metamorph size (a useful metric for fitness and reproductive success) between constructed stormwater and two types of natural wetlands. We related body size to within-wetland parameters (reflecting water chemistry, thermal regimes and physical characteristics) and used an information-theoretic approach to identify predictors of metamorph body size. Abundances of egg masses, larvae and metamorphs were generally lower at stormwater than natural wetlands. Metamorphs exhibited larger body size in stormwater wetlands compared to natural wetlands. Low metamorph abundances and cool, stable water temperatures best explained large body size in stormwater metamorphs. We propose that with increasing urbanization and associated construction of artificial wetlands, size benefits in early developmental stages may help individuals cope with reduced habitat suitability in the terrestrial environment.
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