Restored Wetlands in Mid-Atlantic Agricultural Landscapes Enhance Species Richness of Amphibian Assemblages

I measured amphibian occurrence in wetlands restored under programs implemented by the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service during 2010-2011 in two regions of sites in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. One cluster was in Delaware and Maryland on the Delmarva Peninsula and the other was in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. I compared larval species richness and relative abundance among 17 restored wetlands, 12 natural wetlands, and 8 wetlands (ditches) in active agricultural fields. Based on larval occurrence, I documented 56 and 60% of the expected number of anurans and salamander species, respectively, known to use ponds and ephemeral wetlands in this region. Of the total number of species encountered, 71% used restored wetlands, 76% used natural wetlands, and 35% used the ditches in agricultural fields. Mean number of species did not differ significantly among the three habitat types due to wide confidence intervals. Total species richness in restored wetlands was not correlated with age (years since restoration), percentage of canopy cover, or percentage of emergent aquatic vegetation. Wetlands restored through Natural Resources Conservation Service and private landowner partnerships, such as those included in this study, support amphibian populations that help mitigate natural habitat loss in these two regions.