We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Aspects of the ecology and conservation of the Growling Grass Frog Litoria raniformis in an urban-fringe environment, southern Victoria.
- Authors
Hamer, Andrew J.; Organ, Aaron K.
- Abstract
Populations of the threatened Growling Grass Frog Litoric raniformis in metropolitan Melbourne currently occur in human-made habitats and there is little information on their current status. We conducted systematic field surveys at 28 waterbodies within a population distributed over agricultural land in the Pakenham area, on the south-eastern urban-fringe of Melbourne,Victoria, during the 2005/06 breeding season. Our aim was to identify key areas for the conservation of L raniformis.We recorded L raniformis at 14 waterbodies where we marked 31 males and 16 females. Occupied waterbodies had a greater proportion of submerged vegetation, a higher pH, and were situated close to other occupied waterbodies, generally < 200 m.The adult male and female population size was estimated at 45 ± 10 (± S.E.) and 23 ± 8 individuals, respectively. There was high site fidelity at occupied waterbodies (> 80% recapture rates). Recruitment was recorded in only two waterbodies. Two males and four females were recorded moving 15 - 20 m between adjacent waterbodies, whereas one additional male moved 130 m. Dispersal and movement corridors important for the persistence of L raniformis in the study area include agricultural drains and Gum Scrub Creek. High priority conservation areas are waterbodies situated in close proximity to the creek and Melbourne - Bairnsdale railway reserve, and clusters of occupied waterbodies to the south.
- Subjects
MELBOURNE (Vic.); VICTORIA; LITORIA; POPULATION biology; ECOLOGY; WILDLIFE conservation
- Publication
Australian Zoologist, 2008, Vol 34, Issue 3, p393
- ISSN
0067-2238
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.7882/AZ.2008.017