Amphibians in fragmented peat bogs: Abundance, activity, movements and size

I studied amphibians within 12 bogs of southeastern New Brunswick, six of which were undergoing peat mining.;Ten amphibian species were encountered, one species less than known to occur in the study area in non-bog habitats. This relatively high species richness implies that amphibians use peat bogs despite their acidity. Amphibian species richness, total amphibian captures, as well as green frog and wood frog captures were lower near bog fragment edges than on pristine bogs. Differences between pristine bogs and fragments were likely the result of reduced connectivity between fragments, and between fragments and upland habitat. Bog habitat disturbance (i.e., pristine bogs vs. fragments) was a better predictor of amphibian presence and abundance in bogs than the actual percentage of bog surface mined. Total amphibian captures, as well as green frog and leopard frog captures, at arrays depended less on local variables (e.g., vegetation structure, bog water pH) in fragments than in pristine bogs. Data suggest that landscape-level variables, such as landscape configuration (e.g., distance to closest bog pond), become increasingly important in bogs undergoing peat mining. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).