Biology Blog - http://skmiranda.blogspot.com/p/lucy-extraordinary-discovery-lucy-was.html
What We Did
What We Did
For this project we partnered up with another student to help Durango Nature Studies with a problem that includes bullfrogs. Bullfrogs are not native and are a danger to the native northern leopard frog. We needed to come up with a logical plan to suppress this species of frog so that the others in the area may prosper. We took a field trip to the DNS property and explored the area of concern. We conducted a visual encounter servey or looking for the two main species and recording an estimated population. While there we caught macroinvertebrates to find the quality of the Florida River and a small pond on the property. Along with testing water quality, we used the macroinvertebrates together with the shannon wiener index to find the biodiversity of the area. Based on the data we had collected we wrote species management papers and monitoring plans. These papers were submitted to Durango Nature Studies along with a presentation of our ideas to professionals.
"Time to Stop Worrying about Invasive Species?"
"Time to Stop Worrying about Invasive Specie?" was about looking at another side to this scenario. The article explains that most people automatically see invasive species as something that needs to be neutralized in non-native areas. The article explains that invasive species are not always a bad thing. Sometimes the even give the biodiversity of the area a boost. In the end, this article sums itself up with a very good statement: "So, ask not where a species comes from. But whether it belongs."
Overall this article has a very good argument. Not letting invasive species spread isn't necessarily a bod thing but letting certain species spread could definitely help some ecosystems. Although I agree, letting these certain species spread would be very hard to maintain. If a certain species does start growing out of proportion or we realize that it is doing more harm than good, it would be a very hard cleanup.
Do I think that bullfrogs should be a concern in Colorado? Yes. The bullfrog population is currently harming another species which is native to our area. It is a concern but it is not to the point that we need to take immediate action. Although they may be a concern here, invasive species are not always a problem globally depending on the species and its growth rate.
I don't really think that this project was worth my past 8 weeks. Yes, it is good to find an early solution but this time could have been used for something more productive. Although I did not feel the objective was worth my time I did learn some important things. With the writing assignments this project definitely taught me how to write technically in a better way than I had before. Near the beginning of this unit I had learned to identify species from a guide book. I had also learned another way math is used in "the real world" from finding the biodiversity with the shannon wiener index. Overall it was still an interesting project and I am glad I could try to help real people with real problems.
Species Management Plan for Rana pipiens & Rana catesbeiana on the Durango Nature Studies Center Property
Elliot Mink and Stephen Miranda
Durango, Co
2011
Field Condition Form: Elliot Mink
Durango Nature Studies (DNS) wants to promote native species on their 140 acres of land (figure 1), and promote the native northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens). To do this invasive amphibian populations such as the bullfrog (Rana catesbieana) have to be managed. The bullfrog is highly competitive and is taking habitat and food away from the native amphibians, and in the long run the presence of bullfrogs could eliminate or diminish the northern leopard frog.
Animas High School students have recently conducted visual encounter surveys of the northern leopard frog, and bullfrog. The students have also done water quality tests, and wildlife inventory surveys for the DNS property. These studies have been conducted to get the exact habitat conditions so that they can be adjusted and monitored if they do not suit the prime conditions for the northern leopard frog.
The property at DNS is used for many adult and family programs and workshops, various children summer camps and other youth education purposes. The DNS owners wish to maintain the native species on that land in order to let these groups study and conduct research for larger organizations on different species. For the various youth education programs it’s also necessary to have the native species to show that it is important to maintain this biodiversity around the world.
DNS has a budget of 2,000 dollars that they are willing to put toward management that will help maintain the presence of the native species.
Plan Development: Stephen Miranda
Eggs are laid and tadpoles live in small ponds with a vegetative cover. The pond should not be connected to any other bodies of water to prevent predators like fish or newts. When finished with the larval stage, the tadpoles travel across land to a deeper pond or lake. Adult Rana pipiens move to an upland habitat during the summer to feed. Northern leopard frogs can move up to 0.5-3.0 km inland from their ponds. In the fall, adult frogs move to an overwintering site. The frogs spend the winter underwater hibernating in ponds, rivers, etc. (Smith and keinath, 2004)
Eggs and larvae of the American bullfrog need permanently still or slow moving water to develop. Tadpoles require over a year to grow and need to be able to overwinter in water. Rana catesbeiana requires large pools of water with a decent amount of vegetative cover. The frogs also require breeding grounds which consist of permanently wet soil. The bullfrog will also leave the water for a decent amount of time in moist weather but spends most of its life in the water. (Spitzen, 2010)
The Durango Nature Center is land that Durango Nature Studies put under a conservation easement. The property is 140 acres dedicated to the wildlife that lives in the area (figure 2). This land includes five different habitat types: Riparian, meadows, oak woodland, pinion juniper forests, and a desert arroyo. The Durango Nature Studies holds activities on the property including summer programs, adult programs, family programs, backpacking, research projects, and field trips.
Animas High School students conducted field research on the DNS property in order to assess habitat quality for the leopard frog. Several water quality tests were completed. Nitrate levels in the pond were found to be 1ppm and 2ppm in the river (figure 3), this is considered a healthy level of nitrates in an aquatic system. Phosphate levels were also recorded with 2ppm in the pond and 1ppm in the Florida river; these are also very healthy statistics. The pH lever of the pond and Florida River were both between 8 and 9 which can be a little too high but doesn't represent a problem. The dissolved oxygen levels of the pond and river were between 6.5 and 8.5 which is a healthy number. The measured biodiversity of the area was .34 suggesting that the water was of decent quality. The students had also done a water test with the capturing of macroinvertebrates. The macroinvertebrates that the students had found in the water suggests healthy water quality hence the amount of species in the water that have a low tolerance to quality.
Plan Implementation: Elliot Mink
Animas High school would like to promote the native northern leopard frog on the Durango Nature Studies property. Altering habitat and monitoring introduced bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) are both options. The northern leopard frogs need a shallow breeding pond as well as tall grasses (Smith and Keinath, 2007). To make the DNS property more suitable to the northern leopard frog, a smaller shallower pond needs to serve as a breeding pond. In this pond there needs to be no predaceous fish. Also, tall grasses need to be planted around parts of both the existing pond and the new pond to better fit their needs. Ten years ago bluegill were introduced to the DNS pond to make it easy for children to catch fish from the pond. The bluegill eats leopard frogs, and leopard frog larvae (Colleen 2010). These fish need to be reduced in numbers, but do not need to be eliminated.
In order to complete the plan to alter the DNS property, to better fit the prime habitat requirements for the northern leopard frog, the following materials will be needed: five shovels, ten buckets, an edger, 750 lbs. of gravel, 261.67 ft2of plastic liner, a developer and people. The people will come from the incoming biology class at Animas High School in 2012. Buckets an edger and shovels together will cost 57.85 dollars total and will come from The Home Depot (figure 4). The liner will cost 163.00 dollars and come from The Home Depot as well as the gravel which will cost 65.50 dollars. A small portion of the grasses will be taken from the far side of the DNS property and from the plot of land the new pond will be created on then be transplanted around the existing pond and around the newly created pond. The new pond will be made slightly shallower at three feet deep, the perfect depth for a breeding pond (Smith and Keinath, 2007). This pond will be made 20 ft. north east of the existing pond. To make the pond we will etch out the outline of the pond with the edger, and then dig out the top layer of plants. After that the pond will be dug to the desired depth and the plastic liner will cover the bottom of the pond. Rocks will then be placed around the edge of the pond and gravel will cover all the plastic lining, the pond will be filled and be done. The bluegill in the other current pond can be left alone for the time being, and a breeding pond will allow for the frogs to grow and not get killed as a tadpole or egg. To reduce the number of bluegill the following supplies will be needed: a sein net which will be supplied by Animas high School and a marking kit which will cost 200 dollars. Animas high students will drag the bottom of the pond with the net and then release anything that is not a bluegill. The bluegill will then be marked with the marking kit. Every three years the students will drag the pond and if the bluegill population does notably increase then the fish will be removed to the equal amount of fish in 2011. As a total this plan will cost 1060.31 dollars.
Animas high school would also like to manage the invasive bullfrog. The bullfrog has been linked to the lack of leopard frogs around the U.S and Canada, but more monitoring will have to be done in order to see if this is a reason for a deduction in the leopard frog. Therefore, the bullfrog does not need to be exterminated but should be left alone. In many places the bullfrog and leopard frog coexist (Hartley 2002). The bullfrog should only be monitored, every year in the fall.
The DNS property will be monitored by Animas High School students in between the time of mating and before wintering which is in the fall (Smith and Keinath, 2007). The bullfrogs will be captured in pitfall traps that are placed around the existing pond. These traps will not only catch the bullfrog and leopard frog, but also catch other amphibians; therefore, the traps will be checked at least once a day. Any animal that is not a bullfrog or leopard frog will be taken out immediately. The two species of frogs will then be marked with the elastomer and set free. All data will be recorded and after four years (three years is the length it takes a bullfrog to become and adult (Dunning 2011)) the leopard frog population decreases and the bullfrog population increases to the current ratio of 1:5 bullfrogs to leopard frogs (figure 5) (the amount in which they are of a concern already on the property) then the bullfrogs will be euthanized by co2 then donated to animas high for educational purposes. The co2 will cost 60 dollars, and buckets are included in the leopard frog section.
Plan Evaluation: Stephen Miranda
The plan suggests building a new breeding pond for the frogs along with monitoring and keeping blue gill populations low in the current pond. The monitoring of the blue gill could affect the fishing activities that are currently happening on the property. Fishing activities may not be able to continue because it may affect the consensus of the fish. The pond could affect the wildlife already on the property by changing the land around where the creatures live. Building this pond could destroy hole for underground homes. The shallow pond could also attract wildlife like deer or birds to the small easily accessible water source which is not necessarily a negative.
Future students of Animas High School will monitor the population of each of the three species annually. For the leopard frogs the students will perform a mark recapture using an elastomer marking kit which is priced at $252. The leopard frogs could also be captured by pitfall traps. Bullfrogs would also be captured by pitfall traps but instead of being marked they will be eliminated. The blue gills could be captured by using seine nets and also marked with the elastomer marking. The bullfrog population should be completely eliminated to prevent further problems.
Because it can take up to 4 years for a bullfrog to develop into an adult, if no bullfrogs are seen 5 years after management begins, the plan can be considered successful. After the bullfrog population is considered stable the success of our plan will be decided if the population stays under control for four years.
Species Management Plan for Rana pipiens & Rana catesbeiana on the Durango Nature Studies Center Property
Elliot Mink and Stephen Miranda
Durango, Co
2011
Field Condition Form: Elliot Mink
Durango Nature Studies (DNS) wants to promote native species on their 140 acres of land (figure 1), and promote the native northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens). To do this invasive amphibian populations such as the bullfrog (Rana catesbieana) have to be managed. The bullfrog is highly competitive and is taking habitat and food away from the native amphibians, and in the long run the presence of bullfrogs could eliminate or diminish the northern leopard frog.
Animas High School students have recently conducted visual encounter surveys of the northern leopard frog, and bullfrog. The students have also done water quality tests, and wildlife inventory surveys for the DNS property. These studies have been conducted to get the exact habitat conditions so that they can be adjusted and monitored if they do not suit the prime conditions for the northern leopard frog.
The property at DNS is used for many adult and family programs and workshops, various children summer camps and other youth education purposes. The DNS owners wish to maintain the native species on that land in order to let these groups study and conduct research for larger organizations on different species. For the various youth education programs it’s also necessary to have the native species to show that it is important to maintain this biodiversity around the world.
DNS has a budget of 2,000 dollars that they are willing to put toward management that will help maintain the presence of the native species.
Plan Development: Stephen Miranda
Eggs are laid and tadpoles live in small ponds with a vegetative cover. The pond should not be connected to any other bodies of water to prevent predators like fish or newts. When finished with the larval stage, the tadpoles travel across land to a deeper pond or lake. Adult Rana pipiens move to an upland habitat during the summer to feed. Northern leopard frogs can move up to 0.5-3.0 km inland from their ponds. In the fall, adult frogs move to an overwintering site. The frogs spend the winter underwater hibernating in ponds, rivers, etc. (Smith and keinath, 2004)
Eggs and larvae of the American bullfrog need permanently still or slow moving water to develop. Tadpoles require over a year to grow and need to be able to overwinter in water. Rana catesbeiana requires large pools of water with a decent amount of vegetative cover. The frogs also require breeding grounds which consist of permanently wet soil. The bullfrog will also leave the water for a decent amount of time in moist weather but spends most of its life in the water. (Spitzen, 2010)
The Durango Nature Center is land that Durango Nature Studies put under a conservation easement. The property is 140 acres dedicated to the wildlife that lives in the area (figure 2). This land includes five different habitat types: Riparian, meadows, oak woodland, pinion juniper forests, and a desert arroyo. The Durango Nature Studies holds activities on the property including summer programs, adult programs, family programs, backpacking, research projects, and field trips.
Animas High School students conducted field research on the DNS property in order to assess habitat quality for the leopard frog. Several water quality tests were completed. Nitrate levels in the pond were found to be 1ppm and 2ppm in the river (figure 3), this is considered a healthy level of nitrates in an aquatic system. Phosphate levels were also recorded with 2ppm in the pond and 1ppm in the Florida river; these are also very healthy statistics. The pH lever of the pond and Florida River were both between 8 and 9 which can be a little too high but doesn't represent a problem. The dissolved oxygen levels of the pond and river were between 6.5 and 8.5 which is a healthy number. The measured biodiversity of the area was .34 suggesting that the water was of decent quality. The students had also done a water test with the capturing of macroinvertebrates. The macroinvertebrates that the students had found in the water suggests healthy water quality hence the amount of species in the water that have a low tolerance to quality.
Plan Implementation: Elliot Mink
Animas High school would like to promote the native northern leopard frog on the Durango Nature Studies property. Altering habitat and monitoring introduced bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) are both options. The northern leopard frogs need a shallow breeding pond as well as tall grasses (Smith and Keinath, 2007). To make the DNS property more suitable to the northern leopard frog, a smaller shallower pond needs to serve as a breeding pond. In this pond there needs to be no predaceous fish. Also, tall grasses need to be planted around parts of both the existing pond and the new pond to better fit their needs. Ten years ago bluegill were introduced to the DNS pond to make it easy for children to catch fish from the pond. The bluegill eats leopard frogs, and leopard frog larvae (Colleen 2010). These fish need to be reduced in numbers, but do not need to be eliminated.
In order to complete the plan to alter the DNS property, to better fit the prime habitat requirements for the northern leopard frog, the following materials will be needed: five shovels, ten buckets, an edger, 750 lbs. of gravel, 261.67 ft2of plastic liner, a developer and people. The people will come from the incoming biology class at Animas High School in 2012. Buckets an edger and shovels together will cost 57.85 dollars total and will come from The Home Depot (figure 4). The liner will cost 163.00 dollars and come from The Home Depot as well as the gravel which will cost 65.50 dollars. A small portion of the grasses will be taken from the far side of the DNS property and from the plot of land the new pond will be created on then be transplanted around the existing pond and around the newly created pond. The new pond will be made slightly shallower at three feet deep, the perfect depth for a breeding pond (Smith and Keinath, 2007). This pond will be made 20 ft. north east of the existing pond. To make the pond we will etch out the outline of the pond with the edger, and then dig out the top layer of plants. After that the pond will be dug to the desired depth and the plastic liner will cover the bottom of the pond. Rocks will then be placed around the edge of the pond and gravel will cover all the plastic lining, the pond will be filled and be done. The bluegill in the other current pond can be left alone for the time being, and a breeding pond will allow for the frogs to grow and not get killed as a tadpole or egg. To reduce the number of bluegill the following supplies will be needed: a sein net which will be supplied by Animas high School and a marking kit which will cost 200 dollars. Animas high students will drag the bottom of the pond with the net and then release anything that is not a bluegill. The bluegill will then be marked with the marking kit. Every three years the students will drag the pond and if the bluegill population does notably increase then the fish will be removed to the equal amount of fish in 2011. As a total this plan will cost 1060.31 dollars.
Animas high school would also like to manage the invasive bullfrog. The bullfrog has been linked to the lack of leopard frogs around the U.S and Canada, but more monitoring will have to be done in order to see if this is a reason for a deduction in the leopard frog. Therefore, the bullfrog does not need to be exterminated but should be left alone. In many places the bullfrog and leopard frog coexist (Hartley 2002). The bullfrog should only be monitored, every year in the fall.
The DNS property will be monitored by Animas High School students in between the time of mating and before wintering which is in the fall (Smith and Keinath, 2007). The bullfrogs will be captured in pitfall traps that are placed around the existing pond. These traps will not only catch the bullfrog and leopard frog, but also catch other amphibians; therefore, the traps will be checked at least once a day. Any animal that is not a bullfrog or leopard frog will be taken out immediately. The two species of frogs will then be marked with the elastomer and set free. All data will be recorded and after four years (three years is the length it takes a bullfrog to become and adult (Dunning 2011)) the leopard frog population decreases and the bullfrog population increases to the current ratio of 1:5 bullfrogs to leopard frogs (figure 5) (the amount in which they are of a concern already on the property) then the bullfrogs will be euthanized by co2 then donated to animas high for educational purposes. The co2 will cost 60 dollars, and buckets are included in the leopard frog section.
Plan Evaluation: Stephen Miranda
The plan suggests building a new breeding pond for the frogs along with monitoring and keeping blue gill populations low in the current pond. The monitoring of the blue gill could affect the fishing activities that are currently happening on the property. Fishing activities may not be able to continue because it may affect the consensus of the fish. The pond could affect the wildlife already on the property by changing the land around where the creatures live. Building this pond could destroy hole for underground homes. The shallow pond could also attract wildlife like deer or birds to the small easily accessible water source which is not necessarily a negative.
Future students of Animas High School will monitor the population of each of the three species annually. For the leopard frogs the students will perform a mark recapture using an elastomer marking kit which is priced at $252. The leopard frogs could also be captured by pitfall traps. Bullfrogs would also be captured by pitfall traps but instead of being marked they will be eliminated. The blue gills could be captured by using seine nets and also marked with the elastomer marking. The bullfrog population should be completely eliminated to prevent further problems.
Because it can take up to 4 years for a bullfrog to develop into an adult, if no bullfrogs are seen 5 years after management begins, the plan can be considered successful. After the bullfrog population is considered stable the success of our plan will be decided if the population stays under control for four years.
