Amphibian Declines: Judging Stability, Persistence, and Susceptibility of Populations to Local and Global Extinctions |
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| Authors: | Andrew R Blaustein David B Wake Wayne P Sousa |
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| Institution: | Department of Zoology 3029 Cordley Hall Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331 U.S.A.Museum of Vertebrate Zoology 1120 Life Sciences Building University of California Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A.Department of Integrative Biology University of California Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Extinctions are normal biological phenomena. Both mass extinctions in geological time and local extinctions in ecological time are well documented, but rates of extinction have increased in recent years—especially in vertebrates, including amphibians—as illustrated by recent reports of their population declines and range reductions. We suggest that long-term population data are necessary for rigorously evaluating the significance of the amphibian declines. Due to the physiological constraints, relatively low mobility, and site fidelity of amphibians, we suggest that many amphibian populations may be unable to recolonize areas after local extinction. |
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