SEASONAL PHENOLOGY OF AMPHIBIAN BREEDING AND RECRUITMENT AT A POND IN RHODE ISLAND

Abstract

We monitored amphibian movements from 5 March to 11 October 1998 at a 0.16 ha seasonally flooded pond in southern Rhode Island. We documented 5,122 capture events representing six species of anurans and four species of caudates. Using mark-recapture models, we estimated breeding population sizes [e.g., 181 adult spotted salamanders (Ambytoma maculatum) and 753 adult wood frogs (Rana sylvatica)] and densities (1,131 adult A. maculatum per ha and 4,706 adult R. sylvatica per ha) for five species. Amphibians were captured every month the pond was monitored. Adults primarily immigrated to the pond from early March through May, with peak numbers during March and April. Juveniles departed the pond from June through September, with most individuals emigrating in July and August.