Resilience of an amphibian community following the removal of introduced fish

Abstract

Introduced species have become one of the most important anthropogenic impacts in aquatic ecosystems and are implicated in the declines of many native amphibian populations. Despite the effects of introduced species on amphibian populations, there is little information concerning the responses of amphibians following the removal of introduced fish. I conducted a field experiment to assess the amphibian community-level responses to the removal of introduced fish, and determine the effects of fish removal on smallmouth salamander (Ambystoma texanum) larval dynamics. Species diversity of the amphibian community and smallmouth salamander juvenile recruitment improved following the removal of fish. My results indicate that introductions of predaceous fish can have adverse effects on amphibians at the community and population levels. Furthermore, my results indicate that amphibian communities might be capable of rapid recovery following the removal of introduced fish.

Date of Award	2005
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	Eastern Illinois University
Supervisor	Stephen Mullin (Supervisor)