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Overview
Basics
Basics
The Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog (Rana sierrae) is a special status species that was historically abundant in the central and northern Sierra Nevada, including the Lake Tahoe Basin. As a consequence of its precipitous decline, it is increasingly the focus of conservation and restoration efforts led by both federal and state agencies. The project provides critical information and guidance on the effectiveness of frog reintroductions as a means to reestablishing R. sierrae populations in areas from which they were previously extirpated.
Completed
2011
2012
2015
$295,064
Alan Heyvaert (alan.heyvaert@dri.edu)
09/20/2017
09/20/2017
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Organizations
EIP Details
EIP Basics
EIP Basics
04.01.01.0046 - P092: Effectiveness of Reintroductions and Probiotic Treatment as Tools to Restore the Endangered Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog
Performance Measures
Expected Performance Measures
Expected Performance Measures
No expected performance measures set for this project.
Reported Performance Measures
Reported Performance Measures
No annual performance measure accomplishments entered for this project.
Funding
Expected Funding
Expected Funding
$295,064
$295,064
$0
| Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown or Unassigned | $295,064 | $295,064 | $0 |
| Grand Total | $295,064 | $295,064 | $0 |
Reported Expenditures
Reported Expenditures
| Total | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (Pacifi... | $295,064 | $59,013 | $59,013 | $59,013 | $59,013 | $59,012 |
| Grand Total | $295,064 | $59,013 | $59,013 | $59,013 | $59,013 | $59,012 |
Photos
Other Details
Watersheds
No watersheds set for this project.
Threshold Categories
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The Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog (Rana sierrae) is a special status species that was historically abundant in the central and northern Sierra Nevada, including the Lake Tahoe Basin. As a consequence of its precipitous decline, it is increasingly the focus of conservation and restoration efforts led by both federal and state agencies.
Local and Regional Plans
No Local and Regional Plans set for this project.
Related Projects
Related Projects
No Related Projects set for this project.
External Links
No external links entered.
Notes
Notes
| 07/30/2017 7:12 PM | System | Objectives: A major factor driving declines of the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog (Rana sierrae) is a lethal disease caused by the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; Bd). The primary objective of the proposed study is to evaluate the effectiveness of several strategies to recover R. sierrae in the presence of Bd. These include (1) translocation of frogs from donor populations in which frogs are persisting despite Bd infection to nearby suitable habitats, and (2) captive rearing of early life stage frogs collected from persistent populations and their reintroduction back into the wild as adults. Because some of the captive-reared frogs would never have been exposed to Bd (e.g., frogs raised from eggs) and may therefore be very susceptible to Bd infection, in this group of frogs we also tested whether infecting frogs with Bd and subsequently clearing them of the infection prior to their release into the wild would increase their resistance to Bd. Finally, because the community of microorganisms inhabiting the skin of frogs (i.e., “microbiome”) can affect frog-Bd dynamics, we characterized the skin microbiome of frogs in the persistent donor populations to provide insights into whether the microbiome confers some degree of resistance against Bd. |
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| 07/30/2017 8:08 AM | System | Findings: • Translocations and/or reintroductions were conducted at three sites in the Lake Tahoe Basin study area. Translocated adults showed relatively high survival and quickly occupied a wide range of habitats, including lakes, ponds, and streams. • Bd infection intensities on frogs changed little after translocation, being sufficiently low as to have minimal effect on frog health and survival. • Translocated egg masses also showed high survival and many tadpoles produced from the egg masses metamorphosed in the final year of the study (2015). *** See www.fs.fed.us/PSW/partnerships/tahoescience for additional findings. |
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| 07/30/2017 8:07 AM | System | Management Implications: If translocations and/or reintroduction are successful, the study could result in the reestablishment of R. sierrae at several locations in the Lake Tahoe Basin and provide the basis for reestablishing additional populations in the future. More generally, the results of this experiment will provide critically needed guidance for similar recovery efforts being planned across the range of R. sierrae and the closely related Rana muscosa to recover these endangered frogs across their historical range. |