Ponds in the White Mountains of Grafton and Coos Counties, NH provide some of the highest elevation breeding habitat for amphibian populations in the north-eastern United States. Between 2007 and 2009, we conducted field surveys of alpine ponds above 1100 m on the Presidential Range and Franconia Ridge in the White Mountain National Forest. These ponds include the only currently known amphibian breeding sites in tundra-dominated landscapes reported from the eastern United States. Four species of anuran and one species of salamander were detected at elevations ranging from 1180 to 1546 m, with direct evidence of breeding observed at every pond complex. This preliminary study contributes to available baseline data for amphibian populations in alpine and subalpine environments in the northeastern United States. Amphibian populations may be strong indicators of climate change and environmental stressors in alpine ecosystems; these populations appear to warrant long-term monitoring.
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1 March 2010
Occurrence of Pond-Breeding Amphibians at Alpine Ponds in the White Mountains, New Hampshire
Michael T. Jones,
Scott D. Smyers
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