The Presence and Persistence of Frog Species in the New England Tablelands, Eastern Australia - Dataset

Abstract

<p>An extensive survey of frogs and reptiles in the New England Tablelands was conducted from 1960 to 1975. Given the current uncertainty regarding conservation status of amphibians worldwide, the aim of the present study is to revisit a number of the historical sites from the previous survey to determine whether or not the frog species found at these sites 60 years ago are still present there today. The aim of this project is to determine: the present day occupancy and detectability of the frog species found at these sites, the effect of a known Amphibian Chytrid fungus carrier the common eastern froglet (Crinia signifera) on the occupancy of other frog species, the effect of an invasive fish species the eastern mosquito fish (Gambusia holbrooki) on the occupancy of detected frog species and finally it will investigate Amphibian Chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) dynamics in the New England Tablelands.</p><p>Three data sets: <ul><li>Current occupancy data: field surveys of 200 sites in the New England Tablelands. Recorded are the frog species detected, habitat variables of the site and environmental variables at time of visit.</li><li>Historical occupancy data: historical records of frogs in the New England Tablelands. Includes frog species detected, latitude and longitude of the site and notes from the original collectors. Original records kept as a book at the Australian museum in Sydney.</li><li>Swab data: swabs of the Amphibian chytrid fungus collected from three frog species (Litoria fallax, Limnodynastes tasmaniensis, Litoria wilcoxii) at two sites and the output from qPCR analysis (copies of ITS1 gene). Details on frog individuals (sex, age, snout-vent-length) and daily min and max temperatures are also included. Physical swabs are at the Australian museum.</li></ul> </p>