Tag: ecology

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New paper! Two Sierra frogs, different fates.

We are excited to share a new paper published today in the ESA’s open access journal Ecosphere! MLRG alum Kira Miller conducted this research project during her masters graduate work. In short, Kira surveyed a large number of lakes to capture Rana sierrae/muscosa (mountain yellow-legged frogs) and Pseudacris regilla (Pacific chorus frogs), and we compared the microbiome and Bd infection intensities of both hosts in sites where they co-occurred and where each occurred in isolation. Read more using the PDF or link below. Congratulations Kira!

Miller, Kira M., Thomas C. Smith, Andrea J. Jani, Andrew G. Zink, and Vance T. Vredenburg. 2026. Differential Skin Microbiomes and Disease Outcomes in Sympatric Hosts Despite Similar Infection Burdens. Ecosphere 17(10): e70794. [PDF] https://doi-org.proxy.library.ucsb.edu/10.1002/ecs2.70794

Shout out of gratitude to other MLRG members, alumni, and collaborators who contributed to various parts of this project: Alexa Lindauer, Sage Lee, Sara Dykman, and Sam Lapp, and to SNARL for logistical support and laboratory space. This project was partially funded through the RIBBiTR Biology Integration Institute.

Kira Miller
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2022 MLRG Annual Wrap-up and Newsletter

Our annual newsletter highlights our 2022 accomplishments in frog recovery, disease ecology research, and mentoring of next-generation scientists! This year, our newsletter shares their voices and views on working in wilderness, learning research skills, and being part of an ongoing conservation project. In short, it takes a village. You can learn how we fund mountain-yellow legged frog recovery, and how you can help (like donating your used smartphone!). A big thank you to our hard-working technicians, the staff at UC Santa Barbara Earth Research Institute and the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab, and all of our agency partners in frog conservation for a successful season!

<click here to read the newsletter>

frog leaps into water
Re-entry! The first leap towards population recovery.
Photo credit: Sara Dykman 2022
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2022 Publications

Here are some of the papers that MLRG members contributed to in 2022:

[PDF] Host density has limited effects on pathogen invasion, disease-induced declines, and within-host infection dynamics across a landscape of disease. Journal of Animal Ecology.
Wilber, M. Q., R. A. Knapp, T. C. Smith, and C. J. Briggs.

[PDF] Rana sierrae (Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog). Behavior and Diet. Herpetological Review. Smith, T. C., R. A. Knapp, J. Imperato, K. Miller, and D. Rose. 

[link] Effectiveness of antifungal treatments during chytridiomycosis epizootics in populations of an endangered frog. PeerJ. Knapp, R. A., M. B. Joseph, T. C. Smith, E. E. Hegeman, V. T. Vredenburg, J. E. Erdman Jr, D. M. Boiano, A. J. Jani, and C. J. Briggs.

[PDF] Localized carry‐over effects of pond drying on survival, growth, and pathogen defenses in amphibians. Ecosphere. Le Sage, E.H., Ohmer, M.E., LaBumbard, B.C., Altman, K.A., Reinert, L.K., Bednark, J.G., Bletz, M.C., Inman, B., Lindauer, A., McDonnell, N.B., Parker, S.K. Skerlac S.M., Wantman, T., Rollins-Smith, L.A., Woodhams, D.C., Voyles, J., and Richards-Zawacki, C.L.

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Ecological consequences of frog declines

Read the new paper here. Published today in the journal Ecosphere, Tom, Roland, and Cherie Briggs (UC Santa Barbara) describe some of the ways in which mountain yellow-legged frog declines impact alpine lake communities. Contrary to expectations, the large scale loss of these frogs is not associated with secondary extinctions or changes in structure and composition of the benthic macroinvertebrate community, which contains most of the prey and competitor species for frogs and tadpoles. Notably, these results differ from 1) the consequences of frog declines in other ecosystems, and 2) the consequences of fish introductions in the Sierra. Although impacts of frog declines on the taxa examined in this study were small, mountain yellow-legged frog declines are associated with secondary declines in other species, like gartersnakes.

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