Egg-Mass Abundance and Within-Pool Characteristics for Three Species of Vernal Pool-Dependent Amphibians in a Massachusetts State Forest

We studied amphibians that breed in vernal pools on protected lands in western Massachusetts to determine their status and provide baseline population data to agencies. Egg-mass counts were used to determine the breeding effort of Lithobates sylvaticus (Wood Frog), Ambystoma maculatum (Spotted Salamander), and A. jeffersonianum (Jefferson Salamander) in 9 vernal pools in a state forest from 2014 to 2017. We also measured water-quality parameters (pH and conductivity) and pool surface area and depth to determine relationships between any of these variables and amphibian egg-mass counts. In a mixed-effects model regression analysis, the effects of survey year, pool area and depth, pH, and conductivity (as fixed effects) were relatively weak, and their relative strength was not consistent for all 3 species, although the effect of area was significant for Spotted Salamanders. Our study identified new populations of the state-listed Jefferson Salamander and identified pools that should be protected during sustainable forestry operations in the state forest.