Ecological Correlates of Anuran Species Richness in Temporary Pools: A Field Study in South Carolina, Usa

Identifying the factors that limit species distributions and maintain patterns of diversity is a major goal of temporary pond ecologists, and an important pursuit for conservation biologists. We used multiple regression analysis to identify ecological correlates of anuran species richness in twenty-one temporary pools within the Francis Marion National Forest, South Carolina. Analysis of data collected in 1996–1997 revealed that anuran richness was limited by the multiplicative effects of pool acidity, hydroperiod, and fish species richness. Anuran species richness declined with decreasing pH and hydroperiod, and with colonization by more species-rich assemblages of predatory fish. Two species of frog (Hyla cinerea and Rana grylio) and a newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) were excluded from the most acidic pools, and three anurans (Bufo quercicus, Pseudacris ornata, and R. capito) were limited by fish. Two large-bodied frogs with tadpoles that overwinter prior to metamorphosis (R. catesbeiana and R. virgati...