I have decided to do an abundance study of frogs and toads of PEI and their distance from active farming sites. We only have four frogs-some will say five, but the pickerel frog hasn’t been seen here since 2003, and one toad. The green frog (Rana clamitans), the wood frog (Rana sylvatica), the leopard frog (Rana pipiens), spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer), and the American toad (Bufo americanus).
My hypothesis is that the species abundance increases as the distance from active farming increases.
I have chosen five sites at random, however, I had to make sure that they had the right environment to support the frogs and toads, so they are all fresh-water riparian sites. I chose those sites and will be measuring the distance to active farming sites through arcGIS. I had some water chemistry analyzed at each of the five sites, however, I only had the funds for one sample at each site, so, depending on their nitrate and phosphorous levels, I will maybe only use this data in my discussion, to hopefully support my hypotheses.
I will drive to each of the five sites during the breeding season at dusk and record their calls for five minutes with my iPhone, then analyze the recordings using their call to identify them and the Abundance Code for Frogs to determine how many are calling:
0 = no amphibians heard
1 = individuals can be counted (no overlapping calls) – estimate of 1-5 individuals calling at site
2 = calls of individuals are distinguishable, but some calls overlap – estimate of 6-10 individuals calling at
site
3 = full chorus, or continuous calls, where individuals cannot be distinguished – estimate of more than
10 individuals calling at the site.
Frogs only call during mating season, so I intend to do 20 site visits (4 nights, at 5 sites) during this time.
