Heather L. Bateman, Professor, College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University will present “From Tanagers to Treefrogs: Complex Riparian Habitats Contribute to Diverse Communities.”
Riparian areas are among the most ecologically diverse systems and offer complex structure that many species use for foraging and breeding. We deployed acoustic recorders to capture spring breeding calls of anurans (frogs and toads) in Verde River Wilderness Areas and used both acoustic recorders and human observers to quantify bird activity and abundance along the Wild and Scenic portions of the Verde River.
Riparian obligate breeders, e.g., Yellow Warbler and Summer Tanager, are the most common bird guild and abundances are related to habitat structure. The most complex habitats are gallery forest dominated by tall trees. We monitored anuran communities and hydrologic flows in perennial, intermittent and ephemeral stream reaches across five Wilderness Areas within the upper basin. Calling activity of Canyon Treefrog begins after spring flows and pauses during colder air temperature. Our findings demonstrate the value of intact riparian habitat to wildlife and highlight the importance of both vegetation structure and hydrological flow to these vertebrate communities.
Zoom address provided upon registration. Please RSVP to [email protected].
Thursday, November 14, 2024
5:30-6:30 p.m.
Biodiversity Knowledge Integration Center
734 W. Alameda Dr
Tempe, AZ 85282
The Speaker Series is co-sponsored by the Biodiversity Knowledge Integration Center, Arizona State University
