Hoskin, Conrad J., and Puschendorf, Robert (2014) The importance of peripheral areas for biodiversity conservation: with particular focus on endangered rainforest frogs of the Wet Tropics and Eungella. Report. Reef & Rainforest Research Centre Limited, Cairns, Australia.

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Abstract

In the 1980s and early 1990s a frog disease, chytrid fungus, spread through the rainforests of Eungella (west of Mackay) and the Wet Tropics (between Townsville and Cooktown), decimating populations of some frog species. Several species appear to have gone extinct, while others persisted in certain areas, primarily the lowlands. However, it was increasingly noticed that some of these endangered rainforest frog species appeared to be surviving well in upland dry forests adjacent to rainforest. This included the rediscovery of a population of the Armoured Mistfrog (Litoria lorica) on the western side of the Carbine Tableland in 2008. These obs ervations drew attention to the potential importance of peripheral areas around the Wet Tropics and Eungella: hotter, drier habitats on the western ecotones, and isolated patches of rainforest set apart from the core rainforest areas. It was hoped these poorly surveyed peripheral areas, offering different environmental conditions, might harbor populations of missing and endangered frogs, and threatened or unknown species more broadly. This NERP project investigated these areas and found: 1. Several endangered frog species are indeed persisting better in peripheral areas than in adjacent 'core' rainforest areas, 2. These populations are persisting despite high prevalence of chytrid fungus, probably due to the hotter environmental temperatures, 3. There is evidence for recovery of frog populations in some areas of the Wet Tropics and Eungella, 4. Four rainforest frog species were not detected despite targeted surveys and are most likely extinct, 5. A reintroduction of the critically endangered Armoured Mistfrog (Litoria !orica) requires continued monitoring to determine whether a second wild population of this species will establish, 6. Several new species (two lizards and a frog) were discovered in peripheral areas and described during this project, and 7. Peripheral areas of the Wet Tropics and Eungella harbour unique environments and communities are vital to the short- and long-term resilience of these areas.

Item ID:	72396
Item Type:	Report (Report)
ISBN:	978-1-925088-54-0
Copyright Information:	© JCU. This publication is copyright. The Copyright Act 1968 permits fair dealing for study, research, information or educational purposes subject to inclusion of a sufficient acknowledgement of the source.
Date Deposited:	14 Feb 2022 01:34
FoR Codes:	31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310302 Community ecology (excl. invasive species ecology) @ 50% 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410401 Conservation and biodiversity @ 50%
SEO Codes:	18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1806 Terrestrial systems and management > 180602 Control of pests, diseases and exotic species in terrestrial environments @ 50% 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1806 Terrestrial systems and management > 180606 Terrestrial biodiversity @ 50%
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