Foothill Yellow-legged Frog , water flow.

[Gloria]

Foothill yellow-legged frog provides insight on river management

Findings from three recent research projects are published in Copeia, River Research and Applications, and Conservation Genetics.

These studies revealed that R. boylii tadpoles are not strong swimmers and do not survive the high flow events that can occur during the summer months in many dammed rivers, leading to local population declines.

Managing water discharge from hydroelectric dams to mirror the environment's natural flow is ideal, but this approach may not meet the needs of human consumption and energy demands

USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station (2011, May 16). Foothill yellow-legged frog provides insight on river management. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 18, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2011/05/110516162147.htm

Journal References:
1.Sarah J Kupferberg, Amy J Lind, Vanessa Thill, Sarah M Yarnell. Water Velocity Tolerance in Tadpoles of the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog (Rana boylii): Swimming Performance, Growth, and Survival. Copeia, 2011; 2011 (1): 141 DOI: 10.1643/CH-10-035
2.Amy J. Lind, Phillip Q. Spinks, Gary M. Fellers, H. Bradley Shaffer. Rangewide phylogeography and landscape genetics of the Western U.S. endemic frog Rana boylii (Ranidae): implications for the conservation of frogs and rivers. Conservation Genetics, 2010; 12 (1): 269 DOI: 10.1007/s10592-010-0138-0
3.S. M. Yarnell, A. J. Lind, J. F. Mount. Dynamic flow modelling of riverine amphibian habitat with application to regulated flow management. River Research and Applications, 2010; DOI: 10.1002/rra.1447