Distribution and Abundance of Anurans in Southeast Missouri

This study focused on frogs and the methodology necessary to detect species richness among forest patches in southeast Missouri.
The MAV is one of the most highly altered ecosystems in the United States, and large river floodplain systems rank among the most altered systems worldwide. The initial objective of this study was to determine distribution, richness, and abundance of the herptile community of southeast Missouri in relation to forest cover, habitat types, and agro-forestry practices. Another part of this study was to determine what sampling protocols are most effective for herptiles at a large spatial scale. Much of the information collected during this study was statistically insignificant. Variability in anuran richness among forest cover indicates that other factors may also play into determining species richness. The variation of richness among habitat categories and percent of forest cover suggests complex biological responses that may be accounted for by abiotic variables. Sampling protocols modified a call census along roads to increase the frequency. In future studies number of observers should be increased to sample the are multiple times throughout the spring to increase the statistical power of the findings. This intensive sampling should include abiotic variables including soils and water chemistry.