Climatic change and wetland desiccation cause amphibian decline in Yellowstone National Park.

ABSTRACT: Amphibians are a bellwether for environmental degradation, even in natural ecosystems such as Yellowstone National Park in the western United States, where species have been actively protected longer than anywhere else on Earth. We document that recent climatic warming and resultant wetland desiccation are causing severe declines in 4 once-common amphibian species native to Yellowstone. Climate monitoring over 6 decades, remote sensing, and repeated surveys of 49 ponds indicate that decreasing annual precipitation and increasing temperatures during the warmest months of the year have significantly altered the landscape and the local biological communities. Drought is now more common and more severe than at any time in the past century. Compared with 16 years ago, the number of permanently

SUBMITTER: McMenamin SK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2579365 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature