Evaluating hydrophones for detecting underwater-calling frogs

Brett Alexander DeGregorio; Patrick J. Wolff; Aaron N. Rice

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USGS · 70229382

Evaluating hydrophones for detecting underwater-calling frogs

Brett Alexander DeGregorio·Patrick J. Wolff·Aaron N. Rice

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Abstract

Amphibians are declining and disappearing worldwide at an alarming rate, emphasizing the need for accurate surveys to document the distribution and abundance of this imperiled taxon. Automated recorders are a powerful tool for surveyors to continuously monitor for calling amphibians. However, we are discovering that many species of frog call when submerged underwater making it challenging if not impossible for terrestrial observers to use microphones to detect them. Here, we conducted two field experiments to assess the efficacy of hydrophones for detecting underwater frog calls. The first was designed to directly compare detection probability of underwear frog calls by hydrophones, microphones, and human observers. The second was to evaluate the wetland characteristics that most influenced the detection distance of hydrophones. We found that hydrophones were 30 times more likely to detect underwater calls relative to microphones and 8.5 times more likely relative to human observers. Hydrophones detected underwater frog calls emitted 65 m away and performed best when water was deep (> 50 cm) and there were few submerged obstacles (i.e. logs) present. Hydrophones may be an important tool for herpetologists to survey for a suite of frog species known to vocalize underwater and as more practitioners use hydrophones the list of underwater-calling frogs is certain to grow.

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Herpetological Conservation and Biology Article

Source-reported bounding extent: 42.46715859263035° to 42.48304845170603° latitude; -76.46716117858887° to -76.4304256439209° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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BibTeX RIS

Brett Alexander DeGregorio, Patrick J. Wolff, Aaron N. Rice. 2021. Evaluating hydrophones for detecting underwater-calling frogs. https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70229382

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