Forest Wetland Habitat Quality Study Collaborating Partners: Tembec Forest Research Partnership, General Airspray Ltd. Financial and Administrative Support: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Agriculture Institute of Ontario, Canadian Ecology Centre Introduction This three year study was initiated in the spring of 2008 by a research team from the Canadian Forest Service. This study is designed to investigate the potential direct and indirect effects of aerial herbicide (glyphosate) treatments on the quality of ephemeral wetland habitats in forest cutovers as related to sustainability of local populations of wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) which breed ubiquitously in these types of microsites. Fig. 3. Ephemeral pools within one of the regenerating cutover monitoring areas Fig.1. Adult wood frog (Rana sylvatica) Site Description Fig. 2. Fixed wing aircraft used for aerial applications of herbicide This research project involves intensive assessment of up to 24 monitoring areas established in regenerating cutover sites typical of the boreal forests of northern Ontario. Each monitoring area is comprised of a 25 m radius circle encompassing numerous shallow ephemeral pools (Fig. 3 & 4). These pools are used intensively by breeding populations of wood frogs. However, neither the success of the breeding effort in these micro-sites nor the influence of potentially negative interactive stress resulting from either direct or indirect effects of herbicide treatments are well understood. Experimental Approach To examine potential interactive effects of site quality and herbicide induced on local populations of wood frogs, a number of biological, hydrological and chemical variables are monitored within herbicide treated and untreated control sites through time. Wood frog breeding effort, breeding success and recruitment are considered as the key response variables. In conjunction with a suite of standard protocols for egg mass survey (Fig. 5), hatching success (Fig. 6) and determination of abundance of larval, metamorph, juvenile and adult wood frogs in each site, advanced techniques such as bioacoustic monitoring and visible implant elastomer (VIE) marking are being employed by this study. Newly developed remote acoustic recording devices (Songmeter®; Fig. 7) and sophisticated acoustic analysis using Songscope® software (Fig. 8) are being utilized for comparative monitoring of the onset and cessation of wood frog breeding, mating call occurrence, frequency, and intensity in treated and untreated sites. Fig. 7 Songmeter ® recording device used to monitor wood frog mating calls Visible implant elastomer (VIE) tags, injected subcutaneously into the hind limbs (Fig. 9) are being employed as a relatively non-invasive method of uniquely marking individual wood frogs for assessment of growth and development through time following direct or indirect in-situ exposure to formulated glyphosate herbicide. This technique can also potentially be used for mark and recapture assessments (Fig. 10) to examine recruitment of juveniles into local populations, local migration patterns and site fidelity of breeding adults. Fig. 9 VIE tags used to uniquely mark wood frogs for biomonitoring Fig. 10 In-situ enclosures used to monitor VIE tagged wood frogs D.G. Thompson 1,2, S. Howard 2, L. Perry 1 and K.R. Solomon 2 1 Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada 2 Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Songmeter® and Songscope are registered trademarks of Wildlife Acoustics, Concord MA Fig. 7 Songscope ® showing acoustic data of a wood frog mating call. Fig. 6 An in situ cage with egg masses used to determine hatch success. Fig. 4 A clump of wood frog egg masses attached to aquatic vegetation. Fig. 4 An ephemeral pool with an in situ cage and a Songmeter ®