Vocal Anuran Monitoring in Southeast Coast Network parks: 2017 Data Summaries

The National Park Service (NPS) operates 32 Inventory Monitoring (IM) networks across the United States encompassing over 280 parks. Each IM network has established "vital signs" monitoring in its parks. These vital signs represent elements and processes in park ecosystems that help indicate the overall health or condition of park resources. Network personnel monitor physical resources and processes (such as air, water, climate, fire, erosion), biological attributes (such as species and biological communities), and ecological processes (such as disturbance and productivity). The Southeast Coast Network (SECN) contains 15 parks containing natural resources, located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Each spring, SECN collects audio recording data during implementation of the SECN's Vocal Anuran Community Monitoring Protocol. Automated recording devices (ARDs) are used to capture 1-minute recordings of anuran vocalizations every twenty minutes overnight, on every fourth night between March and June. Sampling takes place at up to 30 spatially-balanced random sampling locations per park. Five of the SECN's 15 parks are sampled each year on a three-year rotation. All discernable anuran vocalizations are reviewed from selected recordings and classified to species. These data address the following protocol objectives: (1) Evaluate status of vocal anuran community species richness during the spring breeding season and (2) assess vocal anuran occupancy and spatial distribution at sampling locations during the breeding season.