Asynchrony, density dependence, and persistence in an amphibian

The wood frog (Rana sylvatica = Lithobates sylvaticus) is a common, early-spring breeding anuran species in the United States and Canada. Females typically lay their egg masses in concentrated areas of a few meters over several days. Most female wood frogs mature after two years. Each female lays one egg mass in a given year, and most show high (~100%) site fidelity after first breeding, although a small portion of juveniles disperse up to 2000 m away from their natal site before their first breeding season. The lifespan of wood frogs depends on latitude, but they rarely live longer than five years. From 2000 to 2020 we conducted wood frog egg mass counts in 64 freshwater nonpermanent wetlands in the 3212 hectare Yale-Myers Forest in northeastern Connecticut, USA. The wetlands varied in surface area (average = 2642 m2, range = 24–41361 m2, CV = 252), canopy closure (i.e., global site factor; average = 52%, range = 0–98%, CV = 68), depth (average = 52 cm, range = 22–118, CV = 46), and eg...