The Presence and Persistence of Frog Species in the New England Tablelands, Eastern Australia - Dataset

An extensive survey of frogs and reptiles in the New England Tablelands was conducted from 1960 to 1975. Given the current uncertainty regarding conservation status of amphibians worldwide, the aim of the present study is to revisit a number of the historical sites from the previous survey to determine whether or not the frog species found at these sites 60 years ago are still present there today. The aim of this project is to determine: the present day occupancy and detectability of the frog species found at these sites, the effect of a known Amphibian Chytrid fungus carrier the common eastern froglet (Crinia signifera) on the occupancy of other frog species, the effect of an invasive fish species the eastern mosquito fish (Gambusia holbrooki) on the occupancy of detected frog species and finally it will investigate Amphibian Chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) dynamics in the New England Tablelands.Three data sets: Current occupancy data: field surveys of 200 sites in the New England Tablelands. Recorded are the frog species detected, habitat variables of the site and environmental variables at time of visit.Historical occupancy data: historical records of frogs in the New England Tablelands. Includes frog species detected, latitude and longitude of the site and notes from the original collectors. Original records kept as a book at the Australian museum in Sydney.Swab data: swabs of the Amphibian chytrid fungus collected from three frog species (Litoria fallax, Limnodynastes tasmaniensis, Litoria wilcoxii) at two sites and the output from qPCR analysis (copies of ITS1 gene). Details on frog individuals (sex, age, snout-vent-length) and daily min and max temperatures are also included. Physical swabs are at the Australian museum.

1960年至1975年，研究人员针对新英格兰高原（New England Tablelands）开展了一次大规模的两栖类与爬行类物种调查。鉴于当前全球两栖动物保护现状仍存在诸多不确定性，本研究的核心目标为重访该早期调查中的多个历史样地，以探明60年前在此记录的蛙类物种现今是否仍存续于原地。本项目旨在明确以下研究内容：其一，上述历史样地中蛙类物种的现今占据率与可检测性；其二，已知为两栖壶菌（Amphibian Chytrid fungus）携带者的普通东部小蛙（Crinia signifera）对其他蛙类物种占据率的影响；其三，入侵鱼类东部食蚊鱼（Gambusia holbrooki）对已检测到的蛙类物种占据率的影响；最后，本研究还将探究新英格兰高原区域内两栖壶菌（Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis）的动态变化。本次研究共包含三类数据集：1. 现今占据率数据集：针对新英格兰高原的200个样地开展野外调查，记录内容包括检测到的蛙类物种、样地生境变量以及调查当日的环境变量。2. 历史占据率数据集：收录新英格兰高原地区蛙类的历史调查记录，涵盖检测到的蛙类物种、样地经纬度信息以及原始采集者的野外备注。原始调查记录以纸质书籍形式保存于悉尼澳大利亚博物馆。3. 拭子检测数据集：从两个样地的3种蛙类（Litoria fallax、Limnodynastes tasmaniensis、Litoria wilcoxii）身上采集两栖壶菌拭子样本，并提供qPCR分析结果（ITS1基因拷贝数）。数据集同时包含蛙类个体的详细信息（性别、年龄、吻肛长）以及调查当日的日最低与最高气温数据。拭子实物样本现保存于澳大利亚博物馆。