Sam Wallace - Heath Frogs - Mini-conference 2022

Sam Wallace

University of Newcastle

@WallacXFrogging | @wallace_s_

Samantha Wallace is a PhD candidate at The University of Newcastle. Sam completed her Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours) at Deakin University, where she scampered after frogs across agricultural landscapes. With Newcastle as her new home, Sam’s PhD investigates all things Littlejohn’s and Watson’s Tree Frog-gy (Litoria littlejohni and Litoria watsoni).

Uncovering the ecology of threatened Heath Frogs

Perhaps the greatest challenge to conservation science today is the endeavour to preserve species from ever-accelerating rates of extinction. Such rapid and sustained species declines place considerable pressure on the development effective conservation initiatives. Successful conservation strategies must be founded upon a well-informed understanding of species’ ecology. Unfortunately, ecological information is not readily available for many cryptic anurans. This paucity of information is particularly apparent for Littlejohn’s Tree Frog (Litoria littlejohni) and Watson’s Tree Frog (Litoria watsoni). The ecology and breeding biology of heath frogs remains relatively unknown, largely due to their cryptic nature and apparent rarity. To combat significant ecological knowledge gaps and investigate breeding habitat selection, we undertook surveys for L. littlejohni and L. watsoni across 31 sites in southern NSW. Overall, L. littlejohni and L. watsoni exhibited slightly different relationships with breeding habitat features, although the presence of fish had a strong negative impact on both species.

Dr Laura Brannelly "The Effects of Climate Change on Frog Development, Physiology and Immunity"

Laura is a research fellow at the Melbourne veterinary school at the University of Melbourne. She is a conservation biologist and disease ecologist primarily focusing on how frogs are affected by chytridiomycosis. she presents:

"The Effects of Climate Change on Frog Development, Physiology and Immunity"

Amphibians are declining worldwide, and the impacts of climate change are largely unknown. For animals that require freshwater aquatic habitat, such as frogs as tadpoles, climate change and its influence on water availability poses a huge risk.

Laura will give an overview of her recent work investigating how climate change (through pond drying and larval density) impact larval development and frogs later in life. Understanding how climate change influences frog development, survival, physiology and immunity can help us predict the direct impacts of climate change on frogs.

Louise Durkin, "Updates from the field - Litoria watsoni" May 2022

Louise is an ecologist with the Arthur Rylah Institute’s threatened fauna team, working with forest-dependent species including arboreal mammals and frogs. Prior to her time at ARI, Louise worked with conservation NGOs in the UK, Madagascar and Cambodia, and is a Gippsland girl at heart! Louise presents:

"Updates from the field – Litoria watsoni" ​

In search of Watson’s tree frog in a post-fire landscape: insights from genetics, chytrid prevalence and acoustic monitoring.