This Presentation comes out of research conducted under EPA STAR Grant R829087 entitled: Modeling the Individual and Interactive Risks to an Amphibian Population Resulting from Breeding Site Contamination and Terrestrial Habitat Loss.

The status of many amphibian populations worldwide is an issue of great concern, yet rigorously assessing the population dynamics of these animals has proven difficult due to the complexity of their life cycles. As a result, the influences of human activities on amphibian populations are poorly understood. Because many amphibians occupy specific habitat types during different stages of the life cycle (aquatic embryos/larvae, terrestrial juveniles/adults), anthropogenic activities occurring in different habitats may interact to affect amphibian populations via impacts at various life stages. Thus, to understand population-level responses of amphibians to anthropogenic stresses, it is necessary to integrate responses across habitat types and life stages, and ultimately generate population models that reflect spatial and temporal effects.

This research is being conducted under EPA's Sustainable and Healthy Communities (SHC) research program. SHC outputs help inform decision-makers as they make choices that meet regulatory mandates and will sustain positive human health outcomes and well-being, environmental quality, and economic resilience.

Featured Speakers:

University of Maryland - Center for Environmental ScienceChristopher Rowe, PhD Exit

Texas Tech University - Department of Environmental ToxicologyChristopher Salice, PhD

Andre N. Porter (porter.andre@epa.gov); 703-347-8113