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Isolation Of Microsatellite Loci From The Coqui Frog, Eleutherodactylus Coqui, Karen H. Beard
Isolation Of Microsatellite Loci From The Coqui Frog, Eleutherodactylus Coqui, Karen H. Beard
Karen H. Beard
Thirteen microsatellite loci were isolated from the coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui) and optimized for future research. The loci were screened across 37 individuals from two Puerto Rican populations. Loci were variable with the number of alleles per locus ranging from three to 38. Polymorphic information content ranged from 0.453 to 0.963 and observed heterozygosity for each population ranged from 0.320 to 0.920.
Increased Abundance Of Native And Non-Native Spiders With Habitat Fragmentation, Karen H. Beard
Increased Abundance Of Native And Non-Native Spiders With Habitat Fragmentation, Karen H. Beard
Karen H. Beard
Habitat fragmentation and invasive species often contribute to the decline of native taxa. Since the penetration of non-native species into natural habitat may be facilitated by habitat fragmentation, it is important to examine how these two factors interact. Previous research documented that, in contrast to most other arthropod taxa, spiders increased in density and morphospecies richness with decreasing fragment area and increasing fragment age (time since insularization) in urban habitat fragments in San Diego County, California, USA. We tested whether a specific mechanism, an increase in non-native species with fragmentation, is responsible for this pattern. We found that both native …
Invasive Frog, Eleutherodactylus Coqui, Increases New Leaf Production And Leaf Litter Decomposition Rates Through Nutrient Cycling In Hawaii, Karen H. Beard
Invasive Frog, Eleutherodactylus Coqui, Increases New Leaf Production And Leaf Litter Decomposition Rates Through Nutrient Cycling In Hawaii, Karen H. Beard
Karen H. Beard
A frog endemic to Puerto Rico, Eleutherodactylus coqui, invaded Hawaii in the late 1980s, where it can reach densities of 50,000 individuals ha(-1). Effects of this introduced insectivore on invertebrate communities and ecosystem processes, such as nutrient cycling, are largely unknown. In two study sites on the Island of Hawaii, we studied the top-down effects of E. coqui on aerial, herbivorous, and leaf litter invertebrates; herbivory, plant growth, and leaf litter decomposition rates; and leaf litter and throughfall chemistry over 6 months. We found that E. coqui reduced all invertebrate communities at one of the two study sites. Across sites, …