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Publication #Cir 1463

 

Anurans of the Everglades Agricultural Area1

Michelle L. Casler, Wendy M. Bear, Elise V. Pearlstine, Frank J. Mazzotti2

Abstract

The Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) occupies an area of 283,300 hectares. It is an area of drained agricultural lands, representing one-seventh of the historic 1,900,000 hectare Everglades wetland system. Sugarcane is the major crop in the EAA, which is interspersed with rice, sod and various vegetables. These crops are used for perches and cover by anurans. A large network of canals, roads, and irrigation ditches supply necessary water and equipment to the fields. Anurans utilize the canals and ditches for breeding and foraging.

Anurans include the amphibians known as frogs and toads and are distributed worldwide. Although they are found in a wide variety of habitats, nearly all members of the group are dependent on water either for habitat or reproduction. Frogs and toads are carnivorous, feeding on small invertebrates and vertebrates, while tadpoles tend to be herbivorous, are very sensitive to environmental change and many species have declined due to factors such as introduced species, habitat loss, environmental change and pollution. Thirteen anuran species have been seen or heard in the EAA, ten of which are native to South Florida.

The 5-page PDF (148 KB) includes text, descriptions of all anuran species found in the EAA (name, habitat, diet), photos (frogs, toads), references, and contact information. Available: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/UW/UW21000.pdf

Keywords: amphibians, anurans, agriculture, frogs, toads, frog habitat, toad habitat, EAA, Everglades, Everglades Agricultural Area, farm, farming, sugarcane, wildlife, wildlife habitat.

Footnotes

1.

This document is Cir 1463, one of a series of the Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date October 30, 2004. Revised October 2004. Reviewed March 2008, and February 2011. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Michelle L. Casler, Wildlife Research Assistant; Wendy M. Bear, Wildlife Research Assistant; Elise V. Pearlstine, Post-Doctoral Associate; and Frank J. Mazzotti, Associate Professor; Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department, University of Florida, Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center, FL 33314; Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.