Long-term monitoring of the Critically Endangered Pickersgill's Reed Frog (Hyperolius pickersgilli) populations using passive
acoustic monitoring techniques
This project is in its infancy! Please check in regularly to see new photos and findings!!
If you would like to take a pledge to donate towards this project, feel free to
contact the African Amphibian Conservation Research Group!!!
The charismatic frog
The Pickersgill's Reed Frog (Hyperolius pickersgilli) is a small to medium sized, illusive hyperoliid not exceeding 29 mm (23 mm for males) snout-vent length. Males emit soft, insect-like chirps from their perched positions in dense reedbeds, which is believed to be the reason for this frog’s late discovery. This species is globally red listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered (CR) due to its limited and severely fragmented distribution. It occurs within a region that has been, and continues to be, heavily impacted by anthropogenic transformation for urban, agricultural and industrial development.
The impactful project
Information on the effects of atmospheric variables on calling activity of anurans is essential when using surveys to detect frog species for management and research and for monitoring temporal changes in breeding activity over time as a result of climate or other short term weather change. Atmospheric conditions act as cues for the commencement of the breeding season which is advertised by calling males and therefore affect calling behaviour. Using atmospheric variables to optimise acoustic surveys have been tested in other species, but these variables vary between species.
The committed aim
Novel new passive recording equipment now enables us to gather daily information on frog communities in remote areas. This study will complement the data from the previous study (see Publications) and therefore contribute to the understanding of critical ecological processes underlying frog distribution and the effects of seasonal changes and extremities (e.g. droughts, floods, and temperature variations) on breeding events, therefore providing insight on medium-term changes in H. pickersgilli populations. We are also implementing the calls of males to generate population size estimates in this species in order to find better, faster and more effective means for conserving this species.
The dedicated team
Within the Afrotropical realm, South Africa is the eighth country in terms of proportion of native species in a threatened category (nearly 18%). However, of the 118 species currently reported in the Red List for South Africa, 51 are endemics, of which 18 (35%) are in an IUCN threatened category. To this end, the African Amphibian Conservation Research Group (AACRG), North-West University, Potchefstroom was established in 2002 to address the deficiencies in conservation research of southern African amphibians in an effort to direct innovative research initiatives, often through international collaborative programs. Key focus areas includes: amphibian conservation, citizen science, urban ecology, frog acoustics, parasitology, disease ecology and host-associated microbiomes. This project is run by Dr. Donnavan Kruger, member of the AACRG - a team dedicated to the conservation of frogs in Africa.
The devoted funders
Stiftung Artenschutz and the Amphibian Conservation Fund by Zoos and private participants in the German-speaking region approved funding to assist with equipment and running expenses. Donate here towards the Amphibian Conservation Fund!
