Appendix 1. Meta-information for the local and landscape parameters used to investigate variation in egg-mass abundance of spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) at 49 vernal pools in southeastern, New Hampshire, USA.

Parameter / Calculation / Source / Instrument / Software / Mean / ± / SE / Range
Canopy cover / NA / field data / spherical densitometer / 75.6 / ± / 2.7 / 21 / - / 95
Conductivity (µS) / NA / field data / Oakton con10 series conductivity meter / 155 / ± / 30 / 2 / - / 975
Hydroperiod / # of fortnights between ice-out and pool-drying date / field data / NA / 9.7 / ± / 0.47 / 5 / - / 15
pH / NA / field data / Orion model 230A pH meter / 5.02 / ± / 0.11 / 3.91 / - / 7.66
Appendix 1 continued.
Vernal pool area (ha) / NA / NWIa,b,c / ArcView GIS 3.3 / 0.12 / ± / 0.01 / 0.06 / - / 0.41
Distance to the nearest vernal pool (m) / straight-line distance between the closest points on the perimeters of the focal pool and the nearest neighboring vernal pool / NWI / ArcView GIS 3.3 / 263 / ± / 33 / 5 / - / 764
Distance to the nearest road (m) / straight-line distance between the closest points on the perimeter of the focal pool and the nearest paved road / NH Public Roadsc,d / ArcView GIS 3.3 / 145 / ± / 27 / 1 / - / 664
Number of vernal pools 300 m / # of vernal pools within 300 m of the focal pool / NWI / ArcView GIS 3.3 / 2.1 / ± / 0.3 / 0 / - / 9
Number of vernal pools 1000 m / # of vernal pools within 1000 m of the focal pool / NWI / ArcView GIS 3.3 / 7 / ± / 0.7 / 1 / - / 22
Appendix 1 continued.
Percent of occupied neighboring vernal pools 1000 m / (# of vernal pools, within 1000 m of the focal pool, in which the species was present / total # of vernal pools within 1000 m of the focal pool)*100 / Field data / NA / Wood frogs: / 35.4 / ± / 3.9 / 0 / - / 100
Spotted salamanders : / 32.1 / ± / 3.8 / 0 / - / 100
Percent forested land 300 m / (total area of forest within 300 m of the focal pool / total area within 300 m of the focal pool)*100 / Land Use 1998c,e / ArcView GIS 3.3 / 70 / ± / 3 / 17 / - / 99
Percent forested land 1000 m / (total area of forest within 1000 m of the focal pool / total area within 1000 m of the focal pool)*100 / Land Use 1998 / ArcView GIS 3.3 / 68 / ± / 2 / 37 / - / 93
Continuous forest area 300 m (ha) / single largest area of contiguous forest within 300 m of the focal pool / Land Use 1998 / ArcView GIS 3.3 / 17.7 / ± / 1.2 / 1.9 / - / 34.3
Appendix 1 continued.
Continuous forest area 1000 m (ha) / single largest area of contiguous forest within 1000 m of the focal pool / Land Use 1998 / ArcView GIS 3.3 / 115.3 / ± / 11.2 / 2.1 / - / 286.0
Road density 300 m (km/km2) / total length of paved roads within 300 m of the focal pool / total area within 300 m of the focal pool / NH Public Roads / ArcView GIS 3.3 / 2.87 / ± / 0.23 / 0 / - / 6.17
Road density 1000 m (km/km2) / total length of paved roads within 1000 m of the focal pool / total area within 1000 m of the focal pool / NH Public Roads / ArcView GIS 3.3 / 2.31 / ± / 0.13 / 0.85 / - / 5.45
Percent residential 300 m / (total area of residential land within 300 m of the focal pool / total area within 300 m of the focal pool)*100 / Land Use 1998 / ArcView GIS 3.3 / 13.1 / ± / 1.6 / 0 / - / 34.9
Appendix 1 continued.
Percent residential 1000 m / (total area of residential land within 1000 m of the focal pool / total area within 1000 m of the focal pool)*100 / Land Use 1998 / ArcView GIS 3.3 / 11.2 / ± / 1.0 / 0 / - / 36.8

a Supplemented by field data.

bNWI = U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetland Inventory Maps

cObtained from University of New Hampshire, ComplexSystemsResearchCenter, GRANIT database

dNH Public Roads = GIS layer showing location of state, local, and selected private roads for the state of New Hampshire, USA

eLand Use 1998 = GIS layer showing land use for Strafford and Rockingham County, New Hampshire, USA

Appendix 2.A priori models used to evaluate the relative importance of within-pond, isolation, and landscape variables on breeding activity of spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus). All models were tested for both species.

Model Name / Parameters Included
global / all parameters
Local-scale Models
hydroperiod / hydroperiod
road distance / distance to nearest road
distance to nearest vernal pool / distance to nearest vernal pool
local: # pools / # pools 300m
local: forest cover / % forest 300m
local: forest patch size / continuous forest 300m
local: residential cover / % residential 300m
hydroperiod + road distance / hydroperiod, distance to nearest road
mixed local: forest cover / hydroperiod, % forest 300m, # pools 300m, distance to nearest road
mixed local: forest patch size / hydroperiod, continuous forest 300m, # pools 300m, distance to nearest road
Appendix 2 continued.
local: isolation / % residential 300m, distance to nearest road, road density 300m,
distance to nearest pool, # pools 300m
with-in pool / hydroperiod, conductivity, pH, focal pool area, canopy cover
Landscape-scale Models
landscape: # pools / # pools 1000m
landscape: % of occupied pools / % occupied pools 1000m
landscape: forest cover / % forest 1000m
landscape: forest patch size / continuous forest 1000m
landscape: residential cover / % residential 1000m
landscape: isolation / % residential 1000m, distance to nearest road, road density 1000m,
distance to nearest pool, # pools 1000m
Mixed-scale models
hydroperiod + forest / hydroperiod, % forest 1000m
total wetland isolation effect / # pools 300 and 1000m, distance to nearest vernal pool, % occupied pools 1000m
mixed scales / hydroperiod, distance to nearest road, continuous forest 300m, % forest 1000m
Appendix 2 continued.
road density / road density 300 and 1000m
total road effect / distance to nearest road, road density 300 and 1000ma
hydroperiod + road density / hydroperiod, road density 300 and 1000m
hydroperiod, forest, + road / hydroperiod, % forest 1000m, distance to nearest road
hydroperiod, forest, + isolation / hydroperiod, % forest 1000m, % occupied pools 1000m
hydroperiod, forest, isolation, + road (a) / hydroperiod, % forest 1000m, # pools 1000m, distance to nearest road
hydroperiod, forest, isolation, + road (b) / hydroperiod, % forest 1000m, % occupied pools 1000m, distance to nearest road
hydroperiod, forest, isolation, + road (c) / hydroperiod, % forest 1000m, # pools 1000m, road density 1000m
hydroperiod, forest, isolation, + road (d) / hydroperiod, % forest 1000m, % occupied pools 1000m, road density 1000m
hydroperiod, forest, isolation, + road (e) / hydroperiod, continuous forest 1000m, # pools 1000m, distance to nearest road
hydroperiod, forest, isolation, + road (f) / hydroperiod, continuous forest 1000m, % occupied pools 1000m,
distance to nearest road
hydroperiod, forest, isolation, + road (g) / hydroperiod, continuous forest 1000m, # pools 1000m, road density 1000m
hydroperiod, forest, isolation, + road (h) / hydroperiod, continuous forest 1000m, % occupied pools 1000m, road density 1000m

Notes:a 300 m and 1000 m are the radii of the buffer areas used to examine landscape variables.

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