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Crossing Over the Edge in Modified Landscapes: A Framework for Amphibian Studies Linking Occupancy Patterns With Underlying Mechanisms

The impact of habitat loss and modification on amphibians in the tropics is catastrophic. Ecologists must devote their limited time and resources to research that will allow for the most positive impact on the conservation of species into the future. I suggest a framework to aid in organizing research questions that center on understanding the patterns and underlying mechanisms of how species respond to habitat change. The first step is determining which abiotic and biotic factors have changed in the modified habitat compared with the intact habitat. Then, based on species-specific characteristics that mediate the mechanism, we can identify how vital rates of a given species are impacted and lead to the outcome of either growth or decline at the population level. I apply this framework to previous work to examine how breeding site use and tadpole performance contribute to our understanding of mechanisms that underlie occupancy patterns of species across a modified tropical landscape in the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica.