Poster Presentation/Lightening Talk Australian Freshwater Sciences Society Conference 2022

Stream frogs and flow: using traits and functional groups to develop flow requirements (#152)

Daniel W Coleman 1 , Rebecca J Wood 1 , Michael Healey 1
  1. NSW Department of Planning and Environment, Wollongong, NSW, Australia

Stream frogs are dependent on river flows and in-channel stream habitats for their survival. River flows support reproduction, juvenile development, food resources and maintain suitable habitats for all life stages. However, there has been no effort to identify and develop the environmental flow requirements needed to support the conservation of stream frogs. We analysed 8 species’ traits and undertook a systematic review to develop flow-based functional groups and general flow requirements for stream frogs. Our study identified 51 stream frogs, which were broadly split into 4 traits-based groups using an agglomerative hierarchical clustering analysis. These groups were then refined into 2 main functional groups (facultative and obligate stream spawners) and 5 subgroups using the trait analysis and flow related literature. The 15 obligate stream spawners were identified as the group most sensitive to flow alteration due to their dependence on flow-dependent stream habitats. We have established general flow requirements for these functional groups as a tool to guide environmental flows. This is the first comprehensive examination of the importance of flows for stream frogs and has identified critical research and validation required to improve our understanding of stream frog responses to flows. We recommend future conservation actions consider the flow requirements of stream frogs in decision making to ensure adequate environmental water is provided to support key life-stages.Â