Frogs, Fire, and Fynbos: Restoring Mountain Biodiversity

Thank you so, so much!! And I will dearly miss the Lowcountry and all the wonderful people, pets, and wildlife (and drama??) of the woods and marshes!

Miss? You're a backer! You're part of this research project now! ;)

WOW!!!! Yes!! Put on your hiking boots!!!

Emanuele, your contribution is hugely appreciated!! Thank you! I am throwing my mind and heart into it!

Thank you Kim! I think I'm going to have to buy much roomier SD cards than the one I have....

Hang on for the ride! :-) It will be a little bit of everything!!

I love you! How could I have gotten this far without you? Every step of the way.

Katie thank you so much!!! I'm super grateful for your support <3

Thanks Amy!! I trust you're having a blast back at Umass! Can't wait to keep y'all updated!!

Go South Africa!!! :D Amazing country!

Thanks Oscar! I love putting them together!

I'm on it!!

Molly, that's not a question! You can give a lecture on waterfowl management in the USA!

Innumerable stories and awesome research to come, Huston!

For sure, Andrew!! Thank you so much! I'm looking forward to posting as often as possible!

Thanks Julie!!! Get ready for a virtual adventure! :D

Hey Jason, Their situation is actually pretty interesting compared to ours. Fynbos did have a long period of fire exclusion in the 1900s--the policy was to contain or extinguish any fires that started. However, the natural fire regime in fynbos is that it burns relatively infrequently, but the wildfires are large. Evidence suggests that even though they now conduct prescribed burns to reduce fuel loads, most of the fynbos still burns via unplanned fires. In fact, the concern is that fire frequency is actually increasing due to increased urban populations! So the fire exclusion policy hasn't necessarily resulted in hotter fires; the pine invasions are actually the more serious problem, as they fuel more intense fires. It's a super fascinating comparison for sure. I also found it interesting to consider that over here, we tend to have development scattered throughout our fire-prone western forests. Over there, the fynbos landscapes are often isolated by development.

Thank you Jason! Best wishes for your research also!

Yes Hilda!! Please follow my updates! When I come back, I will be ready to give another presentation :)

Thank you so much Jillian!!! You know I still use the Amethystine python bookmark you made for me....

I will see about rephrasing the project goals to accommodate this request

Thanks Bonnie, you're the best!

Good question! Unfortunately we don't know anything about how fires affect these frogs (that's my job! ;-) , or how far they can move. If the seeps (where groundwater "leaks" from the ground) are in good condition, the frogs should be able to take shelter in the water or the moist banks. But pine trees use a lot more water than the fynbos plants. So if pines have caused the seeps to dry, it would not only endanger the frogs' breeding habitat, but also lessen the availability of shelter from fires. Pine needles fuel hotter fires too.

Thanks to all of you!

Believe me, Mary and Jan, when I find the frogs, there is going to be a massive flurry of pictures and video! We'll see if two years is enough to master even a fraction of the floral taxonomy!

Cheers to that, Amen! :D