Evaluation of different research methodologies for acoustic monitoring of anuran populations

Amphibians are important for a wide variety of reasons. However, in recent years their global populations have seen a sharp decline. It is therefore increasingly important to conduct research relevant to their protection and success. The main way this is accomplished with anurans is through the monitoring of male vocalizations. This can take the form of Manual Call Surveys, Automated Recording Systems, or some hybridization of the two. However, selection of the proper research method can be complex and time-consuming, and use of the incorrect method can result in wasted funding and useless data. Very few studies have been recently published comparing the different methods in relation to anurans, and none of them have provided a user-friendly guide for selecting methods. This paper aims to both summarize the wide importance of amphibians and research related to them, as well as provide a simple guide and thought-process for selecting the proper anuran research method. This will be done via a dichotomous key-like guide leading to the method most appropriate for the study of interest