Wetland Mitigation and Amphibians: Preliminary Observations at a Southwestern Illinois Bottomland Hardwood Forest Restoration Site

Much has been written on amphibian declines attributed to habitat loss or fragmentation. Much less is known about the response of amphibians to restoration of wetland habitat. Amphibians were monitored at a series of southwestern Illinois wetland mitigation sites from 1995-1998. By the end of the study period, all seven species of amphibians previously known from the site had been found within restored wetlands, and an eighth species had apparently colonized the site. Amphibian species associated with open sunlit wetlands were the first to enter the mitigation sites and were the most abundant. As trees mature and mitigation sites become more similar to nearby floodplain forest, relative abundances are expected to gradually change. Wetland mitigation sites can provide habitat for many amphibian species; habitat generalists and species tolerant of low levels of disturbance are most likely to benefit