Several demographic studies focus on amphibian population trends in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. New data on amphibian distributions in various other parts of the country are also presented and genetical aspects of amphibian population biology are examined. Several chapters consider extensive monitoring of anuran populations, sampling methods for terrestrial salamanders, and surveying of amphibian larvae. The known and probable effects of forestry, acid precipitation, pesticides, disease, global warming, and ultra-violet radiation on amphibian populations are examined. The volume concludes with a general discussion of amphibian population declines, identifying the problems and seeking answers with current information on the status of each of the 43 species of amphibians found in Canada.
All chapters are peer-reviewed and have abstracts in French and English.
The manuscript copy of the book has been submitted for review and, if accepted, will be a joint publication of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles and the Canadian Association of Herpetologists in the new book series Herpetological Conservation. It will be available in June 1996. Participants discussed calling amphibian surveys, larval surveys, desert and other dry land surveys, and terrestrial salamander surveys. Several papers presented information on the effects of UV-B radiation on amphibian eggs and larvae, and all reported on the harmful effects on amphibians of this component of sunlight. The consensus among those present was that some Canadian amphibian populations were definitely in decline, but that declines were attributable to known rather than unidentified factors.