Greater Glasgow pond amphibian surveys 2022

In 2019, Clyde Amphibian and Reptile Group (CARG) decided to organise a spring 2020 common frogspawn (Rana temporaria) survey of the Greater Glasgow area, Scotland. The COVID-19 lockdown postponed this project until 2022. The 2022 survey area was spread across four council districts: Glasgow City, South Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire. The primary aim of the surveys was to collect records of amphibian breeding throughout the Greater Glasgow Area, with secondary aims of: (1) revisiting the ponds to see if the ponds supported the spawn through to tadpole and froglet stages; (2) assessing the condition of the ponds for amphibians; (3) identifying areas for habitat enhancement work; and (4) collecting data on breeding common toads (Bufo bufo) and newts (Lissotriton, Ichthyosaura and Triturus spp.). A total of 45 volunteers participated in the surveys. Surveys were completed between March and May 2022, with a primary focus between March and April in order to capture frog spawning data. Surveyors were asked to record amphibian population data, and habitat data in order to estimate Habitat Suitability Indices. In total 162 ponds were surveyed, with evidence of breeding common frogs found in 66.1% of ponds with 11,478 frogspawn clumps counted on the first set of surveys. Only 12.2% of ponds were found to contain common toads, and small newts (Lissotriton spp.) were identified in only 7.4% of ponds. In relation to the quality of breeding habitat, 24.5% of ponds were assessed as drying out annually, which significantly reduces the suitability of these ponds for breeding. This figure is predicted to increase with anthropogenic climate change reducing the number of breeding ponds available to amphibians in the absence of intervention. Furthermore, the majority of the ponds surveyed were assessed as offering poor or below average suitability for great crested newts (Triturus cristatus) and nearly half of the ponds surveyed were found to have poor or bad water quality, which can increase stress levels for larval amphibians and may adversely affect mortality levels. However, as the analysis of water quality was subjective, these findings should be treated with caution.