The British Herpetological Society

The Herpetological Journal is the Society's prestigious quarterly scientific journal. Articles are listed in Biological Abstracts, Current Awareness in Biological Sciences,Current Contents, Science Citation Index, and Zoological Record.

 ISSN 0268-0130

2021 Impact Factor from Clarivate for the Herpetological Journal is 1.194, an increase of 0.332 from 2020.


pdf 03. Long term decline and potential for recovery in a small, isolated population of natterjack toads Bufo calamita

889 downloads

Open Access

pp.119-124

Authors: L. Vincent Fleming , Barbara Mearns And David Race

Abstract: Changes through time in a small, isolated population of natterjack toads on the Solway Firth are reported. The area and linear length of coastline occupied by the colony have declined since it was first described in 1849. The colony now occupies less than 20% of its former range. The rate of decline has increased since the 1960s and has continued into the present decade. This decline has been accompanied by losses of breeding pools and habitat which can be directly attributed to anthropogenic changes in land-use. Comparison of aerial photographs between 1 946 and 1 988 show, amongst other changes, a major loss (>60%) of coastal sandy grassland, favoured by natterjacks, to agricultural intensification and to the recreational development which now surrounds the colony. Recent population monitoring ( 1 986-1 995) shows a failure of recruitment in five of the six years before 1991. During this period the annual peak counts fluctuated between nine and thirty adult males, well below a previous estimate in 1976 of 100 males. Artificial excavation of breeding pools in 1991 resulted in the subsequent production annually of large numbers of toad lets. A peak count of 79 males in 1 995 probably reflects the recruitment to the breeding population of these cohorts and gives the first indication of recovery in this population. Re-occupation of the former range is no longer possible. The expansion of the colony to areas of suitable habitat away from the native site, but with no previous records of natterjacks, is discussed.

Download Access:

The latest 8 issues can be downloaded when logged in with a Herpetological Journal subscription membership.

Individual articles can be purchased for download.

Older issues and occasional Open Access articles are available for public download

Submissions:

For further information and submission guidelines please see our Journal Instructions to Authors

pdfBHS Ethics Policy

IMPORTANT NOTE - JUNE 2020

Please note that as from Volume 31 Number 1 (January 2021) on, the Herpetological Journal will be available as an online publication only - the last print edition will be Volume 30 Number 4.   

Aligning with this change, it is now no longer possible to purchase a subscription that includes a print copy of the HJ.  All members who have existing HJ print subscriptions that remain active as at end June 2020 will receive the full four 2020 print editions.  New subscribers or renewals after this time will only have option to subscribe to the online only subscription package.  Subscription pricing has been amended to reflect the content changes.

 

Search Publications