Jack Schuller | 2026 I.S. Symposium
Name: Jack Schuller
Title: The Elevational Distribution of the Golden Treefrog and its Bromeliad Host on El Tucuche, Trinidad
Major: Biology
Advisors: Richard Lehtinen and Hilary Edgington
Many montane endemic species throughout the Neotropics are at risk of extinction due to anthropogenic climate change, however many of these species lack data to sufficiently assess this. One such species is the golden treefrog (Phytotriades auratus, Hylidae). This is a phytotelma-breeding frog species, known to spend its entire life cycle within the giant arboreal bromeliad (Glomeropitcairnia erectiflora, Bromeliaceae). This study aims to uncover the elevational distribution of the frog species, so that its extinction risk can be properly assessed. Audio recorders were deployed throughout the north and south trails of El Tucuche, Trinidad at various elevations, using the vocalizations of P. auratus as an ecological biomarker. These deployments also included data loggers that track the temperature and humidity throughout El Tucuche. After three months of deployment on El Tucuche, 14 P. auratus vocalizations were detected on the north side of the mountain at 900 m, while one vocalization was detected at the peak. A positive correlation was also found between P. auratus detections and G. erectiflora count. This study offers a baseline of data on the elevational distribution of the golden treefrog, as well as the environmental conditions at different elevations of El Tucuche. This can be used by future studies to assess the shift in the range of P. auratus, as well as any changes in the environmental conditions of its natural habitat. This project also reveals the urgent need for conservation action in P. auratus and G. erectiflora.
Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.
