Manipulating waterbody hydroperiod affects movement behaviour and occupancy dynamics in an amphibian

Species that occur in ephemeral habitats such as temporary waterbodies have evolved specific strategies that allow them to respond to spatial and temporal variations in water availability and quality. Their life-history strategies, involving complex life cycles, have evolved to allow individuals to escape deteriorating environmental conditions when a waterbody dries up. These adaptations have led to the emergence of complex movement behaviour, which might then be expected to affect the spatiotemporal dynamics of reproduction. To date, few empirical studies have investigated how the risks of waterbody drying out affects movement behaviour at the individual level and how movement decisions then shape waterbody occupancy dynamics. In this study, we examined this issue in an endangered amphibian, the yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegata). For this purpose, we experimentally manipulated waterbody hydroperiod and collected capture-recapture and presence-absence data in 334 waterbodies located in 15 B.variegata populations in the region of Geneva (Switzerland) during a 5-year period (2012-2016). The results of our analyses reveal that the waterbody hydroperiod affects this species' movement behaviour. Adults were less likely to leave waterbodies with a long hydroperiod both intra- and inter-annually. In addition, breeding occupancy strongly depended on a waterbody's hydroperiod. In particular, interannual changes in breeding occurrence were less frequent in waterbodies with a long hydroperiod. Our findings show that the hydroperiod strongly affects ecological processes at different levels, from individuals' movement decisions to waterbody occupancy dynamics. The results demonstrate that adults adjust their movement decisions according to the risk of breeding failure driven by the hydroperiod, which then affects the waterbody occupancy dynamics.