Passive Integrated Transponders: An effective marking technique for individual identification of Anaxyrus fowleri?

With the rise of fungal disease such as Chytridiomycosis causing massive population declines for many species of frogs and toads (order Anura), specific conservation strategies are needed now more than ever. In many cases, being able to mark and identify individuals is a necessary step in developing an effective conservation plan. Individual identification allows researchers to obtain accurate population estimates, which are needed to test the progress and validity of conservation management decisions. However, due to their unique life history, including cutaneous respiration, Anurans are among the most difficult wildlife species to effectively mark for individual identification. In a mesocosm study, we are testing Passive Integrated Transponders (PIT) tags on Anaxyrus fowleri in western Kentucky to determine if PIT tags are a safe and effective marking technique for this and related species. In 2023, we implanted PIT tags directly into the body cavity of Anaxyrus fowleri, resulting in low tag retention. This led us to implant the tags subcutaneously in 2024, and that experiment is ongoing. We predict that tag retention will increase with subcutaneous implantation when compared to body cavity implantation. Additionally, we predict that there will not be any significant body condition or survival differences between PIT-tagged toads and the control (visual ID) group.