Global loss of wetlands has significantly reduced the habitat available for amphibians. Various organizations now regularly construct wetlands to provide areas for amphibian reproduction and larval development. To support wetland taxa, including federally-endangered salamanders, numerous ponds have been constructed in Southern Ontario. We examine natural and constructed ponds to address three questions: 1) What environmental variables govern the presence of salamander larvae in ponds?, 2) What environmental variables predict relative abundance of salamander larvae?, and 3) Do constructed ponds match the habitat needs for salamander larvae as observed in natural ponds? Presence of larvae was associated with high canopy cover and crayfish burrow presence, whereas catch-per-unit-effort increased with the amount of leaf litter in the substrate and presence of submergent vegetation. Constructed ponds had less canopy cover, less leaf litter in the substrate, warmer water, and fewer contained submergent vegetation. Larvae were caught in only 33% of constructed ponds, and catch-per-unit-effort was ~4-10x lower than in natural ponds. Constructed ponds on Pelee Island therefore require additional restoration support or naturalization before they are of substantial conservation value to salamanders. Protecting natural breeding sites remains critical for amphibian conservation, as created ponds may not adequately alleviate the loss of this habitat.

全球湿地的丧失已大大减少了两栖动物的栖息地。现在，各种组织定期建造湿地，以提供两栖动物繁殖和幼体发育的区域。为了支持湿地生物群，包括受到联邦威胁的sal，在安大略省南部建造了许多池塘。我们研究天然池塘和人工池塘，以解决三个问题：1）哪些环境变量控制sal中的幼虫的存在？2）哪些环境变量预测predict中的相对丰度？3）人工池塘是否满足栖息地的需求在天然池塘中观察到的幼虫？幼虫的存在与高冠层覆盖和小龙虾洞穴的存在有关，单位面积捕捞量随基质中叶片凋落物的数量和淹没植被的存在而增加。人工池塘的冠层覆盖较少，基质中的叶子凋落物较少，水温较高，而被淹没的植被较少。幼虫仅被捕获在人工池塘的33％中，单位捕获量比天然池塘低约4-10倍。因此，在对sal鱼具有实质性保护价值之前，Pelee岛上的人工池塘需要额外的恢复支持或归化。保护自然繁殖地对于两栖动物的保护仍然至关重要，因为人工池塘可能无法充分缓解该栖息地的丧失。幼虫仅被捕获在人工池塘的33％中，单位捕获量比天然池塘低约4-10倍。因此，在对sal鱼具有实质性保护价值之前，Pelee岛上的人工池塘需要额外的恢复支持或归化。保护自然繁殖地对于两栖动物的保护仍然至关重要，因为人工造出的池塘可能不足以减轻该栖息地的损失。幼虫仅被捕获在人工池塘的33％中，单位捕获量比天然池塘低约4-10倍。因此，在对sal鱼具有实质性保护价值之前，Pelee岛上的人工池塘需要额外的恢复支持或归化。保护自然繁殖地对于两栖动物的保护仍然至关重要，因为人工池塘可能无法充分缓解该栖息地的丧失。