Evaluating Sierra Nevada Yellow‐Legged Frog Distribution Using Environmental DNA

Genetic tools that identify species from trace DNA samples could supplement traditional survey methods to clarify distributional limits of rare species. For species with legal habitat protection, elevational limits of distributions are used to determine where management actions may affect endangered species. The endangered Sierra Nevada yellow‐legged frog (Rana sierrae) generally is found down to 1,370 m, but in the Plumas National Forest, California, USA, there are a number of historical records below this elevation, resulting in protections extending to 1,067 m. This species is phenotypically similar to the foothill yellow‐legged frog (R. boylii), with which it occasionally hybridizes. We used a combination of genetic methods to investigate the fine‐scale distribution of the Sierra Nevada yellow‐legged frog in the Plumas National Forest. We collected and analyzed environmental DNA (eDNA) samples from all accessible lower elevation sites with records of Sierra Nevada yellow‐legged frog (n = 17) and swabbed 220 individuals for genetic identification from 2016–2018 to clarify the distribution of this endangered species. We created a climatic suitability model using the validated Sierra Nevada yellow‐legged frog records and current (1970–2000) climate models to assess additional highly suitable localities for Sierra Nevada yellow‐legged frog presence using eDNA capture. We did not confirm detection of Sierra Nevada yellow‐legged frog eDNA at any historical sites and identified all swabbed individuals from below 1,370 m (n = 144) as foothill yellow‐legged frogs. We located a new Sierra Nevada yellow‐legged frog site (at 1,919 m) during surveys guided by the climatic suitability model. It does not appear after extensive eDNA and genetic sampling that the Sierra Nevada yellow‐legged frog occurs below 1,370 m in this portion of their range at present. Our results show that eDNA sampling can be used as an effective management tool to evaluate historical locations and previously unknown suitable localities for current presence of a species of interest. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Wildlife Society.