Species' traits drive amphibian tolerance to anthropogenic habitat modification

Abstract Anthropogenic habitat modification is accelerating, threatening the world's biodiversity. Understanding species' responses to anthropogenic modification is vital for halting species' declines. However, this information is lacking for globally threatened amphibians, informed primarily by small community‐level studies. We integrated >126,000 verified citizen science observations of frogs, with a global continuous measure of anthropogenic habitat modification for a continental scale analysis of the effects of habitat modification on frogs. We derived a modification tolerance index—accounting for anthropogenic stressors such as human habitation, agriculture, transport and energy production—for 87 species (36% of all Australian frog species). We used this index to quantify and rank each species' tolerance of anthropogenic habitat modification, then compiled traits of all the frog species and assessed how well these equipped species to tolerate modified habitats. Most of Australia's frog species examined were adversely affected by habitat modification. Habitat specialists and species with large geographic range sizes were the least tolerant of habitat modification. Call dominant frequency, body size, clutch type and calling position (i.e. from vegetation) were also related to tolerance of habitat modification. There is an urgent need for improved consideration of anthropogenic impacts and improved conservation measures to ensure the long‐term persistence of frog populations, particularly focused on specialists and species identified as intolerant of modified habitats.