ORAL PRESENTER TITLE: Weather weirding and urban amphibians: How two anurans respond to drought in Chicagoland ABSTRACT: Across the Midwest, efforts to restore and revitalize wetland habitats focus on vegetation and hydrological regimes because they determine community composition and ecosystem function. Restoring adequate hydroperiods is a challenge under normal circumstances and especially difficult within the context of climate change, which is predicted to affect the amount and timing of precipitation. Here I report on breeding responses of Boreal Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris maculata) and American Toads (Anaxyrus americanus) to periods of drought and consecutive years of early dry down, 2020-2023, within preserves that are undergoing restoration. One preserve has permanent and temporary wetlands; others have only temporary wetlands. Results show that in preserves with only temporary wetlands, P. maculata calling activity reduced each year following drought while A. americanus only showed minor reduction. However, in preserves with both temporary and permanent wetlands there was no change in calling activity. In 2021 and 2023, extreme precipitation in mid-summer refilled some wetlands; I documented delayed and repeated breeding by these species when wetlands refilled. Furthermore, 15 years of data from the Calling Frog and Toad survey suggest that late breeding by American Toads and Boreal Chorus Frog is rare but not unusual. Overall, this study highlights the importance of habitat heterogeneity to ensure landscapes and fauna are resilient to climate change. Landscape restoration efforts should ensure wetlands with temporary and permanent hydroperiods are accessible to wetland fauna, creating a metacommunity that can thrive in ‘wet years’ and persists in ‘dry years.’ BIO: Melissa Youngquist is a research biologist at Shedd Aquarium. She studies the response of wetland communities, mainly amphibians and invertebrates, to habitat restoration in the Chicagoland region. She also teaches a college course on Freshwater Ecology and serves on the advisory board for Midwest Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.