Download or read book Local and Landscape scale Controls on the Distribution and Abundance of a Headwater Stream Salamander written by Winsor Hayes Lowe and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Individual Population and Landscape scale Effects of Timber Harvest on the Red legged Salamander Plethodon Shermani written by Grant McClintock Connette and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Habitat loss and alteration are widely recognized as major threats to global biodiversity and the vulnerability of animal species to these disturbance processes can depend on the behavioral responses of individuals to modified landscapes. In response to a changing environment, individuals may either attempt to adapt to changing conditions or disperse to new habitat. At the local scale, the emigration of individuals or changes in activity patterns could lead to reduced counts of animals in ecological studies. At broader spatial scales, organismal movement may enable population rescue or reestablishment after disturbance and maintain demographic connectivity among populations. These complex mechanisms underlying the perceived abundance and distribution of species often requires a careful deconstructing of demographic trends and sampling variation in ecological data. Lungless salamanders (Family Plethodontidae) are extremely abundant in many forest and headwater stream ecosystems of eastern North America. These salamanders breathe across their moist skin surface, making them sensitive to fluctuations in temperature and moisture conditions. Thus, changes in habitat characteristics are known to have a considerable effect on populations of these salamanders. However, studies identifying the behavioral or demographic causes of declines as well as patterns of long-term recovery are critically needed. My dissertation research combined behavioral, population and landscape-scale studies to identify the effects of timber harvest on a lungless woodland salamander (Plethodon shermani). The primary objectives of my research were to 1) to describe the short-and long-term effects of timber harvest on salamander abundance and 2) to determine the behavioral or demographic processes dictating the abundance and distribution of salamanders at both local and landscape scales. To characterize baseline population dynamics of the salamander, P. shermani, I conducted a 5-year capture-mark-recapture study which revealed substantial annual variation in survival, recruitment, and population size under natural conditions. Initial results suggest that differences in recruitment and over-winter survival might be responsible for the lower abundances of terrestrial salamanders in logged areas at the end of this study. In an experimental translocation of salamanders into a timber cut and nearby forest habitat, I found that salamanders respond to differences in habitat quality by altering their movement behavior. This type of behavioral shift might help mitigate the risk of sustaining activity in recently logged forest. In an additional study, I tracked salamanders using a PIT-tag telemetry system in order to identify mortality, rather than emigration or reduced activity, as the likely cause for perceived declines in salamanders immediately following timber harvest. Finally, in a series of landscape-scale surveys, I found that salamander abundance was positively correlated with forest age (i.e., years since harvest), that full population recovery can require greater than 100 years, and that populations of species with greater movement ability may recover faster due to immigration of individuals from surrounding forest. Collectively, these studies identify key behavioral and demographic processes responsible for observed changes in salamander populations and suggest specific strategies for conservation and management.
Download or read book Spatial Variation in the Abundance Demography and Physiology of the Montane Endemic Salamander Plethodon Shermani and the Consequences of Climate Change written by Meaghan R. Gade and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As climate change marches on, it is imperative to understand how species respond via distribution, abundance, physiology, and behavior to their environment present-day in order to inform possible responses in the future. Populations of species exist across heterogeneous environments that may differentially influence particular responses. The scale at which these responses are assessed must be considered because patterns can emerge at a local scale that may not be detectable at broader scales. Yet, only assessing local-scale patterns and responses neglects the broader landscape patterns that ultimately shape fine-scales. Montane biodiversity experience extreme abiotic variation over small spatial scales. To increase our understanding of how these gradients influence wildlife across scales, my research examines the patterns of distribution, abundance, demographic life-history traits, behavior, and physiology in the red-legged salamander, Plethodon shermani, across multiple abiotic gradients in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The primary objectives of my research are to (1) understand the effects of spatial patterns on ecological responses of P. shermani and (2) use that knowledge to predict how responses will change in the future. Terrestrial Plethodon salamanders lack lungs and depend on cool and moist microhabitat to facilitate gas exchange across their skin surface. As such, salamanders are restricted to specific habitats. We know that salamander abundance increases with elevation due to the cool and moist regional climate at high elevations. However, my research investigates the role of both elevation and stream distance gradients as broad and fine-scale abiotic gradients, respectively, that salamanders may be responding. Although low elevations are regionally warm and dry, microhabitats near streams are buffered and tend to be cooler and wetter. I found that salamander distribution and abundance track these landscape patterns such that at low elevations, animals are distributed in their highest abundance near stream sides but become less dependent on stream-side habitat at high elevations due to the regionally cool and moist habitat. Salamander life history also varies across these gradients; survival decreases with elevation but reproductive rates and growth increase with elevation. Both survival and reproduction decrease with stream distance at low elevations, but growth and movement increase with stream distance. I also found that a metric for stress, dermal Corticosterone, (dCORT) was lowest in animals at low elevations and stream distance had no effect. Salamander dCORT additively increased in response to experimental conditions reflective of future climate change. I also found that the surface activity probability of salamanders will likely increase in the future in response to rising temperatures. Using a highly integrative approach, my research collectively shows that salamanders have multi-faceted responses to spatial variation of landscapes and will be impacted by future climate change.
Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 674 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book American Doctoral Dissertations written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 776 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Influence of Multi scale Drivers on Stream Salamander Occupancy Abundance and Reproduction in an Exurban Landscape written by Diana C Macklem and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The number of city-dwelling humans currently exceeds half of the world’s population and is expected to increase in the future (Meyer et al. 2005; Barrett and Price 2014); however, urban development significantly alters the surrounding ecological community. Urbanization increases the amount of impervious surfaces on the landscape, fragments or destroys habitats, produces pollutants and nutrient contaminants, promotes the introduction and invasion of non-native species, increases disease transmission, and alters biotic communities (Allan 2004; Bar-Massada et al. 2014). The manifestation of urbanization in stream ecosystems is a number of consistent symptoms collectively known as urban stream syndrome (Walsh et al. 2005; Hamer and McDonnell 2008). Urban streams typically have flashier hydrographs, increased sediment and pollutant loads, and altered channel morphology and stability (Walsh et al. 2005; Hamer and McDonnell 2008). These ecosystem changes reduce biotic richness, leaving a predominance of tolerant, generalist species in urban streams (Walsh et al. 2005; Hamer and McDonnell 2008). Urbanization currently threatens more than one-third of the world’s known amphibian species (Hamer and McDonnell 2008). Urban development has been linked to reduced amphibian species richness, declines in individual species occurrence and abundance, loss of genetic diversity and population isolation, and altered biotic communities and interactions (Hamer and McDonnell 2008; Barrett and Price 2014). Moreover, salamanders make up a considerable portion of the vertebrate biomass in forest and wetland ecosystems (Burton and Liken 1975; Hamer and McDonnell 2008; Barrett and Price 2014). Thus, severe declines or extirpation of salamander populations will have a substantial influence on nutrient cycling and trophic interactions in the riparian ecosystem (Barrett and Price 2014). In southern New England, reforestation has occurred since the 1850’s along with the establishment of low-density residential communities beginning in the 1920’s (Foster 1992). Reforestation plateaued by the mid-1970’s with forest conversion to residential land use resulting in forest loss during the last 20-30 years in southern New England (Jeon et al. 2014). Today, exurban development, defined as human housing density of 6-25 houses per square kilometer (Hansen et al. 2015), dominates the landscape (Foster 1992; Jeon et al. 2014). Despite exurban development being the fastest growing form of land use in the United States since the 1950’s (Hansen et al. 2005), the range of ecological effects that occur within exurban development are not well understood (Bar-Massada et al. 2014). In southern New England, we are just now beginning to understand how wildlife populations persist over multiple decades in this landscape of second growth forest intermixed with exurban development. Addressing the challenges of urban stream syndrome and amphibian declines will require a basic understanding of species-specific amphibian ecology, identification of multi-scale and interactive drivers of population declines, and a multi-scale approach to management (Hamer and McDonnell 2008; Barrett and Price 2014; Semlitsch et al. 2017). Preventing salamander population declines within exurban development requires identifying what features of an exurban landscape influence population dynamics. Thus, I examined the influence of multi-scale drivers on stream salamander occupancy, abundance, and reproduction in the exurban landscape of eastern Connecticut. Moreover, my thesis addresses a recent call for research that examines species-specific responses to urbanization, focuses on gradients of housing development, and highlights the potential legacy effects associated with housing development (Hamer and McDonnell 2008; Barrett and Price 2014). Connecticut is home to three species of stream-dwelling salamander species. The northern spring salamander, Gyrinophilus porphyriticus, is restricted to a few known locations and thus not included here. I focused on the responses of the other two stream salamander species, Eurycea bislineata and Desmognathus fuscus, to a range of exurban housing development densities and ages.
Download or read book Spatial Variation in the Abundance Trophic Ecology and Role of Semi aquatic Salamanders in Headwater Streams written by Philip Robert Gould and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Headwater streams are common features of forested landscape and provide critical resources to near-stream riparian forests and downstream aquatic habitat. In many small streams in the southern Appalachians, often narrow and heavily shaded, these systems are almost entirely dependent on external input of nutrients. The volume and quality of nutrients available to headwater ecosystems varies through space and time, depending on the species of trees present in riparian forests, the time of year, and the rate of litter-processing by invertebrates. Additionally, nutrients are not distributed uniformly through aquatic ecosystems, and may be moved or aggregated by both physical and biological processes. Despite the perceived greater reliance on allochthonous input, there has been little work to identify how wildlife inhabiting smaller streams are facilitating stream nutrient dynamics both within streams and riparian systems. To increase our understanding of the role of animals in headwater streams, my research investigates the patterns of density, biomass, foraging, and excretion in the Black-bellied salamander (Desmognathus quadramaculatus), the largest, most-aquatic species of salamander occurring in fishless headwaters of the southern Appalachians. Desmognathus quadramaculatus forage both within and directly around streams, spending significant amounts of non-foraging time in stream banks or under partially submerged cover objects. Additionally, D. quadramaculatus have a 3-year larval period in this region and require permanent aquatic habitat for larval development.
Download or read book Factors Affecting Abundance Physiology and Fine scale Genetic Differentiation of the Western Slimy Salamander Plethodon Albagula written by William Earl Peterman and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 95 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inferring process from pattern can be a challenging undertaking when dealing with ecological complexity. The distribution and abundance of organisms on the landscape is often interpreted through the lens of competition, movement, or physiology, as well as interactions with the abiotic environment. Further, movement, distribution, and abundance often coincide with favorable abiotic environments such as temperature, moisture, or nutrients. At its core, landscape genetics seeks to identify the spatial processes shaping the observed patterns of genetic diversity across the landscape, but most landscape genetic studies are predominantly exploratory and lack well-established hypotheses. To increase understanding of process-driven patterns in landscape genetics, I studied the western slimy salamander (Plethodon albagula) in east-central Missouri with three specific questions: (1) Where are salamanders on the landscape, and what environmental factors influence local abundance? (2) Is there a physiological constraint underlying the observed patterns of distribution and abundance? (3) How is spatial genetic structure shaped by abundance and physiology across the landscape? I utilized a combination of abundance modeling, spatial quantification of water loss using plaster of Paris models, and landscape genetics analyses to assess the factors contributing to genetic differentiation across a 1300 ha landscape. Plethodontid salamanders are highly sensitive to water loss, in part due to their lack of lungs and cutaneous respiration. I found that abundance of salamanders was best predicted by canopy cover, topographic position (ridge, slope, ravine), and the interaction between wetness and solar exposure. The spatial relationships of these factors are such that abundance is predicted to be highest in forested ravines with lower solar exposure. Plaster models deployed across the landscape served as surrogates for live salamanders to quantify rates of water loss. I found that rates of water loss across the landscape were inversely related to predicted abundance, suggesting that water loss is likely a physiologically-limiting process underlying the distribution of salamanders. Finally, I determined that genetic distances were significantly correlated with ecological surfaces, and that the independent landscape features underlying these processes were poor predictors of genetic differentiation. My results highlight the importance of understanding basic ecological and physiological factors as mechanisms for interpreting spatial genetic patterns.
Download or read book Annual Review of Ecology Evolution and Systematics written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 776 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Riparian Areas written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2002-10-10 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Clean Water Act (CWA) requires that wetlands be protected from degradation because of their important ecological functions including maintenance of high water quality and provision of fish and wildlife habitat. However, this protection generally does not encompass riparian areasâ€"the lands bordering rivers and lakesâ€"even though they often provide the same functions as wetlands. Growing recognition of the similarities in wetland and riparian area functioning and the differences in their legal protection led the NRC in 1999 to undertake a study of riparian areas, which has culminated in Riparian Areas: Functioning and Strategies for Management. The report is intended to heighten awareness of riparian areas commensurate with their ecological and societal values. The primary conclusion is that, because riparian areas perform a disproportionate number of biological and physical functions on a unit area basis, restoration of riparian functions along America's waterbodies should be a national goal.
Download or read book Watershed Hydrology written by Vijay P. Singh and published by Allied Publishers. This book was released on 2003 with total page 588 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book State Museum Bulletin written by University of Washington. Museum and published by . This book was released on 1910 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Urban Wildlife Conservation written by Robert A. McCleery and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-11-11 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the past, wildlife living in urban areas were ignored by wildlife professionals and urban planners because cities were perceived as places for people and not for wild animals. Paradoxically, though, many species of wildlife thrive in these built environments. Interactions between humans and wildlife are more frequent in urban areas than any other place on earth and these interactions impact human health, safety and welfare in both positive and negative ways. Although urban wildlife control pest species, pollinate plants and are fun to watch, they also damage property, spread disease and even attack people and pets. In urban areas, the combination of dense human populations, buildings, impermeable surfaces, introduced vegetation, and high concentrations of food, water and pollution alter wildlife populations and communities in ways unseen in more natural environments. For these ecological and practical reasons, researchers and mangers have shown a growing interest in urban wildlife ecology and management. This growing interest in urban wildlife has inspired many studies on the subject that have yet to be synthesized in a cohesive narrative. Urban Wildlife: Theory and Practice fills this void by synthesizing the latest ecological and social knowledge in the subject area into an interdisciplinary and practical text. This volume provides a foundation for the future growth and understanding of urban wildlife ecology and management by: • Clearly defining th e concepts used to study and describe urban wildlife, • Offering a cohesive understanding of the coupled natural and social drivers that shape urban wildlife ecology, • Presenting the patterns and processes of wildlife response to an urbanizing world and explaining the mechanisms behind them and • Proposing means to create physical and social environments that are mutually beneficial for both humans and wildlife.
Download or read book Stream Corridor Restoration written by and published by National Technical Info Svc. This book was released on 1998 with total page 648 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This document is a cooperative effort among fifteen Federal agencies and partners to produce a common reference on stream corridor restoration. It responds to a growing national and international interest in restoring stream corridors.
Download or read book Stream Ecology written by J. David Allan and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Running waters are enormously diverse, ranging from torrential mountain brooks, to large lowland rivers, to great river systems whose basins occupy subcontinents. While this diversity makes river ecosystems seem overwhelmingly complex, a central theme of this volume is that the processes acting in running waters are general, although the settings are often unique. The past two decades have seen major advances in our knowledge of the ecology of streams and rivers. New paradigms have emerged, such as the river continuum and nutrient spiraling. Community ecologists have made impressive advances in documenting the occurrence of species interactions. The importance of physical processes in rivers has attracted increased attention, particularly the areas of hydrology and geomorphology, and the inter-relationships between physical and biological factors have become better understood. And as is true for every area of ecology during the closing years of the twentieth century it has become apparent that the study of streams and rivers cannot be carried out by excluding the role of human activities, nor can we ignore the urgency of the need for conservation. These developments are brought together in Stream Ecology: Structure and function of running waters, designed to serve as a text for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and as a reference book for specialists in stream ecology and related fields.
Download or read book A Natural History of Amphibians written by Robert C. Stebbins and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 1997-01-26 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amphibia, the animal group that includes frogs, toads, salamanders, and caecilians, contains more than 4,500 known living species and new ones are being discovered continuously. This book focuses on the natural history of amphibians worldwide, how interaction with their environment over time has affected their evolutionary processes and what factors will determine their destinies. 37 photos. 52 line illus.
Download or read book How Much Habitat is Enough written by Graham K. Bryan and published by Environment Canada. This book was released on 2004 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
