Salamander Chronicles

Salamander, Evolution, and Awesomeness

 

Well, I had some WordPress issues and I lost all my previous blog posts.  Luckily, I had a cached version and I re-posted all of them and I will keep a better record of my posts in case this happens in the future.

First a quick update of all the boring stuff from the last few months.  The fall semester was spent primarily applying for grants.  In total I submitted around $60,000 worth of grant applications.  I have already received $750 worth of funding from the Ohio GSS (I also received rejections from two other applications), but overall I am confident I will at minimum have enough money to comfortably be in the field May-August in 2013.  I also advanced to candidacy which means I can mostly focus on research for the remainder of my time at Ohio University.  Finally, I recently updated my website with some new content and changed the style around a bit.   The most important update was the addition of a new photo page which will display photo from all of my travels and field seasons.

 

The past few months included a few entertaining research activities including a trip to Vancouver, BC for the 7th World Congress of Herpetology and a quick 5 day trip down to my field sites to collect data loggers.

 

The World Congress of Herpetology was a great experience.  I flew into Berkeley, CA and drove up to Vancouver, BC with the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology crew. I obviously enjoy conferences for the exposure to cutting edge research, but it is also great to catch up with friends that are scattered all over the world.  Because I am so late on this update I will just include some photos I took at the World Congress including an awesome tailed frog (Ascaphus truei) we found before we drove back to California.

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I will post about my fall field work in the next couple days.  The adventure includes bears, elk, and damaged expensive equipment!  So much fun!

 

 

AUGUST 2012

First off, this is long over due. As soon as I returned from this trip I had to get ready for my next trip to the west coast for the World Congress of Herpetology (post to come later) hence the delay in my final summer field work update.

Round two of 2012 field work started on July 16th at the Peaks of Otter Campsite off of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.  I was lucky enough to have the assistance of the wonderful Kaili Boarman during this stretch of work. This trip was a long sprint, bouncing from field site to field site.  We did not stay at any site more than 2 days and we typically moved every day to  a different campsite. Quick outline of the schedule:

  • July 16th – 18th: Peaks of Otter and Rocky Knob, Blue Ridge Parkway National Park, Virginia
  • July 18th – 19th: Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee
  • July 20th – 21st: Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina
  • July 22nd – 26th: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina

There were three primary goals for this trips:1) place data loggers along the Blue Ridge Parkway and in the Great Smoky Mountains, 2) collect more preliminary data, and 3) scout new field sites for next season.

The first part of the trip was a blast from the past as I had visited these sites 6 years ago on a John Carroll herpetology class field trip. My main goal was to find the Peaks of Otter salamander (Plethodon hubrichti).

However, I did not realize until too late that the Peaks of Otter salamander is primarily found in areas adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We were able to find a few species in micro-habitat plots such as this red spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) and a two-lined salamander (Eurycea cirrigera), but the Peaks of Otter salamander evaded us. We did however see a pretty cool moth outside the bathroom of the campsite.

Me+mothKaili_fieldwork_1

 

Moth

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On our way out of Peaks of Otter we stopped at a location I had in my class field notes from 2006. Surprise, surprise, several Peaks of Otter salamanders with only a couple minutes of searching! I will need to get some additional permits for next year apparently.

Plethodon_hubrichiti_1 Plethodon_hubrichiti_2

 

Rocky Knob was at too low of an elevation to easily find salamanders in the middle of July so we simply placed a data logger station and continued on to Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee to a location I had not been to before. We stayed at a nice quiet campsite called Backbone Rock right next to a stream . It was right next to a road but still very peaceful.

River_near_Cherokee_2River_near_Cherokee

 

 

 

I was hoping to find Weller’s (Plethodon welleri) and Yonahlossee (Plethodon yonahlossee) salamanders in this area, but because it was the middle of July I was not disappointed when we did not find any. Next year should be much more productive as I was also able to find some known localities from researches I met on the trip. We found some common species, collected some much needed preliminary data, and saw some gorgeous mushrooms (photo taken by Kaili).

 

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We also had a visitor stroll up on us while collecting data on Iron Ridge Trail, a big black bear! I was bent over recording soil moisture for one of the plots when my assistant Kaili noticed something down the trail. “Vinny, there’s a bear.” said in the calmest voice possible. I looked down the trail and noticed what had to be a 350+ lb bear walking into the trail and starting to head towards us. My immediate reaction, “How can I hide all this expensive equipment very quickly”. Luckily, as soon as the bear realized we were there he took off down the hill faster than I thought was physically possible. It was a nice adrenaline rush.

Next we headed to yet another area I had never been before, Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina. Unfortunately, the majority of the sites I had permission to use for research were lower elevation so I was not able to collect as much data as I would have liked. However, I was able to scout several new locations for next year at higher elevations including locations near Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi river. We found several cool species and I am very excited about working in these areas next spring. It was especially cool to see Plethodon montanus right next to Desmognathus sp..

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The final leg of the trip was spent back in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We needed to set up 4 data logger stations as well as collect as much data as possible in only 4 short days. Once again we stayed at Purchase Knob which was a great treat after a week of camping. We also saw some cool non-salamander animals such as some gorgeous butterflies on a pile of dung and a basking garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis).

 

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We returned to the majority of field sites that I visited earlier in the summer and found many of the same species with one additional surprise species, spring salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus)! Kali flipped the spring salamander under some bark 50 feet from a stream. It was a nice change after the large quantities of small PlethodonEurycea, and Desmognathusspecies typically encountered (last four photos).

 

Me+GyrinophilusEurycea_wilderae_2

 

 

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Overall this was another great trip. I was able to gather some preliminary data (not as much as I would have liked, but enough). I was also able to set up all of my data logger stations. Finally, I was able to scout new locations to ensure next year is very productive. Most importantly I was able to figure out issues with my original data collection methodology and fix a lot of minor problems. Those minor problems could have compounded and made next year a nightmare if I was not able to address them in a limited field season such as the one I had this year.

Just a few of the problems I plan on fixing before next year include getting permission to collect tissue samples to ensure correct identification of all salamanders (Desmognathus sp. can be tricky!), setting up a solar panel charging station to help with powering my equipment without requiring staying at a motel or finding an outlet to charge all my devices, obtaining more storage space for my car to keep my equipment better organized, and most importantly making adjustments to the variables I record to maximize the potential of the data I collect. I am very excited for next year all ready!

I will end this post like I ended my first field work post, with a few panorama shots from the trip.

 

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JUNE 2012

Well, this will certainly be a very busy summer.

My goal is to scout my field locations and to collect some preliminary data.  Most data collection will be limited to higher elevation field sites because lower elevation salamanders are much less active and primarily not on the surface during these hot/dry summer months. As a result of delayed permits and the World Congress of Herpetology I am limited to 3 weeks of field work.  This first stretch lasted from June 11th-June17th and was fairly successful.

The trip started with a 7 hour drive to the Crosby campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Cosby is on the Tennessee side and is at a fairly low elevation (~650 m).  As both a pro and a con, it was raining when I arrived at the campground (pro for salamanders /con for setting up my tent). I was greeted with a nice box turtle crossing the road leading to the campground as I arrived most likely moving because of the nice warm rain.

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During some intermittent dry spells I managed to get my tent set up.  I must say that my camping gear is very nice and is especially ideal for hiking because it is very light and easy to setup.  However, because it is so light the tent is a tad on the cramped side, which is certainly worth the portability, but was a tad annoying due to the limited head room while trying to sneak out in the rain to grab gear .

The first two days were mildly disappointing.  Cosby was at a lower elevation so there were fewer salamanders to find under cover objects.  It was also stressful being in a new environment and trying to get to appropriate locations to collect data.  In what was equivalent to only 24 hours at Cosby I only found 3 salamanders and only 1 of those was within one of my microhabitat plots.  I was also stung by 6 wasps after I found my first salamander. This was not encouraging.

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I was also testing out a new data entry method (for me).  I wanted to use my ASUS transformer prime tablet to enter all my data in the field using Memento.  This app would allow me to sync with Google docs which I can then copy directly into my Access database when I get back to my computer.  This may sound like over kill, but in reality it saves time and helps prevent errors.  If I were to use typically data sheets (which I have as a backup) then it is possible for me to make mistakes when originally writing down the data and then when typing the data into the computer.  However, by using the tablet I am only entering the data once.  Additionally, the use of the a database to store my data also helps prevent errors.  I can create the database to have requirements for each field.  For example, if I am entering species names, if I misspell a name, I can make it so Access will send me an error, or if I enter a GPS coordinate that falls out of a specific range I will also get an error message.  So, together, the use of the tablet in the field and a database to store my data at home greatly reduces potential user error and should help prevent problems during data analysis.

 

 

 

There were some nice views at Cosby and it was still enjoyable even if the salamanders were few and far between.

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Lucky for me, high elevation sites were in the works for the next 4 days…

During the remaining 5 nights I would be staying at Purchase Knob Research Station on the North Carolina side of the park.  I knew nothing about Purchase Knob before arriving so I was not expecting anything too fancy.  Well, I was mistaken.  The station was big, clean, comfortable, and had an amazing view.  Besides myself there were only 4 other researchers at the station.  Additionally, they were doing night surveys (of salamanders, because everyone loves salamanders) so essentially I had the place to myself every night.  The one downside was that driving to my sites took almost 3 hours round trip every day.

Enough about the lame non-salamander stuff.  I visited 4 field sites in higher elevation locations (>900 m).  Each field site produced a cornucopia of salamander abundance and diversity.

The first site I visited was the Thomas Ridge trail off of route 441 that runs straight through the park and connects North Carolina and Tennessee.  This site was over 1400 m so I was really hoping for some Plethodon jordoni.  Much to my enjoyment I found a P. jordoni under the first log I flipped.

 

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Things were looking up.  After setting up my 1 m plot and collecting microhabitat data I managed to find another P. jordoni in the plot!  The disappointment from the first 2 days was quickly fading. I was able to complete 4 plots and found several more P. jordoni.  The last plot however produced something that I was dreading a little, a nice Desmognathus.  Now, if you know salamanders, you know the species of the Desmognathus genus are quite difficult to identify.  I am pretty sure that given the elevation I was at that this was a Desmognathus ocoee however I am not confident on that assessment.

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The 2nd day I went to a slightly lower elevation site on Beech Gap Trail off of Straight fork road.  This site was deeper into the park and was in the proximity of a couple streams.  This meant I was about to find a bunch of Desmognathus. One of the species that I am fairly confident in my identification is the Pygmy Salamander (D. wrighti).  I found several of these little guys during the trip. This species is quite small, hence the name, and they also are known to climb during night time forging.

 

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As an example of how dense salamanders are in the Smokys I actually found a Pygmy Salamander crawling INTO my Pelican Case of equipment!  I think he wanted to contribute to my data collection.  I told him that he had to be in one of my plots for me to use him and I let him on his way.

 

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On the drive out to my third high elevation location I was able to see 7 radio tagged elk on the side of Heintooga Ridge Road.  One of the park staff was in the process of locating the elk and I was able to chat with him for a bit.  Apparently, there are around 140 elk in the region which were recently reintroduced to the area and a small chunk of them are radio tagged.  I felt pretty lucky to have seen these 7 does as well as a bull elk I saw on the Blue Ridge Parkway the previous day.

 

 

 

 

 

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I specifically chose the third site in order to find Plethodon metcalfi. Guess what?  I found a bunch of P. metcalfi! The trail itself has some fair steep slopes so it was not an ideal location but in the few areas I could search for salamanders the P. metcalfi were fairly abundant.I am also fairly certain I found a D. santeetlah.  These finds resulted in no data but my ability to identify salamanders certainly needs improvement so the more hands on contact I get the better I will be at field iding these guys in the future.   I also managed to flip a P. glutinosus, which is common but also very beautiful in my opinion and a nice P. serratus.

 

 

 

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On my final day in the Smokys, for this particular trip, I went to the Road Prong trail on the Tennessee border just off of Clingmans Dome Road.  In retrospect, I wish I had visited this site earlier and spent more time searching.  I found the most species at this site with minimal search effort.

P. jordoni was common at this site to the point that I found one under almost 50% of the objects I flipped, including rocks on the trail itself.  I did not have many other species within my microhabitat plots but some flipping near the trail produced a species I really wanted to see, D. imitator which mimics P. jordoni. The P. jordoni are distasteful and typically avoided by predators whereas the D. imitator are fairly palatable which is why they are hypothesized to mimic P. jordoni. The wholeDesmognathus genus has several odd mimics including salamanders which have red legs, red backs, and red cheeks.

 

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I am also fairly certain I found a D. ocoee (right) and D. santeetlah (left).  These finds resulted in no data but my ability to identify salamanders certainly needs improvement so the more hands on contact I get the better I will be at field iding these guys in the future.

 

 

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In all, the trip was a success.  I was able to collect some preliminary data as well as scout the field sites for data logger placement which I will do in July as well as for next year.  I already know that I will modify my original methods based on my experience this past week.  I had originally planned on simply creating random points and sampling micro-habitat at those locations.  If I found a salamander, great, if not, it was a random absence point.  However, this seems to be a less efficient way of collecting the data.  In higher elevations this would certainly work as almost 50% of the objects I flipped produced salamanders, but in the lower elevations it would not be as easy and I would probably not find enough salamanders. This method would have also ignored times when the salamanders are active.  Therefore, I am going to implement three different micro-habitat assessment types next year, 1) random points, 2) active searching during the day, and 3) active searching at night.  This will allow me to obtain salamander absence points, salamander presence points while under cover, and salamander presence points while active.  I will also be able to refine my methods further after I place long term data loggers in the field.  This will let me gather large quantities of data to determine how many moisture and temperature readings I should be taking and at where I should be taking them.  I just purchased 50 ibutton data loggers and will soon purchase 8 HOBO microstation data loggers with soil moisture sensors.  I will place these in the field in July and return to collect preliminary data in October.  I am very excited about this research and I can not wait to get back out again in July. While placing the data loggers I will also scout field sites in my other locations such as Pisgah National Forest, Cherokee National Forest, and Blue Ridge Parkway National Park.  I am looking forward to another successful trip!

 

I will leave you all with one of the many gorgeous panoramic views that are found all over the Smokys.

 

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