Spatial Ecology of the Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) in Indiana

Burgmeier, Nicholas G.; Sutton, Trent M.; Williams, Rod N.

doi:10.1655/herpetologica-d-10-00027.1

Cited by 38 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Given their fully aquatic life history, longevity, highly permeable skin and reliance on cool and well-oxygenated water (Guimond & Hutchison, 1973), hellbenders are often considered an indicator of long-term in-stream habitat quality. Hellbender populations have declined precipitously across the species historic range (Wheeler et al, 2003;Foster et al, 2009;Burgmeier et al, 2011;Graham et al, 2011;USFWS, 2011). Hellbenders are typically associated with cool, swiftflowing streams surrounded by forested landscapes and substrate and water quality alterations associated with deforestation are considered to be primary drivers of declines (Smith, 1907;Nickerson & Mays, 1973;Williams et al, 1981;Wheeler et al, 2003;Briggler et al, 2007).…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current land use is a poor predictor of hellbender occurrence: why assumptions matter when predicting distributions of data‐deficient species

Jachowski

Millspaugh

Hopkins

2016

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim Understanding species distributions is fundamental to effective conservation planning. Data deficiency is common among rare and imperiled species and poses challenges for conservation planning because status assessments become reliant on scant data that can introduce bias. We used occupancy modelling to evaluate support for commonly accepted, but previously untested, hypotheses regarding factors that drive the occurrence of an imperiled and data-deficient amphibian, the eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis). We investigated the potential for mismatch between areas likely to be identified as having high conservation priority based on the common assumption that hellbender occurrence corresponds to areas of high forest cover and those identified by well-informed models.Location South-west Virginia, USA.Methods We conducted triplicate surveys to detect C. alleganiensis in 49 stream reaches stratified across a land use gradient and two major drainages. We used a Bayesian multimodel framework to investigate factors associated with C. alleganiensis occupancy. We used the best-performing models to predict probability of occupancy at the scale of a 50-m stream reach throughout our study area and identify areas most likely to be occupied.Results Occurrence of C. alleganiensis was explained primarily by differences in underlying geology and topography (i.e. physiography) and negative effects of agriculture were only modestly supported. Best-performing models suggested 35% of our study area was occupied. Our findings suggest that predictions from models informed by presence-only data and current land use would likely underestimate C. alleganiensis occupancy by as much as one-third and incorrectly classify over half the currently occupied area to be of little importance to the species.Main conclusion Our study highlights the potential danger of assuming that the distribution of data-deficient species can be approximated using untested, but commonly accepted, species-habitat associations.

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Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current land use is a poor predictor of hellbender occurrence: why assumptions matter when predicting distributions of data‐deficient species

Jachowski

Millspaugh

Hopkins

2016

Diversity and Distributions

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“…The poisson maximum was set to 360, while the Poisson-Veroni tessellation was set to 1,080 (which is at least three times our sample size) as per Guillot et al 2005 [58]. We set the spatial coordinate uncertainty (delta.coord value) in GENELAND to 0.0004 decimal degrees based on mean linear home-range of eastern hellbenders [29] to account for errors in individual GPS coordinates and variance in movements of individuals within rivers. The uncorrelated allele frequencies model was selected to accommodate potential uneven, clumped sampling across a relatively large area between rivers and prevent overestimation of K [45], especially when the true K is unknown [59].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overall the magnitude of F st values between populations were congruent with geographic proximity, i.e., geographically proximate rivers and connected rivers within the same watersheds yielded lower F st values. The moderately low F st values between geographically proximate populations were somewhat unexpected as eastern hellbenders are very sedentary and highly philopatric [67], [29]. Adults are documented to move infrequently throughout the year (mean = ∼14 mean movements per year) over relatively short distances (mean = ∼28 m; [29]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The moderately low F st values between geographically proximate populations were somewhat unexpected as eastern hellbenders are very sedentary and highly philopatric [67], [29]. Adults are documented to move infrequently throughout the year (mean = ∼14 mean movements per year) over relatively short distances (mean = ∼28 m; [29]). Conversely, eastern hellbender populations from the peripheral portions of the range (specifically, Missouri rivers and Western Branch of the Susquehanna in Pennsylvania) were consistently differentiated from the remainder of the North American population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many “at risk” hellbender populations are composed of older age classes with little to no signs of recruitment and have the potential for significant losses of genetic diversity due to small population sizes. It also is thought that isolated demes of hellbenders may be susceptible to the Allee effect [26], especially considering that individuals are often restricted to intra-river movements [24], [27], [28], [29]. Due to ongoing conservation concerns, it is imperative to elucidate the genetic consequences of these demographic declines observed in eastern hellbender populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Population Genetics of the Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) across Multiple Spatial Scales

et al. 2013

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Conservation genetics is a powerful tool to assess the population structure of species and provides a framework for informing management of freshwater ecosystems. As lotic habitats become fragmented, the need to assess gene flow for species of conservation management becomes a priority. The eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) is a large, fully aquatic paedamorphic salamander. Many populations are experiencing declines throughout their geographic range, yet the genetic ramifications of these declines are currently unknown. To this end, we examined levels of genetic variation and genetic structure at both range-wide and drainage (hierarchical) scales. We collected 1,203 individuals from 77 rivers throughout nine states from June 2007 to August 2011. Levels of genetic diversity were relatively high among all sampling locations. We detected significant genetic structure across populations (Fst values ranged from 0.001 between rivers within a single watershed to 0.218 between states). We identified two genetically differentiated groups at the range-wide scale: 1) the Ohio River drainage and 2) the Tennessee River drainage. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) based on landscape-scale sampling of basins within the Tennessee River drainage revealed the majority of genetic variation (∼94–98%) occurs within rivers. Eastern hellbenders show a strong pattern of isolation by stream distance (IBSD) at the drainage level. Understanding levels of genetic variation and differentiation at multiple spatial and biological scales will enable natural resource managers to make more informed decisions and plan effective conservation strategies for cryptic, lotic species.

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A portable Raspberry Pi‐based camera set‐up to record behaviours of frogs and other small animals under artificial or natural shelters in remote locations

Groffen,

Hoskin

2024

Ecology and Evolution

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We describe a Raspberry Pi‐based camera system that is portable, robust and weatherproof, with a close‐up focus (2.5 cm). We show that this camera system can be used in remote locations with high rainfall and humidity. The camera has an Infrared LED light to film in dark places and can continuously record up to 21 days (504 h). We also describe how to make concrete artificial shelters to mount the camera in. One of the great strengths of this shelter/camera set‐up is that the animals choose to take up residence and can then be filmed for extended periods with no disturbance. Furthermore, we give examples of how shelters and cameras could be used to film a range of behaviours in not only many small cryptic amphibian species but also other small vertebrates and invertebrates globally.

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Spatial Ecology of the Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) in Indiana

Cited by 38 publications

References 21 publications

Current land use is a poor predictor of hellbender occurrence: why assumptions matter when predicting distributions of data‐deficient species

Current land use is a poor predictor of hellbender occurrence: why assumptions matter when predicting distributions of data‐deficient species

Population Genetics of the Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) across Multiple Spatial Scales

A portable Raspberry Pi‐based camera set‐up to record behaviours of frogs and other small animals under artificial or natural shelters in remote locations

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