Wednesday, April 16, 2014

The following is guest post by Briana Cairco, a freshman at Clemson University enrolled in Dr. Barrett's Creative Inquiry course focused on amphibian conservation.

My name is Briana Cairco, I’m a freshman wildlife and
fisheries major and entomology minor at Clemson University in South Carolina.
This semester I’ve have the wonderful opportunity to take a Creative Inquiry
class studying the effects of exurbanization on salamanders in Appalachia. As
you may or may not know, the Appalachian Mountains are home to more species of
salamander than any other place on earth, so there is no better place to study
salamanders than in our own backyard.

So, what is exurbanization? Exurbanization is basically
urban sprawl, people like having the amenities of the city, but want to live in
a more rural area. So, land outside of cities is developed to provide easy
access to the city, and a more natural environment to live in. This process may
be the best of both worlds for humans, but these exurban communities can
decimate the ecosystem they’re in. These communities may not seem so bad at
first glance, but when you consider the sedimentation from the construction,
the runoff from fertilized lawns, the increased salinity from road salt, and so
many other factors that impact the streams, the threat these communities pose
to amphibians is very real. Our goal this semester is to sample streams with a
varying exposure to these developments in order to determine the effects
exurbanization has on the salamander population as a whole.

Within our group each person is conducting his or her own
research on a related topic. I chose to research the relationships between
species of macroinvertebrates and species of salamanders. I will be using the
salamander data we get and collecting data on the variety of invertebrates and
looking at any correlation between the two. Salamanders are the top predator in
these streams that we are examining, so when their populations suffer it is
safe to assume that the invertebrate community will change as well. Either they
will increase because they aren't being hunted, or they will decrease because
whatever is threatening the salamanders is threatening them too.

Certain species of both invertebrates and salamanders are
more sensitive to environmental changes. When we look at the data between sites
with different water quality readings it would be interesting to see if any of
the species seem to be sensitive to particular variables. Between sites with similar
water quality, results may show which invertebrate and salamander species have
interdependent relationships. There are so many variables in these sites that
it could be hard to say whether particular species have a special relationship,
but it would be really interesting if for example, sites with caddis fly larvae
as the predominant invertebrate also seemed to have the most black belly
salamanders. Maybe this study could show if the salamanders have a favorite
food, or it could just show which invertebrate and salamanders have similar
habitat preferences.

The task is a little daunting since there are so many things
out of our control, the invertebrate populations will be affected by the
season, so I will have to take into account the breeding period for the species
we find. Also, the size of invertebrate
is important a small stream could support thousands of tiny stonefly larvae,
but obviously not as many hellgrammites. So instead of just comparing the
numbers, I’ll need to compare changes in species abundance between sites.

I will be using this identification
key from Auburn University to identify the invertebrates by order, then by
their feeding group. There are four feeding
groups; shredders, which rely on dead plant and animal material,
scrapers/grazers, which eat living plant matter and algae, predators, which eat
other invertebrates, and collectors/filterers, which filter fine material from
the water. Most stone fly larvae are
shredders, except for families Perlidae, Chloroperlidae, and Perlodidae which
are predatory, and have obvious physical differences. The mayfly larvae we will
encounter will be collectors, except for family Heptageniidae which are
scrapers, and are also easy to differentiate because they appear to have no
head. The caddis fly larvae are more
difficult to differentiate so since the majority of species are scrapers, any
caddis fly larvae will be classified as a scraper. The megalopterans (like
hellgrammites) are predators; as are both dragonfly and damsel fly larvae. I
think these feeding groups will be helpful in connecting stream quality and
both salamander and invertebrate abundance.

I’m really excited to start sampling, and I haven’t seen any
articles about the relationships between certain invertebrates and salamander
species yet, so I have no idea what to expect.

The following is guest post by Will Gallman, a freshman at Clemson University enrolled in Dr. Barrett's Creative Inquiry course focused on amphibian conservation.

I am a
freshman studying in the field of Wildlife and Fisheries Biology. The Landscape
Ecology of Appalachia creative inquiry (CI) interested me because it
seemed related to some of science fair projects I completed in high school, and because I was ready to start learning applicable field techniques. The
research we are doing as a whole is designed to see how the long term effect of
ex-urban development in the mountains is affecting salamander populations in
first order streams. Each student also has an individual research project that
we are to complete alongside the main research. My individual project, will be determining
whether elevation influences the relative abundance of salamanders.

So far for
most of this course, because of cold weather, we have been reading and discussing
existing research papers. I have benefited greatly from this, because I have learned
research methods along with a plethora of things about salamanders and other
amphibians. These papers also have helped us narrow the topics for personal
research. The research topic I chose didn’t directly relate to any of the
papers, but the papers offered ideas on the types of research that can be done.

I originally
had a couple of different ideas for research but narrowed it down to studying how
elevation influences the abundance of salamanders. During a summer ecology
experience, I went on a trip where we learned about and caught terrestrial
salamanders. I learned, based on the elevation, certain species of salamanders
are more commonly found. From this information, along with recent research, I
developed my topic. Knowing that certain species are more common based on
elevation I wanted to see if elevation influenced the relative abundance. I
will gather the elevation data of the testing sites from the GIS mapping
system, and determine the abundance from the actual amounts and species of
salamanders found in the field work. Currently, I do not have enough data to
make any predictions because we have only sampled two locations.

We recently
went on a weekend trip to sample test sites in Highlands, North Carolina. I
learned about different factors that can influence data collection, the methods
used in the research, and learned both salamander and vegetation
identification. The weather conditions that we experienced on this trip were
far less than ideal. One of the sampling days it rained and was overcast; leading
to low visibility and detectability. It also increases the water level and
stream flow. The second day we did not sample due to snow being on the ground. In
addition to looking for salamanders at each site, we also measure the pH,
conductivity, temperature, vegetation, stream bed composition, and percent
undercut banks. All of these variables are measured within each five meter
sampling stretch, which are separated by ten meter resting periods. In my
personal research project I will also record the elevation of the test site,
calculate the relative abundance at each site, and analyze the data in order to
make a conclusion on my personal research project.

This
Creative Inquiry provides undergraduates with an opportunity to participate in field research that
may not be done in classes. The personal projects give us the opportunity to
design and conduct our own research, which is a very important skill in the
Wildlife and Fisheries Biology field. I have learned much more actually going
out in the field and doing things related to this class than I have in a
lecture. This class gives us the opportunity to apply methods learned in class
to the field: an imperative skill to have when entering the professional world.

The following is guest post by Kevin McLeroy, a senior at Clemson University enrolled in Dr. Barrett's Creative Inquiry course focused on amphibian conservation.

After two months of participation in Clemson’s Creative
Inquiry project on salamanders, I have learned exactly how much work goes into
designing a research project. These first weeks spent on this project have been
dedicated to developing an understanding of why salamanders are important to
our ecosystems, how they can indicate the quality of the environment they live
in, and what effects humans can have on them.

Our group’s research, directed by Clemson University
graduate student Nathan Weaver, focuses on the effects of urbanization on the
populations of salamanders. Our weekly meetings have focused on other research
projects related to salamanders, such as what kind of stream habitats they
prefer, the effects of buffer zones around the streams they live in, and
effects of UV radiation on amphibian eggs. Reading and discussing these papers
not only gave us some background information about amphibian ecology, but they
also gave us an understanding of the details involved with designing a research
project. Besides the actual field research, you have to find your research
sites, get permission from landowners to use the sites, and make sure they are
suitable for your project.

The main reason that salamanders are so intriguing is their
ability to indicate the state of the environment. Salamanders are useful in
this regard because their skin, like most amphibians, is very permeable, which
means that chemicals from the surrounding environment will get into their
bodies more easily. In addition to their permeable skin, salamanders also live
8-10 years, so they can show the long term environmental history of their
habitat. Because salamanders live in aquatic habitats, they are directly
affected by changes in water temperature, depth, and pollution.

On March 1, 2014, our group went with Nathan to inspect some
of the field sites. Before the trip, Nathan used GIS to find first order
streams located within these exurban developments. It was an all-day adventure
spent driving around the Highlands, North Carolina area where a good amount of
the field sites are located and making sure they are suitable. Unfortunately
some of the sites we had planned to use were unavailable because they were
located on private roads. It was important to make these trips in advance of
our research because if the majority of the field sites were unsuitable, then
our research would not be credible.

Our first sampling trip did not go as we had planned. The
heavy rain in Highlands, North Carolina went on for most of the day, which
decreases the detectability of the salamanders. Because salamanders live in
aquatic habitats, they are more likely to hide in the event of rain as to not
be swept away by the current. However, we sampled one stream and found barely
any salamanders, but another stream we sampled yielded many Blue Ridge
Two-Lined Salamanders. These salamanders are better adapted to lower levels of
dissolved oxygen, so they persist in urbanized streams. However, the fact that
only one species was detected speaks to the lack of species diversity caused by
exurbanization.

Everyone has different ways of loving nature, and
increasingly more people are flocking to private mountain communities with
stunning views and beautiful golf courses. However, most people living in these
communities do not realize the impact that their homes are having on the
environment. These communities have changed the landscape, and we will see the
effects of this in the coming years.

For my personal project within the creative inquiry, I
wanted to focus on the direct effect that water quality would have on the
populations, but I have reconsidered and now want to address stream
composition. When these communities are built, actions are taken to alter the
direction of stream flow, which results in undercut banks, different stream bed
composition, and different vegetation around the bank. Since salamanders prefer
to live under rocks on the stream bed, I would like to see what effects the
redirection of streams has on the abundance of species.

I am excited for all of the future sampling trips and
continuing to learn more about the effects of exurbanization on salamanders!

The following is guest post by Meghan McDevitt, a junior at Clemson University enrolled in Dr. Barrett's Creative Inquiry course focused on amphibian conservation.

Every summer, my family would pack
into our car and drive ten or so hours to the Appalachian Mountains. North
Carolina is where I spent my childhood when I wasn't in Pennsylvania. I have
such a love for this place and all of the diverse wildlife. The mountains
seemed to come alive when we would go out hiking or rock hopping, and I was
mesmerized by the amount of rainfall every summer. Starting at a young age, my
brothers introduced me to the world of amphibians and aquatic insects. We would
spend all day looking for big salamanders and "crawdaddys," enjoying
all that nature had to offer. This passion for the outdoors has been carried
throughout my life and has led me to where I am today: in a science-based
major, studying salamanders and ecology in my free time. Going to the mountains
feels like going home and I get to do this with an awesome creative inquiry.

My interest was enhanced when I entered middle school. When most were taking
normal classes with all the other students, I was with 40 sixth and seventh
graders in a program called Streamwatch. This was a two-year curriculum for
those passionate about the sciences. We got to learn about watersheds, plant
life, invertebrates, and various information about stream studies, as well as
course subjects. This was heaven for me; I got to spend two years with such
interesting students, dressing up as caddisflies and mayflies, changing fish
tanks, and best of all, studying streams. Every other week, we took trips to
our local watershed system and performed fieldwork in the streams. This was my
first experience with hands on research and I loved it. While everyone else was
a bit hesitant around the worms and larvae, I was immersed in the algae and
macro invertebrates. It wouldn't be a field trip if I didn't come home covered
in algae and dirt. The data collected went to the Chester County Parks system,
and we'd collect all sorts of information from stream flow to pH and salinity.
This is what sparked my interest in stream ecology.

The passion for science continued throughout my school years, resulting in me
taking biology twice in high school (just because I enjoyed it so much) and
being a teacher's assistant for biology. Coming to Clemson, I knew I wanted to
be doing hands on research and be active in the field. Though I got off course
switching from Biological Sciences to Engineering, I got right back on track
Sophomore year changing to ENR: Conservation Biology. This is exactly what I
can see myself doing in the future and is right up my ally. When I heard about this
creative inquiry, it was like stepping back into my six year old self. I was
ecstatic to be working with salamanders in the mountains, fusing both my
passions and interests into one course. So far, I have thoroughly enjoyed the
class. The students are all open-minded, interesting, and nice people. We work
well together and can get things done while still having fun. Going out to
sites is also such a great experience because we get a feel of what it's like
to perform research in the field. This creative inquiry has opened my eyes to
all sorts of topics to work in and I am so thankful for the opportunity. I love
being able to use my plant taxonomy skills and acquire even more knowledge
about wildlife biology, stream ecology, and the Appalachians. I am looking
forward to the more semesters to come with this class as well as the research
over the summer. This is such an interesting research topic and I will
definitely apply it to real life situations, for example, reminding my family
about this issue and making changes at our mountain house to prevent any more
damages.

Monday, March 31, 2014

The following is guest post by Randi Sims, a sophomore at Clemson University enrolled in Dr. Barrett's Creative Inquiry course focused on amphibian conservation.

Today in our society whenever an environmental topic appears
in conversation it always seems to be followed by the words: “global warming”
or “fossil fuels”. Very few times, if ever, does the general public talk about the
issues facing wildlife or, more specifically, amphibians. If these people are
not discussing problems with amphibians it’s also a pretty safe bet that they
are not saying anything for an even more specific amphibian: a salamander.

My name is
Randi Sims and I am part of a diverse group of individuals at Clemson University who are trying to give
these creatures their voice in our world. This group is a Creative
Inquiry class specifically focused on how exurbanization (or the movement
of individuals from a more populated to a less populated area) in the
Appalachian Mountains is affecting salamanders. Each one of us are developing
and researching our own questions regarding amphibian and stream conservation.
It is through this that we hope to make a difference in the way exurbanization
is conducted.

Before
describing my own project, I feel that it is necessary to give a little
background on salamanders. As an environmental science major I have always
heard of these little creatures, but never truly understood what their
influence was on the environment or why they were of such importance to stream
ecology. The honest truth is that this is one of the first things I should have
known going into my major. For those of you who are unaware of how an ecosystem
works, this is the simplest explanation I can give: it’s very much like a
house, it takes many sturdy parts to build a strong, sound structure. Each
organism down to the smallest micro invertebrate is a like a brick to that
house, and once you take one brick out it becomes much less stable, threatening
to fall. In this comparison, the streams are like this house and the
salamanders in it are the foundational bricks. By taking them out, almost every
thing else collapses around them.

Salamanders
are not only important to the stream ecosystem, but also to our own lives. One
of the things many individuals who live near watersheds find to be an issue is
a large mosquito population. While this may not seem like too much of a problem,
it is a large annoyance to many people and even a safety concern when taking
into account diseases like Malaria. Scientists Robert
Brodman and Ryan Dorton have quantified the affect that salamanders have on
the populations of these insects around riparian habitats. In their research,
they discovered that one particular type of salamander (the Tiger salamander or
Ambystoma tigrinum) removes 144
mosquitos for every one salamander larvae (2011). Seeing that one clutch of
salamander eggs can contain as many as fifty viable larvae, this can mean a lot
of mosquitoes are being removed by these amphibians, keeping their population
size in check (Gopurenko,
Williams, McCormick, DeWoody, 2006).As you can see, these are just two
of the ways that salamanders impact both the ecosystems and our own lives.
Unfortunately, though, we are also impacting them, but not in a good way. In
developing my project I have learned that there are a lot of factors in
exurbanization that threaten delicate ecosystems in these areas and the
organisms in it; specifically our amphibian friends. My project looks in detail
at one aspect of it: stream flow. While it may seem like something that means
little to nothing to the average person, all of the debris, sediment, and trash
building up in the streams from construction are causing huge changes in this
factor. It is my goal of this experiment to look at specifically how their
young are being affected by a change in stream flow. To me this is one of the
most interesting and maybe even important parts of the overall question of
affects of exurbanization, however as my classmates can concur, it is only one side
effect of what we are starting to see is a much larger issue.Throughout the course of this
creative inquiry class my peers and I hope to make a real difference in the
lives of these creatures and, consequently, our own. We are only halfway
through the semester and already forming our projects, as well as preparing for
even more in-depth research. All of us are extremely excited about this class
and our progress in it, and hope to keep you posted on our upcoming
experiments!