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Full-Text Articles in Aquaculture and Fisheries

West Virginia Streamside Salamander Guilds And Environmental Variables With An Emphasis On Pseudotriton Ruber Ruber, Kathryn Rebecca Pawlik Jan 2008

West Virginia Streamside Salamander Guilds And Environmental Variables With An Emphasis On Pseudotriton Ruber Ruber, Kathryn Rebecca Pawlik

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Amphibian distributions are greatly influenced by environmental variables, due in part to semi-permeable skin which makes amphibians susceptible to both desiccation and toxin absorption. This study was conducted to determine which streamside salamander species were sympatric and how environmental variables may have influenced habitat choices. One hundred sixty streams were surveyed throughout 55 counties in West Virginia during the summer of 2007. At each site, a 10 m 2 quadrat was established around a central aquatic habitat. While surveying, I looked under natural cover objects, in vegetation, and through leaf litter. I recorded species, cover object type, and location on …


Terrestrial Habitat Use Of Marbled Salamanders Ambystoma Opacum: A Site Specific Approach, Frank Piccininni Jan 2008

Terrestrial Habitat Use Of Marbled Salamanders Ambystoma Opacum: A Site Specific Approach, Frank Piccininni

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Habitat destruction, fragmentation and degradation have contributed heavily to the decline of amphibian populations such as Marbled Salamanders (Ambystoma opacum). Often, ambystomatid water resources are conserved without consideration for the equally important terrestrial habitat. This is partly due to a lack of information regarding the relationship between ecological succession, plant community composition, microhabitat and salamander abundance. Three sampling transects consisting of drift fence arrays, vegetation assessments and microhabitat surveys were extended 100 m into the terrestrial habitat surrounding a seasonal wetland at Beech Fork State Park in Wayne County, West Virginia. Principal components analysis was used to identify …


A Continued Study Of The Use Of Created Ponds For Amphibian Breeding In Fragmented Forested Areas, Amy Elizabeth Schneider Jan 2008

A Continued Study Of The Use Of Created Ponds For Amphibian Breeding In Fragmented Forested Areas, Amy Elizabeth Schneider

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Amphibian populations are declining worldwide due to factors such as habitat degradation, fragmentation and destruction. I conducted a study to explore the use of created ponds in a forested habitat by breeding amphibians, specifically Rana sylvatica and Ambystoma maculatum. The objectives were to examine the movement of these animals after leaving the ponds, the survival and movement of juveniles, how both respond to fragmentation, and how similar the created ponds were to natural ones. Nine ponds were constructed in December 2003 in the MeadWestvaco Wildlife Ecosystem Research Forest (MWERF) in Randolph County, West Virginia. All trapped amphibians were measured and …


Comparing Digit Morphology Of An Arboreal Salamander With Potential Competitors, Eric Hugh Diefenbacher Jan 2008

Comparing Digit Morphology Of An Arboreal Salamander With Potential Competitors, Eric Hugh Diefenbacher

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Green Salamanders (Aneides aeneus) are the only salamanders in West Virginia to exhibit an arboreal lifestyle. The focus of this study was to determine the cellular anatomy of the distal digit structures and how these structures may influence climbing ability. Comparative histology, comparative morphometrics, and comparative osteology of Green Salamanders, Cumberland Plateau Salamanders (Plethodon kentucki), and Slimy Salamanders (Plethodon glutinosus), were also used to determine if Cumberland Plateau Salamanders had the potential to compete with Green Salamanders for arboreal habitats. Histologically, Cumberland Plateau Salamanders had cell layer thickening similar to that of Green Salamanders. Morphometrically, Green Salamanders and Cumberland Plateau …


Habitat Comparison Of Pseudacris F. Feriarum And Pseudacris C. Crucifer With Emphasis On Associated Plant Communities And Distribution Of Clemmys Guttata And Pseudacris F. Feriarum In West Virginia, Scott Joseph Albaugh Jan 2008

Habitat Comparison Of Pseudacris F. Feriarum And Pseudacris C. Crucifer With Emphasis On Associated Plant Communities And Distribution Of Clemmys Guttata And Pseudacris F. Feriarum In West Virginia, Scott Joseph Albaugh

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Upland Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris f. feriarum) are a rare species in West Virginia. They occur in aquatic habitats across parts of the eastern and southern U.S. Pseudacris f. feriarum collection records in West Virginia suggest that their distribution is limited to the eastern panhandle and Ridge and Valley region where they are very rare and imperiled. Distribution information is needed for future management strategies. To help conserve this rare species, key life history habits were identified through the investigation of plant communities that are associated with them. Data on Pseudacris f. feriarum distribution in West Virginia was determined by conducting …


A Study On The Population Size And Natural History Of The Eastern Six‐Lined Racerunner, Aspidoscelis Sexlineata, In West Virginia, With Notes On Other Lizard Species, Emmy Johnson Jan 2008

A Study On The Population Size And Natural History Of The Eastern Six‐Lined Racerunner, Aspidoscelis Sexlineata, In West Virginia, With Notes On Other Lizard Species, Emmy Johnson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Species will expand ranges through natural or human‐alterations. Such an occurrence has happened in West Virginia with Eastern Six‐lined Racerunner, Aspidsocelis sexlineata, a species that has been found to thrive in areas of high disturbance from humans. While found abundantly in other states, they are thought to occur only in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia (Morgan County) where they are believed to have come from Maryland via a railroad bridge. Without the bridge, the Potomac River forms a natural barrier between these two states. The objectives of my study were to determine the population size and natural history …