Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 3 of 3
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
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
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 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 …