Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Predicting And Mapping Plethodontid Salamander Abundance Using Lidar-Derived Terrain And Vegetation Characteristics, Marco Antonio Contreras, Wesley A. Staats, Steve J. Price

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Aim of the study: Use LiDAR-derived vegetation and terrain characteristics to develop abundance and occupancy predictions for two terrestrial salamander species, Plethodon glutinosus and P. kentucki, and map abundance to identify vegetation and terrain characteristics affecting their distribution.

Area of study: The 1,550-ha Clemons Fork watershed, part of the University of Kentucky’s Robinson Forest in southeastern Kentucky, USA.

Materials and methods: We quantified the abundance of salamanders using 45 field transects, which were visited three times, placed across varying soil moisture and canopy cover conditions. We created several LiDAR-derived vegetation and terrain layers and used these …