Crawford_2010_Ambystoma_annulatum.xlsx

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to determine the most important variable(s) influencing breeding wetland use by Ringed Salamanders in east-central Missouri, which can subsequently be incorporated into conservation recommendations for this imperiled species. <br>Methods: To determine Ringed Salamander occupancy of potential breeding wetlands, we sampled a total of 38 wetlands during the fall 2010 breeding season (September–October) in east-central Missouri (U.S.A.; 38.6878, –90.7492). Each wetland was sampled for three consecutive nights with six - eight double-throated minnow traps. We identified all amphibians to species and recorded total numbers for each species captured; all animals were then released at the site of capture. For each wetland location, data were collected on four site covariates: (1) FISH – presence/absence of predatory fish; (2) LEAF – leaf litter depth (mm); (3) COV – canopy cover (%); and (4) BUFFER – minimum amount of forest cover between the wetland and an open area. To determine whether a site contained predatory fish, we recorded when fish were captured in the minnow traps used for amphibian sampling. Leaf litter depth and canopy cover were measured at four equidistant points around the wetland (approximately 1 m from the wetland edge) and the four values were then averaged. Leaf litter depth was measured with a hand ruler and canopy cover measurements were taken with a densiometer. To calculate the minimum buffer distance for each wetland, a GPS waypoint was taken at each wetland and subsequently plotted using ArcGIS 10.0 (ESRI, Redlands, CA). The distance between the wetland and nearest open area (agricultural field, paved road, etc.) was then measured. Data layers for land use/land cover were obtained from the Missouri Spatial Data Information Service (http://msdis.missouri.edu/index.htm). Additionally, data were collected on three sampling covariates: (1) PRECIP – amount of precipitation in the 24 hr preceding sampling; (2) AVGTEMP – average temperature in the 24 hr preceding sampling; and (3) TIME – day of survey. Temperature and rainfall data were obtained from the National Climatic Data Center (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov). This research was conducted under MDC permit #14468. This project conformed to the legal requirements for the use of vertebrates in research and animal care methods followed protocols from Guidelines for Use of Live Amphibians and Reptiles in Field Research compiled by ASIH, HL, and SSAR (document can be accessed at: http://www.aaalac.org/accreditation/Guidelines_for_Use_of_Live_Amphibians_and_Reptiles.pdf).