Thinking Like a Salamander: Evaluating habitat use of the Talladega seal salamander (Desmognathus cheaha) in metro-Atlanta headwater streams. Restricted; Files Only
Chang, Nicholas (Spring 2024)
Published
Abstract
Understanding the habitat use of aquatic biota is necessary to predict how species respond to changes in environmental conditions, as well as to identify suitable habitats and restore degraded ones. The Talladega seal salamander (Desmognathus cheaha) of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, USA, was recently split from the well-studied common seal salamander (Desmognathus monticola) found in Appalachia. While extensive studies have evaluated the microhabitat use and community ecology of D. monticola, most of this work did not evaluate what is now known as D. cheaha. We evaluated the habitat use of D. cheaha in 11 metro-Atlanta headwater streams to identify the role of substrate composition, cover object size and position, and the co-occurrence of other salamanders and crayfish, in predicting within-stream occupancy. In addition, we compared temperature, stream morphology, dissolved oxygen, and watershed features to examine salamander occupancy with varying levels of urbanization. Our microhabitat analyses suggest cover object size and the presence of another species to be strong predictors of fine-scale occupancy, but that these factors may be dependent on each other. We did not detect an effect of substrate composition on fine-scale distribution. Larger seal salamanders tended to occupy larger cover items and more aquatic habitat, and we found evidence suggesting shifts in habitat use of co-occurring species in the presence of D. cheaha. While no significant association was found between any stream-level variable and the presence of D. cheaha, statistical models that included declivity or stream temperature variability performed better than those where watershed urbanization or dissolved oxygen were predictors. Our data reduces knowledge gaps about habitat suitability for this species and improves our ability to appropriately address conservation needs. However, further analyses of microhabitat use across wider urban and geographic gradients are needed to better understand the habitat usage and conservation needs of this species.
Table of Contents
Introduction - 1
Methodology - 8
Results - 21
Discussion - 36
References - 47
Appendix I: Supplemental Information - 57
Appendix II: Testimonials - 62
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File download under embargo until 24 May 2025 | 2024-04-08 13:23:18 -0400 | File download under embargo until 24 May 2025 |
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