Streamside Salamander Survey Methods | Managers' Monitoring Manual


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Streamside Salamander Survey Methods

TABLE 1: Compendium of survey methods used to quantify streamside salamanders in and/or alongside streams in North America. Most surveys conducted within stream channels utilized dip nets. This compilation does not present terrestrial breeding salamanders since their presence was incidental in most cases.

Technique	Habitat sampled	Salamander species	Reference(s) (see list below this table)
Visual encounter survey (entire stream)	Stream bank & channel	Desmognathus fuscus Eurycea bislineata Gyrinophilus porphyriticus Pseudotriton ruber	Burton and Likens (1975)¹ Hom (1988)¹ Mitchell (1998, 1999)²
50 x 1 m Transect	Stream bank	Desmognathus fuscus Desmognathus monticola Eurycea bislineata Gyrinophilus porphyriticus Pseudotriton ruber	Jung et al. (2000) Cook et al. (in prep)
Three parallel 45m Stream bank Transects (riparian, midslope, and upslope, respectively) using coverboards and drift fence/pitfall trap array	Stream bank & channel	Ensatina eschscholtzii Dicamptodon tenebrosus Ascaphus truei (D. tenebrosus and A. truei seen, but not caught in transects)	Waters et al. (2001)
20 x 2 m Transect	Stream bank & channel	Desmognathus fuscus	Orser and Shure (1975)¹
15 x 2 m Transect	Stream bank & channel	Eurycea bislineata Desmognathus fuscus Desmognathus monticola Gyrinophilus porphyriticus Pseudotriton ruber	Cook et al. (in prep)
Three 5-m transects, 1 to 3-m wide	Stream channel	Dicamptodon ensatus Rhyacotriton olympicus Ascaphus truei Batrachoseps attenuatus Aneides flavipunctatus Taricha granulosa	Welsh (1987) Welsh (1990) (Bury and Corn (1991) recommend three 10 m transects or more than three 5 m transects)
9.1 or 10 m Transect	Stream channel	Ambystoma sp. Desmognathus fuscus Desmognathus ochropaeus Eurycea bislineata Eurycea longicauda Gyrinophilus p. porphyriticus Pseudotriton ruber	Ohio EPA (2001) (We still need to check the accuracy of this species list) Orser and Shure (1972)
300-m transect (reach): visual encounter (v) belt search (b) seep search (s)	Stream bank and channel	Aneides flavipunctatus (s) Dicamptodon tenebrosus (v,b,s) Rhyacotriton variegatus (b,s) Taricha granulosa (v,b) Taricha rivularis (b) Ascaphus truei (v,b)	Welsh and Hodgson (1997)
Belt transects (variable length based on stream width), 0.6-m wide	Stream channel	Dicamptodon tenebrosus Rhyacotriton variegatus Ascaphus truei	Welsh and Ollivier (1998) Welsh et al. (1997)
5 m Transect	Stream channel	Desmognathus ochrophaeus	Forester (1977)¹
Transects (variable length) x 1-2 m	Stream bank & channel	Desmognathus quadramaculatus Desmognathus monticola Desmognathus fuscus Desmognathus ochropaeus Gyrinophilus porphyriticus	Kleeberger (1984) Krzysik (1979)
10-m sample (in streams <2m)	Stream channel	Dicamptodon ensatus Rhyacotriton olympicus Plethodon dunni Ascaphus truei Plethodon vehiculum* Aneides ferreus* Taricha granulosa*	Corn and Bury (1989)
30 x 7 m Plot (20 x 7 m at night)	Stream bank & channel	Desmognathus quadramaculatus Desmognathus monticola Desmognathus ochropaeus Desmognathus aeneus	Hairston (1986)
17 x 13 m Plot	Stream bank & channel	Desmognathus quadramaculatus Desmognathus wrighti Desmognathus imitator Desmognathus ochrophaeus Plethodon jordani Eurycea wilderae Gyrinophilus porphyriticus	Kucken et al. (1994)
Variable Size Plot	Stream bank & channel	Desmognathus monticola Desmognathus ochrophaeus	Bruce (1995)¹
5 m (along stream) Plot	Stream bank & channel	Desmognathus monticola Desmognathus quadramaculatus Desmognathus fuscus Desmognathus ochrophaeus Eurycea wilderae Gyrinophilus porphyriticus	Resetarits (1997)
@1 m² Artifical Plots (with variable numbers of rocks added)	Stream channel	Dicamptodon tenebrosus	Parker (1991)
@4 m² Quadrat	Stream bank & channel	Desmognathus ochrophaeus Eurycea longicauda Desmognathus fuscus Gyrinophilus porphyriticus Eurycea bislineata Desmognathus monticola Pseudotriton ruber	Rocco and Brooks (2000) Cook et al. (in prep)
@1 m² Quadrat	Stream bank	Desmognathus monticola Eurycea bislineata Desmognathus fuscus Gyrinophilus porphyriticus Pseudotriton ruber Plethodon cinereus	Mitchell (1998, 1999) Cook et al. (in prep)
Cover-constrained search (100 cover objects)	Stream bank & channel	Gyrinophilus porphyriticus Eurycea bislineata	Lowe and Bolger (2002)
Coverboards	Stream bank	Eurycea bislineata Desmognathus fuscus Gyrinophilus porphyriticus Desmognathus ochrophaeus Pseudotriton ruber Eurycea longicauda Plethodon richmondi Plethodon cinereus	Stewart and Bellis (1970) (pine, 8”x 9”x ¾”) Metts et al. (2001) (plywood, 1.2 m x 0.6 m) (Metts does not differentiate which species were caught with drift fences, coverboards, or aquatic traps)
@Surber sampler (0.1 m²) along 15 m transect	Stream channel	Desmognathus fuscus Eurycea wilderae	Gore (1983) Davic (1983)
Drift fence with pitfall traps	Stream bank	-	Metts et al. (2001)
Minnow traps	Stream channel	-	Metts et al. (2001)
0.1 m Box Vacuum	Stream bank	Desmognathus ochrophaeus Plethodon jordani Desmognathus aeneus Eurycea wilderae	Harper and Guynn (1999)
@Artificial Plots (1.4 m²) 5.6 m²-11.7m²	Stream channel	Desmognathu quadramaculatus Eurycea wilderae Gyrinophilus porphyriticus	Davic and Orr (1987) Davic (1983)
Leaf litter bags	Stream channel	Eurycea bislineata Desmognathus fuscus Desmognathus ochrophaeus Desmognathus monticola Gyrinophilus porphyriticus	Pauley and Little (1998) Jung et al. (2000) Chalmers and Droege (2002) Cook et al. (in prep)
Drift nets (0.14 cm mesh)	Stream channel	Desmognathu quadramaculatus Eurycea bislineata Desmognathus ochrophaeus Desmognathus monticola Pseudotriton ruber	Bruce (1986)
Electrofishing	Stream channel	Desmognathus ensatus Rhyacotriton olympicus Dicamptodon ensatus Eurycea bislineata Gyrinophilus porphyriticus Pseudotriton ruber Desmognathus fuscus Eurycea longicauda Pseudotriton montanus	Hawkins et al. (1983) Murphy and Hall (1981) Jung et al. (2000) Cook et al. (in prep) Southerland et al. (in prep)

* = incidental
@ = techniques used in the quadrat section
¹population estimation technique (e.g., capture-recapture, removal) was used.
²survey was also time-constrained.

References

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Bruce, R. C. 1995. The use of temporary removal sampling in a study of population dynamics of the salamander Desmognathus monticola. Australian Journal of Ecology 20:403-412.

Burton, T. M., and G. E. Likens. 1975. Salamander populations and biomass in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire. Copeia 1975:541-546.

Bury, R. P., and P. S. Corn. 1991. Sampling Methods for Amphibians in Streams in the Pacific Northwest. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report PNW-GTR-275. Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.

Chalmers, R. J., and S. Droege. 2002. Leaf litter bags as an index to populations of northern two-lined salamanders (Eurycea bislineata). Wildlife Society Bulletin 30:71-74.

Cook, K. L., R. E. Jung, S. Droege, J. R. Sauer, J. C. Mitchell, M. Crossland, C. J. Leary, M. Larson, and E. Chattin. In prep. Comparison of quantitative methods to survey streamside salamanders in Blue Ridge mountain streams. To be submitted to Herpetologica.

Corn, P. S., and R. P. Bury. 1989. Logging in western Oregon: responses of headwater habitats and stream amphibians. Forest Ecology and Management 29:39-57.

Davic, R.D. 1983. An investigation of salamander guild predation in a North Carolina stream: an experimental approach. Dissertation. Kent State University. 237 pp.

Davic, R. D., and L. P. Orr. 1987. The relationship between rock density and salamander density in a mountain stream. Herpetologica 43:357-361.

Forester, D. C. 1977. Comments on the female reproductive cycle and philopatry by Desmognathus ochrophaeus (Amphibia, Urodela, Plethodontidae). Journal of Herpetology 11:331-316.

Gore, J. A. 1983. The distribution of Desmognathine larvae (Amphibia: Plethodontidae) in coal surface mine impacted streams of the Cumberland Plateau, USA. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 2:13-23.

Hairston, N. G., Sr. 1986. Species packing in Desmognathus salamanders: experimental demonstration of predation and competition. The American Naturalist 127:266-291.

Harper, C. A., and D. C. Guynn, Jr. 1999. Factors affecting salamander density and distribution in four forest types in the southern Appalachian mountains. Forest Ecology and Management 114:245-252.

Hawkins, C. P., M. L. Murphy, N. H. Anderson, and M. A. Wilzbach. 1983. Density of fish and salamanders in relation to riparian canopy and physical habitat in streams of the northwestern United States. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 40:1173-1185.

Hom, C. L. 1988. Cover object choice by female dusky salamanders, Desmognathus fuscus. Journal of Herpetology 22:247-249.

Jung, R. E., S. Droege, J. R. Sauer, and R. B. Landy. 2000. Evaluation of terrestrial and streamside salamander monitoring techniques at Shenandoah National Park. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 63:65-79.

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Krzysik, A. J. 1979. Resource allocation, coexistence, and the niche structure of a streambank salamander community. Ecological Monographs 49:173-194.

Kucken, D. J., J. S. Davis, J. W. Petranka, and C. K. Smith. 1994. Anakeesta stream acidification and metal contamination: effects on a salamander community. Journal of Environmental Quality 23:1311-1317.

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Orser, P. N. and D. J. Shure. 1972. Effects of urbanization on the salamander Desmognathus fuscus fuscus. Ecology 53:1148-1154.

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Pauley, T. K., and M. Little. 1998. A new technique to monitor larval and juvenile salamanders in stream habitats. Banisteria 12:32-36.

Resetarits, W. J., Jr. 1997. Differences in an ensemble of streamside salamanders (Plethodontidae) above and below a barrier to brook trout. Amphibia-Reptilia 18:15-25.

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Welsh, H. H., Jr., and L. M. Ollivier. 1998. Stream amphibians as indicators of ecosystem stress: A case study from California's Redwoods. Ecological Applications 8:1118-1132.

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