Christopher Moorman
Christopher S. DePerno
Theodore R. Simons
Scott Beck
2013
<p><span>Herpetofauna have declined globally, and monitoring is a useful approach to document local and long-term changes. However, monitoring efforts often fail to account for detectability or follow standardized protocols. We performed a case study at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Cary, NC to model occupancy of focal species and demonstrate a replicable long-term protocol useful to parks and nature preserves. From March 2010 to 2011, we documented occupancy of </span><i>Ambystoma opacum</i><span>(Marbled Salamander), </span><i>Plethodon cinereus</i><span> (Red-backed Salamander), </span><i>Carphophis amoenus</i><span> (Eastern Worm Snake), and </span><i>Diadophis punctatus</i><span> (Ringneck Snake) at coverboard sites and estimated breeding female </span><i>Ambystoma maculatum</i><span> (Spotted Salamander) abundance via dependent double-observer egg-mass counts in ephemeral pools. Temperature influenced detection of both Marbled and Red-backed Salamanders. Based on egg-mass data, we estimated Spotted Salamander abundance to be between 21 and 44 breeding females. We detected 43 of 53 previously documented herpetofauna species. Our approach demonstrates a monitoring protocol that accounts for factors that influence species detection and is replicable by parks or nature preserves with limited resources.</span></p>
application/pdf
10.1656/058.012.0208
en
Eagle Hill Institute
Quantifiable long-term monitoring on parks and nature preserves
article