Kevin R. Russell

Proceedings: the role of fire for nongame wildlife management and community restoration: traditional uses and new directions

Contains 16 papers and 4 abstracts on the use of fire for nongame wildlife management and rare plant community management in restoration in the United States with an emphasis on forested systems.

Evaluating biotic and abiotic influences on torrent salamanders in managed forests of western Oregon

Abstract To better understand the distribution and abundance of headwater-stream salamanders in managed conifer forests, we examined relationships between Cascade torrent salamanders (Rhyacotriton cascadae) and biotic and abiotic habitat attributes at landscape and within-stream levels in western Oregon, USA. In 2001 we found 145 torrent salamanders in 25% of 59 headwater (first-order) streams from randomly selected 2.58-km2 sections of the study area. Landscape-level variation in torrent salamander distribution and relative abundance were related to the age of adjacent riparian forests and to the landform features parent geology and stream aspect. In 2002 we conducted a more detailed study of salamander occurrence and abundance within 49 10-m stream reaches, stratified by gradient, that were randomly selected from 15 streams known to contain salamanders. We recorded 475 salamanders from 33 (67%) of the stream reaches. Akaikes Information Criterion (AIC) model selection indicated that a streambed substrate model best explained salamander occupancy in stream reaches, but a model containing only the parameter distance to stream origin and another model containing abiotic landform features also received strong empirical support. In contrast, the distance to stream origin model was the best candidate model explaining reach-level salamander abundance. However, 2 additional models explaining abundance, including one that discriminated between the northern and southern portions of our study area and another that reflected stream reach habitat parameters, also received strong empirical support. Physical features of stream habitats appear to have an important influence on the distribution and abundance of torrent salamanders at multiple spatial scales, and these parameters should be addressed when designing management strategies (e.g., riparian buffers) to conserve these species.

Physical Condition, Sex, and Age-Class of Eastern Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) in Forested and Open Habitats of West Virginia, USA

Nonforested habitats such as open fields and pastures have been considered unsuitable for desiccation-prone woodland salamanders such as the Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus). Recent research has suggested that Plethodon cinereus may not only disperse across but also reside within open habitats including fields, meadows, and pastures. However, presence and high densities of P. cinereus within agriculturally disturbed habitats may be misleading if these populations exhibit atypical demographic characteristics or decreased physical condition relative to forest populations. We surveyed artificial cover boards from 2004-2005 to compare physical condition, sex ratios, and age-class structure of P. cinereus among woodland, woodland-meadow edge, silvopasture, and meadow sites in the central Appalachian Mountains of southern West Virginia. Physical condition of salamanders was not significantly different among the four habitats. Furthermore, adult sex ratios of P. cinereus typically were not significantly different from 1 : 1 and were similar between forested and non-forested sites, although populations within silvopastures were biased towards females. However, adult salamanders were significantly more abundant than juveniles in all habitat types, with differences most pronounced within meadow habitats. Our study indicates that relatively small, non-forested habitats such as silvopastures and meadows may not adversely affect the overall physical condition or sex ratios of Plethodon cinereus. However, the paucity of juveniles within disturbed meadows indicates that these agriculturally modified habitats may negatively impact reproduction or that immature salamanders are at a physiological or competitive disadvantage in comparison to adults, particularly when surface cover is limited.