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Terrestrial Pacific giant salamanders (dicamptodon tenebrosus Good): natural history and their response to forest practices Johnston, Barbara
Abstract
The Pacific Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus Good) is red listed, or considered endangered, in British Columbia. Habitat loss through forest harvesting poses the largest potential threat to the species' persistence in the province. Although studies have examined the ecology of larval Pacific Giant Salamanders, virtually nothing is known about the terrestrial phase of this species: their natural history, the effects of timber harvesting, or the efficacy of proposed management strategies. During the summer and fall of 1996 and 1997,1 used radio-telemetry to examine the movements and habitat use of terrestrial Pacific Giant Salamanders in forested habitat in south-western British Columbia and north-western Washington. By tracking animals in old growth, second growth, clearcut and buffered habitats, I also investigated the effects of clearcut logging on these animals, the efficacy of riparian buffer strips for their conservation, and their dispersal or recolonization ability. Terrestrial Pacific Giant Salamanders were found to be relatively sedentary creatures that spent the vast majority of their time in refugia such as burrows, rotten logs and streams. During the summer and fall, they wandered somewhat randomly throughout suitable habitat, showing no evidence of restricted home ranges or seasonal migrations. They were predominantly nocturnal, and their activity level was strongly associated with rain. The location of daytime refugia was associated with the availability of coarse woody debris, water, rock and leaf litter. Although the response of terrestrial PGS to forest practices was ambiguous, some study results suggested that terrestrial Pacific Giant Salamanders may be adversely affected by clearcut logging. Catch per unit effort was lower in clearcut habitat than in forested habitat, and animals inhabiting clearcuts appeared to adjust their behaviour in ways that reduced their risk of desiccation. Riparian buffer strips twenty to thirty meters in width appeared to be a promising management strategy for the conservation of terrestrial Pacific Giant Salamanders. Buffers seemed to maintain the relative abundance of terrestrial animals at levels comparable to those in forested habitat, and the movement patterns of animals in buffer strips were indistinguishable from those of animals found in continuous forest.
Item Metadata
Title |
Terrestrial Pacific giant salamanders (dicamptodon tenebrosus Good): natural history and their response to forest practices
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1999
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Description |
The Pacific Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus Good) is red listed, or
considered endangered, in British Columbia. Habitat loss through forest harvesting poses
the largest potential threat to the species' persistence in the province. Although studies
have examined the ecology of larval Pacific Giant Salamanders, virtually nothing is
known about the terrestrial phase of this species: their natural history, the effects of
timber harvesting, or the efficacy of proposed management strategies.
During the summer and fall of 1996 and 1997,1 used radio-telemetry to examine
the movements and habitat use of terrestrial Pacific Giant Salamanders in forested habitat
in south-western British Columbia and north-western Washington. By tracking animals
in old growth, second growth, clearcut and buffered habitats, I also investigated the
effects of clearcut logging on these animals, the efficacy of riparian buffer strips for their
conservation, and their dispersal or recolonization ability.
Terrestrial Pacific Giant Salamanders were found to be relatively sedentary
creatures that spent the vast majority of their time in refugia such as burrows, rotten logs
and streams. During the summer and fall, they wandered somewhat randomly throughout
suitable habitat, showing no evidence of restricted home ranges or seasonal migrations.
They were predominantly nocturnal, and their activity level was strongly associated with
rain. The location of daytime refugia was associated with the availability of coarse
woody debris, water, rock and leaf litter.
Although the response of terrestrial PGS to forest practices was ambiguous, some
study results suggested that terrestrial Pacific Giant Salamanders may be adversely
affected by clearcut logging. Catch per unit effort was lower in clearcut habitat than in forested habitat, and animals inhabiting clearcuts appeared to adjust their behaviour in
ways that reduced their risk of desiccation. Riparian buffer strips twenty to thirty meters
in width appeared to be a promising management strategy for the conservation of
terrestrial Pacific Giant Salamanders. Buffers seemed to maintain the relative abundance
of terrestrial animals at levels comparable to those in forested habitat, and the movement
patterns of animals in buffer strips were indistinguishable from those of animals found in
continuous forest.
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Extent |
5363461 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-05-25
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0074827
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1998-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.