Using a Species-Specific Habitat Model Helps Identify Unprotected Populations of the Federally Threatened Red Hills Salamander(Phaeognathus hubrichti)

摘要

The Red Hills Salamander(Phaeognathus hubrichti)was listed as federally threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1976(IUCN endangered; IUCN 2011)in response to concerns of local herpetologists regarding the impact of habitat degradation on the few known populations at the time(e.g., Jordan and Mount 1975; Mount 1975; Schwaner and Mount 1970). Since listing, research has reported that removal of canopy trees during timber harvest has a negative effect on the remaining populations of P. hubrichti(Dodd 1991; Godwin 2008). The federal listing of P. hubrichti has provided a degree of protection against the effects of timber harvest in the form of habitat conservation plans(HCPs), administered by USFWS with large landholders. Because the majority of P. hubrichti habitat is managed for timber production(Bailey and Means 2004), HCPs are an essential component for species persistence. However, for conservation efforts to expand, extant populations of P. hubrichti must beidentified. Due to the fossorial life history and patchy distribution of the species, identifying populations outside of known localities is a challenging task.