The Use of Nest Boxes by the Hellbender Salamander in Western North Carolina
The Use of Nest Boxes by the Hellbender Salamander in Western North Carolina
复制标题
北卡罗来纳州西部的地狱蝾螈对巢箱的使用
DOI：
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发表时间：
2014
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影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Arianne F. Messerman
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Arianne F. Messerman
hellbender salamander （Cryptobranchus alleaniensis）是一种独特的大型两栖动物，是北卡罗莱纳西部水质的优良指标。在过去的四十年里，这种动物在其整个活动范围内遭受了大量的数量下降。由于人类的发展而增加的河流淤积填满了大型岩石的凹底面，从而破坏了地狱bender的繁殖栖息地。栖息地的退化导致北卡罗莱纳州的数量减少，以至于该物种现在被认为是该州特别关注的物种。为了在目前的土地利用条件下恢复地狱龟的种群规模，研究人员最近开始开发人工巢箱，以排除沉积物并促进繁殖。为了确定这些庇护所作为北卡罗莱纳西部自然地狱之神栖息地的替代品的短期效果，我在该地区的五个河流地点建造并放置了54个盒子。在夏季巢箱安装之后，我在繁殖季节检查了每个住所，以确定通过结构的水的质量。此外，我创建了一个最大熵物种分布模型，并对北卡罗莱纳西部的地狱御火师进行了空间连通性分析，以确定未来安装巢箱的理想位置。虽然在人工庇护所中还没有发现地狱御术者，但额外的结构改进和时间可能会揭示巢箱对这种特别关注的标志性物种是有用的保护工具。
The hellbender salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) is a unique, large-bodied amphibian that serves as an excellent water quality indicator species in Western North Carolina. This animal has suffered substantial population declines over the past four decades throughout its range. Increased stream siltation largely attributed to human development fills the concave undersides of large rocks, consequently destroying hellbender breeding habitat. Habitat degradation has contributed to reductions in North Carolinian populations to such a degree that the species is now considered of Special Concern in the state. In order to restore hellbender population sizes under current land use conditions, researchers have recently begun developing artificial nest boxes that exclude sediment and promote increased reproduction. To identify the short-term efficacy of these shelters as substitutes for natural hellbender habitat in Western North Carolina, I constructed and placed 54 boxes across five river sites throughout the region. Following summer nest box installment, I examined each shelter through the breeding season for hellbender inhabitation and to determine the quality of water passing through the structures. Additionally, I created a maximum entropy species distribution model and conducted a spatial connectivity analysis for the hellbenders of Western North Carolina to identify ideal locations for nest boxes installation in the future. Although no hellbenders have yet been detected in the artificial shelters, additional structural improvements and time may reveal nest boxes to be useful conservation tools for this iconic species of Special Concern.