Scribd
Upload
23 views2 pages

Critique Of: Decline of A Giant Salamander Assessed With Historical Records, Environmental DNA and Multi-Scale Habitat Data

This article examines the decline of Hellbender Salamander populations by analyzing historical records of sightings, environmental DNA testing, and water quality measurements at 24 sites where they were previously observed. eDNA testing found salamanders at 42% of historical sites. Statistical analysis revealed a correlation between low water conductivity and the presence of salamander populations, suggesting high conductivity negatively impacts them. The multi-faceted study helps explain the causes of the species' decline while showing the value of combining historical data with modern techniques like eDNA for conservation assessments.

Uploaded by

Will Green
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
23 views2 pages

Critique Of: Decline of A Giant Salamander Assessed With Historical Records, Environmental DNA and Multi-Scale Habitat Data

This article examines the decline of Hellbender Salamander populations by analyzing historical records of sightings, environmental DNA testing, and water quality measurements at 24 sites where they were previously observed. eDNA testing found salamanders at 42% of historical sites. Statistical analysis revealed a correlation between low water conductivity and the presence of salamander populations, suggesting high conductivity negatively impacts them. The multi-faceted study helps explain the causes of the species' decline while showing the value of combining historical data with modern techniques like eDNA for conservation assessments.

Uploaded by

Will Green
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Will Green

Aquatic Ecology ENVS 330


Dr. Susan S. Kilham

Critique of: Decline of a giant salamander assessed with historical records,


environmental DNA and multi-scale habitat data
This article talks about the broader issue of fresh water species decline, by focusing on the
specific example of Hellbender Salamanders. By proving historical data combined with eDNA
analysis techniques the population trends can be observed. Historical data from several sources
were aggregated to a list of 24 sites in which hellbender salamanders were known to live. The
scientists then used eDNA analysis to determine if hellbender salamanders continue to live in
each of those areas. This data was then combined with statistical tools along with
measurements about the quality of the water and other environmental factors to determine if
the underlying cause of the population decline could be found.
Because of the nature of the study historical data must be used to determine where the
salamanders have been found in the past. Sources include museum records, primary
literature, survey records, government reports, atlases, newspaper and magazine articles, and
reputable personal communications. Importantly the researchers required photographic proof
or detailed description of the salamanders for the site to be added to the list. These data points
were compiled together to form a list of 24 sites.

Sites where Hellbender Salamanders have been seen


The researchers then went to each of the sites and conducted eDNA analysis and water quality
measurements as well as other measurements of the environment. eDNA analysis is short for
environmental DNA analysis. It can be used as a method of indirectly observing the presence of
a species by testing for residual DNA in the environment. The accuracy of such observation
techniques is approximately 90% like conventional methods including snorkeling.
Environmental measurements taken included, water conductivity, substrate, and canopy
coverage.
The team found that the salamanders persisted at 42% of the historical sites. Statistical
methods were used to correlate the existence of a population with several environmental
variables. The analysis showed that low conductivity was a good predictor of a Hellbender
salamander population while high conductivity suggested the opposite.

Presence of Hellbender Salamander population vs. conductivity


The data suggests that high conductivity of the water negatively affects the salamanders.
My critique
This article caught my eye because I think the giant salamanders of Japan interesting, it was
also surprising to learn that here in Pennsylvania we also have populations of giant salamanders
(albiet smaller).
The article did a very good job of creating a context in which the work adds important
information. By emphasizing that these salamanders can be used to judge the health of an
ecosystem, one can understand why these populations should be monitored. Beyond that the
way in which they used historical data gathered from a diverse number of sources and
synthesized a data set which with they could compare more current data was interesting.
One thing lacking is a precedent for using historical data in the way in which they did, or some
additional proof to validate their method. This may or may not be possible, but I think care
should be taken using a wide number of sources that may or may not be legitimate.

You might also like