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Hellbender Stream Quantification Tool Spreadsheet
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The HBSQT Master Document
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Hellbender SQT Materials
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Improving the Utility of Artificial Shelters for Monitoring Eastern Hellbender Salamanders (Cryptobranchus alleganienses alleganiensis)
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Artificial shelters show great promise as novel, non-invasive tools for studying
hellbenders, but their use thus far has faced several challenges. During initial trials in multiple
river networks, artificial shelters routinely became blocked by sediment and dislodged during
high stream discharge events, and were rarely used by hellbenders. We sought to determine
whether these complications could be overcome via alternative shelter design, placement, and
maintenance. Between 2013 and 2018, we deployed 438 artificial shelters of two different
designs across ten stream reaches and three rivers in the upper Tennessee River Basin. We
assessed evidence for several hypotheses, postulating broadly that the availability, stability, and
use of artificial shelters by hellbenders would depend on how shelters were constructed,
deployed, and/or maintained. We found that maintaining shelters at least once every 40 days
limited sediment blockage, and building ~ 40 kg shelters with 3-4 cm thick walls and recessed
lids improved their stability during high discharge events. Additionally, we found that
hellbenders most frequently occupied and nested in artificial shelters when they were deployed
in deeper (~50+ cm) portions of reaches with high adult hellbender densities. Our results suggest
that artificial shelters can serve as effective tools for studying hellbenders when designed,
deployed, and maintained with these advancements, but also highlight some limitations of their
use.
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Information Materials
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Research
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Artificial Nest Box Research
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Large Woody Debris Index (LWDI) Manual
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Methods for LWDI assessment to complete the Hellbender SQT.
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Workspace
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Hellbender SQT Materials
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Macros by Tolerance
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Document has macroinvertebrates sorted into groups 1, 2, and 3 based on pollution tolerance, with pictures.
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Workspace
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Hellbender SQT Materials
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Movement and habitat use of Eastern hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) following population augmentation
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With amphibian declines at crisis levels, translocations, including population augmentations, are commonly used for amphibian conservation. Eastern Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) have declined to low densities in many areas of their range, making them ideal candidates for population augmentation. Both wild adults and captive-reared juveniles have been used for augmentations, but their suitability has never been directly compared. Herein, we use radio telemetry with Eastern Hellbenders to examine patterns of site fidelity, movement, and habitat use over a 2-yr period for adult residents, wild adult translocates, and captive-reared juvenile translocates. We used generalized linear models and generalized linear mixed models to identify temporal trends and explore the effects of residential status (resident vs. translocate) and origin/age (captive-reared juveniles vs. wild adults) on various ecological and behavioral traits relating to habitat. Site fidelity was high in adult residents and wild adult translocates, but lower in captive-reared juvenile translocates. Both adult and juvenile translocates had greater mean movement distances than residents, leading to larger home range sizes, but these differences decreased over time. Wild adult translocates had a higher probability of using artificial nest rocks than adult residents or captive-reared juvenile translocates. This pattern was most prevalent early in the study, indicating these shelters are particularly useful during the transition to release sites. Captive-reared juvenile translocates had lower site fidelity and utilized suboptimal habitat (smaller and fewer shelter rocks) compared to wild adults. Compared to previous studies, translocations had fewer negative effects on site residents or wild translocates and might be effective at promoting growth of Hellbender populations. However, translocations of captive-reared juveniles were less successful. As we are uncertain whether captive-rearing or ontogeny led to these differences, both longer head-starting times and conditioning should be explored to improve outcomes in captive-reared juvenile cohorts.
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Information Materials
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Research
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Artificial Nest Box Research
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Parameter Selection Guide
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Print this document and keep in your clipboard for reference. This document lists with metrics should be measured for various types of WLFW projects.
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Workspace
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Hellbender SQT Materials
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Pebble Count Analyzer
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Excel document to enter and analyze pebble count data to retrieve field values for the SQT.
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Workspace
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Hellbender SQT Materials
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Riparian Forest Buffer
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Buffers are applied on stable areas adjacent to permanent or intermittent streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands that flood or pond.
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Information Materials
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NRCS Conservation Practices & Materials
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Job Sheets
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Riparian Forest Buffer - CPS 391
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An area predominantly trees and/or shrubs located adjacent to and up-gradient from watercourses or water bodies.
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Information Materials
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NRCS Conservation Practices & Materials
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Conservation Practices
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SQT Expert Feedback - RECORDING
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Recording of a meeting with experts in Hellbender research to gather feedback on the draft Hellbender Stream Quantification Tool (SQT).
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Workspace
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Multimedia
