Factors Influencing the Behavior and Distribution of Spea Intermontana in Eastern Washington State
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Central Washington University ScholarWorks@CWU All Master's Theses Master's Theses Spring 2018 Life in the Dirt: Factors Influencing the Behavior and Distribution of Spea Intermontana in Eastern Washington State Corey Brumbaugh Central Washington University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd Part of the Desert Ecology Commons, Other Animal Sciences Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Brumbaugh, Corey, "Life in the Dirt: Factors Influencing the Behavior and Distribution of Spea Intermontana in Eastern Washington State" (2018). All Master's Theses. 930. https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/930 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses at ScholarWorks@CWU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@CWU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LIFE IN THE DIRT: FACTORS INFLUENCING THE BEHAVIOR AND DISTRIBUTION OF SPEA INTERMONTANA IN EASTERN WASHINGTON STATE __________________________________ A Thesis Presented to The Graduate Faculty Central Washington University ___________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science Biological Sciences ___________________________________ by Corey Jacob Brumbaugh June 2018 i CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Graduate Studies We hereby approve the thesis of Corey Jacob Brumbaugh Candidate for the degree of Master of Science APPROVED FOR THE GRADUATE FACULTY ______________ _________________________________________ Dr. R. Steven Wagner, Committee Chair ______________ _________________________________________ Dr. Wayne Quirk ______________ _________________________________________ Dr. Robert E. Weaver ______________ _________________________________________ Dean of Graduate Studies ii ABSTRACT I divided my thesis into two major studies focusing on the Great Basin Spadefoot Toad, Spea intermontana, at the Beverley Dunes (Beverley, WA). The first study explored the effects of temperature and water level on the rate of metamorphosis. We gathered data on rates of development, survival, body mass, snout-vent length, and hind leg length of metamorphs under 4 treatments: 20C x High Water, 30C x High Water, 20C x Water Loss, and 30C x Water Loss. These data show that temperature has a stronger effect on the overall rate of metamorphosis of Great Basin Spadefoot Toads. The second study used 5 categories of field data (hydrography, elevation, soil type, land use, and land cover), to produce a predictive model for finding novel populations of Spadefoot Toads in Washington State. Data from local and government agencies were combined with recent ecological and behavioral data from a single location for the model. This model could be an integral tool when researchers are making methodical choices during initial stages of surveying for a target species. We feel our model can serve as an excellent example of an applied GIS-based approach to survey and management techniques. iii LIFE IN THE DIRT: FACTORS INFLUENCING THE BEHAVIOR AND DISTRIBUTION OF SPEA INTERMONTANA IN EASTERN WASHINGTON STATE by Corey Jacob Brumbaugh June 2018 iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank all of my committee members, Dr. Steve Wagner, Dr. Wayne Quirk, and Dr. Robert Weaver. They provided me with the tools and guidance to complete this project. Thank you all for taking the time to help review and give me feedback on my research. I would also like to thank CWU GEAR UP, specifically, Kelley Quirk and Tracey Plouse, for providing me with a graduate assistantship and several exciting years working with the GEAR UP students. I also want to acknowledge Jonathan Betz and Mary Bottcher for all of their help with materials and vivarium space. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 II DISCUSSION ................................................................................................... 5 III Study Area ..................................................................................................... 9 IV Analysis of Abiotic Factors Influencing the Rate of Metamorphosis in the Great Basin Spadefoot Toad, Spea intermontana, in Eastern Washington State ............................................................................................................ 10 Introduction .......................................................................................... 11 Methods ................................................................................................ 13 Results ................................................................................................... 15 Discussion .............................................................................................. 21 Acknowledgements ............................................................................... 25 Literature Cited ..................................................................................... 26 V UTILIZATION OF A PREDICTIVE MODEL OF SPEA INTERMONTANA: IMPLICATIONS FOR SURVEY AND MANAGEMENT OF CRYPTIC SPECIES ... 29 Introduction .......................................................................................... 30 Methods ................................................................................................ 32 Results ................................................................................................... 52 Discussion .............................................................................................. 53 Literature Cited ..................................................................................... 55 REFERENCES ................................................................................................ 59 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Predictive Model Classification ................................................................... 60 2 Ideal Model Classification ........................................................................... 42 3 Predictive model known location testing ................................................... 51 4 Ideal model known location testing ........................................................... 51 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Range map for Spea intermontana ............................................................... 1 2 Distribution map for Spea intermontana in Washington State .................... 4 3 U.S. Drought Monitor Class Change - CONUS ............................................... 6 4 Study site ....................................................................................................... 9 5 Survivorship ................................................................................................ 17 6 Time to Metamorphosis ............................................................................. 18 7 Time to Death ............................................................................................. 19 8 Mass ............................................................................................................ 21 9 Snout-Vent Length ...................................................................................... 24 10 Hind Foot Length ......................................................................................... 25 11 Predictive Model Hydrography ................................................................... 35 12 Predictive Model Soil Order ........................................................................ 36 13 Predictive Model Land use .......................................................................... 37 14 Predictive Model Land Cover ...................................................................... 38 15 Predictive Model Elevation ......................................................................... 39 16 Predictive Model Final Suitability ............................................................... 40 17 Predictive Model Testing ............................................................................ 43 18 Ideal Hydrography....................................................................................... 44 19 Ideal Soil ...................................................................................................... 45 20 Ideal Land Use ............................................................................................. 46 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 21 Ideal Land Cover.......................................................................................... 47 22 Ideal Elevation ............................................................................................. 48 23 Ideal Final Suitability ................................................................................... 49 24 Ideal Model Testing .................................................................................... 50 ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The Great Basin Spadefoot Toad, Spea intermontana, is a small desert frog that is hard to manage due to its cryptic morphology and fossorial behaviors. These frogs are members of the family Scaphipodidae. They can be found from northern Arizona up into Southern British Columbia (Fig. 1; Matsuda et al. 2006). In the core of their range, this species is associated with arid environments, including open grassland, shrub steppe, and open forest habitats. Figure 1 Range map for Spea intermontana. 1 While S. intermontana is a desert species, they utilize