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Conservation Assessment of the Tiger Salamander, in the Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota and Wyoming

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Conservation Assessment of the Tiger Salamander, in the Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota and Wyoming United States Department of Agriculture Conservation Assessment Forest Service Rocky of the Tiger Salamander Mountain Region Black Hills in the Black Hills National National Forest Custer, Forest, South Dakota and South Dakota May 2003 Wyoming Brian E. Smith Conservation Assessment of the Tiger Salamander, in the Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota and Wyoming Brian E. Smith Department of Biology Black Hills State University 1200 University Street Unit 9044 Spearfish, South Dakota 57799-9044 [email protected] Dr. Brian E. Smith is a professor at Black Hills State University, where he teaches a variety of courses in vertebrate biology and ecology. He maintains an active research program on the reptiles and amphibians of the Black Hills and surrounding plains region of South Dakota and Wyoming. He is also active in research on the conservation biology of reptiles and amphibians in the Lesser Antilles island chain in the Caribbean Ocean. He has published several papers on the reptiles and amphibians of the Black Hills and surrounding plains, the Caribbean region, and Central America. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................................................1 CURRENT MANAGEMENT STATUS.......................................................................................................................1 Management Status...................................................................................................................................................1 Existing Management Plans, Assessments, Or Conservation Strategies ..................................................................1 REVIEW OF TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE................................................................................................................2 Systematics ...............................................................................................................................................................2 Distribution And Abundance ....................................................................................................................................2 Population Trend.......................................................................................................................................................4 Life History...............................................................................................................................................................6 Movement Patterns ...................................................................................................................................................7 Habitat Use .............................................................................................................................................................12 Aquatic Habitat ..................................................................................................................................................12 Terrestrial Habitat ..............................................................................................................................................17 Habitat Use By Cannibal Morph Larvae............................................................................................................19 Food Habits.............................................................................................................................................................20 Breeding Biology....................................................................................................................................................25 Demography And Community Ecology .................................................................................................................30 Risk Factors ............................................................................................................................................................36 Response To Habitat Changes ................................................................................................................................39 Timber And Fuelwood Harvest..........................................................................................................................40 Recreation ..........................................................................................................................................................40 Livestock Grazing..............................................................................................................................................41 Mining................................................................................................................................................................41 Prescribed Fire And Fire Suppression................................................................................................................41 Non-Native Plant Establishment And Control ...................................................................................................42 Natural Disturbances..........................................................................................................................................42 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................................43 REVIEW OF CONSERVATION PRACTICES .........................................................................................................43 Management Practices ............................................................................................................................................43 Models ....................................................................................................................................................................44 Survey And Inventory.............................................................................................................................................44 Monitoring ..............................................................................................................................................................46 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NEEDS..................................................................................................................46 Basic Natural History Information For Black Hills Populations ............................................................................46 Detailed Population Surveys...................................................................................................................................47 Detailed Studies Of Tiger Salamander Movements................................................................................................48 Prioritization Of Costs ............................................................................................................................................48 LITERATURE CITED................................................................................................................................................49 DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................................................................................61 Tables and Figures Table 1. Fecundity schedule for a hypothetical population of type 1 tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) with life history parameters derived as described in the text. ....................................................................................32 Figure 1. Survivorship curve for hypothetical tiger salamander population plotted using assumptions as outlined in the text................................................................................................................................................................33 i INTRODUCTION The tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum, is the widest ranging amphibian in North America and probably has one of the largest ranges of any amphibian in the world. Despite this, and literally hundreds of studies on the species, many aspects of their natural history remain poorly known. Spring migrations to breeding sites and breeding are fairly well known, but directly following reproduction adult tiger salamanders vanish from breeding ponds at most sites and then are rarely seen for the remainder of the active season. They probably spend most of their adult lives underground. As a result, we are only now beginning to understand the behavior and movements of adults throughout most of the active season, and key aspects of tiger salamander natural history such as survivorship, seasonal movements of adults, reproductive rate, growth rate, size and age at sexual maturity, population density, and maximum life span remain virtually unknown. Because of this it is difficult to manage and even survey the species. The tiger salamander is considered a sensitive species by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service in the Black Hills National Forest. With inadequate data on population sizes and survivorship and some evidence that various management actions could adversely affect the species it may be necessary to consider the tiger salamander a sensitive species for some time to come. The following is a technical conservation assessment that addresses the biology of the tiger salamander in light of the management agenda of the USDA Forest Service, as well as suggestions for further research designed to answer
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