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Developing landscape habitat models for rare amphibians with small geographic ranges: a case study of Siskiyou Mountains salamanders in the western USA

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Abstract

To advance the development of conservation planning for rare species with small geographic ranges, we determined habitat associations of Siskiyou Mountains salamanders (Plethodon stormi) and developed habitat suitability models at fine (10 ha), medium (40 ha), and broad (202 ha) spatial scales using available Geographic Information Systems data and logistic regression analysis with an information theoretic approach. Across spatial scales, there was very little support for models with structural habitat features, such as tree canopy cover and conifer diameter. Model-averaged 95% confidence intervals for regression coefficients and associated odds ratios indicated that the occurrence of Siskiyou Mountains salamanders was positively associated with rocky soils and Pacific madrone (Abutus menziesii) and negatively associated with elevation and white fir (Abies concolor); these associations were consistent across 3 spatial scales. The occurrence of this species also was positively associated with hardwood density at the medium spatial scale. Odds ratios projected that a 10% decrease in white fir abundance would increase the odds of salamander occurrence 3.02–4.47 times, depending on spatial scale. We selected the model with rocky soils, white fir, and Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) as the best model across 3 spatial scales and created habitat suitability maps for Siskiyou Mountains salamanders by projecting habitat suitability scores across the landscape. Our habitat suitability models and maps are applicable to selection of priority conservation areas for Siskiyou Mountains salamanders, and our approach can be easily adapted to conservation of other rare species in any geographical location.

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Abbreviations

AICc:

Akaike’s information criterion corrected for small sample size

DBH:

quadratic mean diameter at breast height

DEM:

Digital Elevation Model

GeoBOB:

Geographic Biotic Observation

HS:

Habitat Suitability

ISMS:

the U.S. federal Interagency Species Management System

NRIS:

Natural Resource Information System

PRISM:

Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model

TM:

Thematic Mapper

TPH:

number of trees per hectare

USDA:

United States Department of Agriculture

USDI:

United States Department of Interior

BLM:

Bureau of Land Management

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Acknowledgments

We thank R. S. Nauman, D. R. Clayton, H. H. Welsh, Jr., and B. C. McComb for reviewing this manuscript. D. R. Clayton provided insights regarding the ecological implication of soil and geology maps. We also thank anonymous reviewers for their constructive suggestions and comments. R. S. Nauman assisted with data compilation for known salamander sites. S. J. Arnold of Department of Zoology supported this research through an Oregon State University Cooperative Agreement. K. Vance-Borland and K. Christiansen provided useful suggestions for troubleshooting in GIS. Funding for this research was provided by the U.S. Federal Survey and Manage Program of the Northwest Forest Plan and the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Aquatic and Land Interactions Research Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Nobuya Suzuki

  2. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Deanna H. Olson

  3. USDI Bureau of Land Management, Medford District, 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, OR, 97504, USA

    Edward C. Reilly

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  1. Nobuya Suzuki
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  2. Deanna H. Olson
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  3. Edward C. Reilly
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Correspondence to Nobuya Suzuki.

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Suzuki, N., Olson, D.H. & Reilly, E.C. Developing landscape habitat models for rare amphibians with small geographic ranges: a case study of Siskiyou Mountains salamanders in the western USA. Biodivers Conserv 17, 2197–2218 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-007-9281-4

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