It comes as no surprise that climate change affects the population of certain animal species. Extinction, Habitat loss, early migration, leaving hibernation early and more. As climate change progresses, species have to adapt to these changes. We, humans, use ecological health monitoring to study these changes and adaptations.
Ecological Monitoring involves consistently monitoring living and non-living variables that can provide information about the environmental changes occuring in an ecosystem. We conduct ecological monitoring to establish data that represents the current status of the ecosystem so that we can monitor changes over time. The results of this monitoring can be used when developing policies or programs for mitigating these environmental changes.
Some animal species can be used to measure these ecosystem changes. They’re called “indicator species”. Indicator species are sensitive to changes in their environment and are cost-effective to monitor.
In Canada, the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN) is responsible for developing and implementing monitoring initiatives. It is a nationwide network of long term monitoring and research sites that works to provide information on how Canadian ecosystems are being affected on a larger scale. The EMAN alongside Park’s canada, developed a monitoring protocol for plethodontid salamanders as they are suitable indicators of ecological stress or change.
An estimated one-third of all amphibian species in the world are endangered or threatened with extinction. Amphibians are considered excellent indicators of environmental stress because they experience both aquatic and terrestrial stressors.
Take the Woodland Plethodontid Salamanders for example. They represent the largest group of salamanders in the world and spend their entire lifecycle on forest floors. This species is lungless and they rely on skin moisture and the roof of their mouth for respiration. They also rely on the moisture on their skin to protect them from contaminants. Their sensitivity makes them excellent indicators of ecological stress influencing air and water quality and their habitat. The EMAN’s salamander monitoring protocol was designed for research related to using plethodontid trends as an indicator of the impact of anthropogenic stresses on forest ecosystems. In other words, the impact of climate change, acid rain etc.
Salamanders are excellent indicator species of ecological health for these reasons:
The stability in their population counts
Their vulnerability to air and water pollution
Their sensitivity as a measure to change
Their roles in high densities in many forests
The ease with which they caught and handled without injury to them or significant impact to their environment.
Salamander monitoring is a cost effective way to study changes in the ecological health of aquatic and terrestrial regions and population of the species over a period of time. There are methods and protocols involved in conducting this study as outlined by the EMAN. The results of following the protocol should provide information such as:
How much the population of plethodontid salamanders reduced over a certain number of years
“Based on the study of the reviewers for the EMAN’s protocol, if a change in plethodontid numbers in a study area is statistically significant (According to the protocol, if the confidence level is =/>80%, power =/>90%) then there is sufficient cause for concern”
Confidence levels and sample power as ensure that the monitoring program will likely have adequate sample sizes and that observed trends are likely to reflect true changes”.
Cover photo source: Government of Canada Publications
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