Harvard Forest >

Harvard Forest Research Project 2024

• Title: Revisiting salamanders of the declining Hemlocks in New England Forests
• Principal investigator: Ahmed Siddig (ahmed_nyala@yahoo.com)
• Institution: University of Khartoum
• Primary contact: Ahmed Siddig (ahmed_nyala@yahoo.com)
• Team members: Audrey Barker Plotkin
  Betsy Colburn
  Diana Sharpe
• Abstract:

  Salamanders are important creatures in the forested ecosystems of New England due to their significant ecological roles, but unfortunately, they are in decline due to habitat destruction, invasive pests, and climate change. In the last three decades the decline of the foundational hemlock forests has affected biodiversity of these vital ecosystems including Salamanders.
  The Hemlock Removal Experiment of Harvard Forest (HeRE-HF) was created to study long-term impacts of the declining hemlocks on biodiversity and ecosystem services including changes in salamanders’ population. Starting 2004 as baseline year salamanders’ population have been assessed in the forest and followed by follow-up monitoring in years 2013 & 2014. So far, results of this study indicated that salamanders’ populations are declining by about 20% compared to the first assessment of 2004 and more decline will be observed as hemlock habitat declined and replaced by hardwoods. This conclusion necessitates further long-term monitoring, trend detection, and test of this hypothesis, especially now it is 20 years since the beginning of the assessment and ten years from last one.
  Therefore, in summer 2024, we aim to follow up on measurements performed earlier and assess the status and trend of red baked salamanders and red spotted newts(efts) in the HeRE plots compared to 2004 and 2014. Between May – August 2024, three assessment methods including coverboards, leaf litter search, and visual encounter survey are suggested for studying redbacks salamander and red-spotted newt in HeRE Plots.
  Overall, the study will update status and trend of these two important indicators species to forest changes in response to the decline of hemlock forests but also set the stage for more detailed studies to come on areas of salamanders’ demographic characteristics, species-interactions & food web, and response to climate change impacts.