Glomalin and Conservation in Humboldt County The 1996 discovery of the soil glue glomalin is changing our understanding of the impact of elevated carbon dioxide, while giving important clues to forest health, watersheds, revegetation, wildfire and carbon sequestration. Here I share what I have found so others may read and draw their own conclusions, and relate it to my own experience, Humboldt County issues and stories from the news.

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

130. New Salamander Discovered in Klamath-Siskiyous 

130. New Salamander Discovered in Klamath-Siskiyous
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050518/ap_on_sc/new_salamander
William McCall, AP reporter, and Yahoo have reported Dave Clayton, leading a Forest Service research team, has discovered a new old-growth dependant species of salamander in the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains of Northeast California and southern Oregon. The species is known as Plethodon asupak, or Scott Bar salamander, for the Native American name for Scotts’ Bar. The species was thought to be a variation of the species Plethodon stormi until genetic testing at Oregon State University unveiled a separate genetic lineage for the species, which dates from the Pleistocene era from 10,000 to 1.8 million years ago, and probably survived the last Ice Age.
Besides being a new local discovery, the species has intriguing traits that help illustrate our arguments about forest condtions before and after human activity. This species lives on rocky slopes covered with old growth and mature forest, and is dependant on moisture in the environment for survival since it has no lungs and breathes through its skin. The article states the salamander uses moisture retained by the dense canopy. We know we are talking about a species thriving on moisture retained through our model of the precipitation interface and groundwater storage created by glomalin.
The Siskiyou Mountain salamander and all genetic subgroups was submitted for protected status under the Endangered Species Act to the Administration last year by environmental groups, including Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center: http://www.ksweild.org. The article will be published in Herptologica, the journal of the Herptologists League (http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cbd/HL/HL.html).
Salamanders are important indicator species in many areas. They are at the forefront of many California issues since almost all development impacts their habitat. We pretty much find them where development has not yet encroached or has had enough time to heal. As we have pointed out, most human activity results in general drying conditions, especially in seasonally wet regions. Water storage is essential to these sensitive indicators. We also note researchers are alarmed by the disappearance of many amphibians, as well as genetic damage caused by toxins in the environment. The upshot is that their healthy presence indicates habitat in good condition.
We agree that a new four legged discovery is a pretty rare find, especially here, but a new rodent was identified in Laotian markets last week and the reportedly extinct Ivory-billed woodpecker was recently rediscovered in a protected Arkansas swamp. Generally the world appears less explored than we care to admit. We have to wonder if this species is fog dependant in the summer or if it has another strategy such as hiding in the moist ground in high heat. Investigations into this might reveal glomalin or its effects. On the other hand, this would seem like a good place to start looking for glomalins importance in forest communities.
I’d like to point out this blog is indebted to OSU because they are on the forefront of a lot of interting and useful science. The late Leslie Woodruff, of Fairyland Begonias and Lilies, had all his tissue culture for world famous lilies (White Henryi, Black Beauty, Strargazer and their tetraploids) done at OSU. HE told my brother they were the best in the world a few years ago.
Our article about the amazing accidental recovery of the Yellowstone River as an unknown consequence of reintroduction of wolves was done by OSU researchers. My repeated references to mycorhizzia and fungi from Dan Wheeler are also through Dr. James Trapp, an OSU mycologist. We see PNW research station has carried forward this work on mycological significance of fungi, and in general we are learning a lot from them. Kudos and thanks!
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