Streamside Salamanders in Valley Fill and Reference Streams in Southern West Virginia

Abstract

Abstract. We sampled stream salamanders in southern West Virginia during 2001 in streams below head-of-hollow valley fills and in reference streams to determine if there were differing trends in relative abundance between these treatments. Head-of-hollow valley fill construction can cover headwaters, firstorder, second-order, and higher order reaches with excess spoil materials; valley fills in southern West Virginia are often hundreds of hectares in size. Total salamander captures were higher in 3 reference streams (RS; N=389) than in 4 valley fill streams (VFS; N=289) and mean abundance was significantly greater in reference streams. Number of salamanders captured was positively related to number of rocks in the stream substrate. We suggest that alterations in water chemistry, substrate composition (greater silt cover), and fewer rocks below valley fills all may have contributed to reduced salamander densities in VFS.

Terrestrial Wildlife in the Post-mined Appalachian Landscape: Status and Opportunities

“…Comparing two reference streams with three valley-fill streams in West Virginia, Hamilton (2002) found reduced salamander abundance at two of the three valley-fill streams, although the oldest (18 years since reclamation) had similar abundances to reference sites, indicating the potential for recovery post-mining. Williams and Wood (2004) noted high rock density and abundant cover objects mitigated some of the impacts to stream salamanders in post-mined valley-fill streams. Further work by Wood and Williams (2013b) found similar salamander species richness between reference and valley-fill streams, but approximately double the number of salamander individuals was observed in reference streams relative to valley fill.…”