Abundance of Gulf Coast Waterdogs (Necturus beyeri) along Bayou Lacombe, Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana
Few ecological studies have been conducted on Gulf Coast Waterdogs (Necturus beyeri), and published studies have focused on relatively small stream sections of 125 m to 1.75 km. In 2015, we sampled 25 sites along a 13.4-km stretch of Bayou Lacombe (Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana, USA) to better understand factors that may influence the distribution of Gulf Coast Waterdogs within streams. We checked 250 unbaited traps once per week for 3 weeks, capturing 170 Gulf Coast Waterdogs at 18 of 25 sites. We used hierarchical models of abundance to estimate abundance at each site, as a function of site covariates including pH, turbidity, and distance from headwaters. The abundance of Gulf Coast Waterdogs within Bayou Lacombe was highest toward the center of the sampled stream segment, but we found no evidence that pH or turbidity affected abundance within our study area. Site-level abundance estimates of Gulf Coast Waterdogs ranged from 0 to 82, and we estimated there were 767 (95% Bayesian credible interval [CRI]: 266–983) Gulf Coast Waterdogs summed across all 25 sampling sites. We derived an estimate of 6,321 (95% CRI: 2,139–15,922) Gulf Coast Waterdogs for the entire 13.4-km stream section, which includes our 25 sites and the adjoining stream reaches between sites. Our results suggest that Gulf Coast Waterdogs may be uncommon or absent in the headwaters, possibly because of shallow water and swift currents with limited preferred habitats. Gulf Coast Waterdogs favor the middle stream reaches with adequate depth and abundant preferred microhabitats.
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Title | Abundance of Gulf Coast Waterdogs (Necturus beyeri) along Bayou Lacombe, Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana |
| DOI | 10.1670/20-062 |
| Authors | Brad Glorioso, Hardin Waddle, Lindy J. Muse, Sidney T Godfrey |
| Publication Type | Article |
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Series Title | Journal of Herpetology |
| Index ID | 70223335 |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | Wetland and Aquatic Research Center |
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Data from a 2015 trapping survey targeting the Gulf Coast Waterdog, Necturus beyeri, in Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana
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- Data
Data from a 2015 trapping survey targeting the Gulf Coast Waterdog, Necturus beyeri, in Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana
This dataset provides the data associated with a 2015 project to examine factors affecting the occupancy of Gulf Coast Waterdogs along Bayou Lacombe, Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana. Data include site locations and distance from headwaters, water data (pH, turbidity, salinity, and depth), and capture data from trap checks. For Necturus beyeri captures, the datatset provides the sex of captures and - Connect