Effective Use of Trails for Assessing Terrestrial Salamander Abundance and Detection: A Case Study at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

A study in Great Smoky Mountains National Park found that trails can be effectively used to assess the abundance and detection of terrestrial salamanders without significantly differing from non-trail transects. Researchers analyzed capture data from 195 transects, including 70 along trails and 125 within non-trail habitats, over two three-week periods in June and July 2012. The findings suggest that microhabitat variables associated with salamander detection and abundance did not differ significantly between trail and non-trail transects. This research implies that trails can serve as a viable method for estimating salamander populations, potentially reducing the need to sample sensitive habitats, which could benefit conservation efforts in protected areas.

Milanovich, J. R., Hocking, D. J., Peterman, W. E., & Crawford, J. A. (2015). Effective Use of Trails for Assessing Terrestrial Salamander Abundance and Detection: A Case Study at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Natural Areas Journal, 35(4), 590–598. https://doi.org/10.3375/043.035.0412