Re: [vernalpool] cause of spotted salamander mass mortality?

I'd doubt it, if they're massed together. An 'icide, be it herb or pest,
or a salt treatment that exposes migrating animals to a lethal substance at
a specific crossing site seems the most logical, without knowing specifics.

Matt

On Fri, May 4, 2012 at 2:26 PM, Twining, Jonathan E <
jonathan.twining@enc.edu> wrote:

> Is there any reason to suspect another cause, such as a chytrid fungus or
> an amphibian virus? What about noxious algae in the pool?
>
>
> Aloha and Malama ka 'aina,
>
> Jonathan E. Twining, Assistant Professor of Biology
> Eastern Nazarene College
> ________________________________
> From: vernalpool@yahoogroups.com [vernalpool@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf
> Of Brett Amy Thelen [thelen@harriscenter.org]
> Sent: Friday, May 04, 2012 1:28 PM
> To: vernalpool@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [vernalpool] cause of spotted salamander mass mortality?
>
>
>
> Hello Vernal Pool listservers --
>
> I just received the following email from a knowledgeable vernal pool
> enthusiast in my area:
>
> I received some troubling news yesterday. Spoke with a friend who lives on
> a dirt road in our town. Her neighbor who lives near a wetlands right on
> the road found about 30 dead spotted salamanders by the side of the
> wetlands. I haven't spoken to the neighbor yet, but these weren't run over.
> Something else killed them, and she hypothesized that it was the calcium
> chloride that the town has put down on the road to keep the dust down. Not
> something that is usually done this time of year--more likely in the
> summer.
> I will try to get more information and hopefully, she took some pictures,
> but it's a sad thing and if the calcium chloride is the culprit, I will
> talk
> with the road agent and see if they can avoid further treatments by
> wetlands
> in town.
>
> Does anyone have any thoughts (or can you point me in the direction of any
> papers) on the potential cause of this mortality? Have you heard anything
> about the impacts of calcium chloride on adult Ambystomids? I found one
> literature review of road impacts on reptiles & amphibians (Jochimsen et
> al.
> 2004), which included a brief reference to unpublished data about mortality
> of hundreds of blue-spotted salamanders along forest roads in Minnesota;
> those salamander deaths were attributed to desiccation from calcium
> chloride. Still, I'd be interested to read more, if any of you know about
> research related to this, or have alternate theories.
>
> Thanks for any leads!
>
> Best,
> Brett
>
> -----
>
> Brett Amy Thelen, M.S.
> Program Director, Ashuelot Valley Environmental Observatory
> Harris Center for Conservation Education
> (603) 358-2065
> thelen@harriscenter.org<mailto:thelen%40harriscenter.org>
> www.aveo.org
>
> mailing address
> 83 King's Highway
> Hancock, NH 03449
>
> physical address
> Carroll House, Room 303
> Keene State College
> Keene, NH 03435
>
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>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
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