UV Project/Salamander Response to Climate Change (SRCC)

The core of SRCC is students working together to develop a long-term database that relates population activities of terrestrial salamanders to climate variables such as temperature, humidity, and precipitation. It is intended to stimulate students to think about large scale, long-term changes in the earth's environment and their implications for change in populations of sensitive species such as salamanders. All students participate in the core sampling on South Mountain, at Hawk Mountain, and at the Lacawac Sanctuary in the Poconos on a monthly basis (except during winter months). At each of these locations there are two habitats in which a series of coverboards is located: one in a moist hollow habitat and the other on a dry ridge. Coverboards are pieces of raw white oak lumber that provide shelter for terrestrial salamanders.

Once a month students visit each of the habitats, turn over the coverboards, and capture, identify, measure, and release any salamanders observed underneath the coverboards. During these visits the dataloggers that are continuously monitoring temperature, humidity, and precipitation are also offloaded to a laptop computer. Both the salamander and climate data are entered into a computerized database. In addition to these monthly sampling excursions there are periodic amphibian diversity surveys, and various projects may be carried out for additional credits. These projects may involve research in the field, research based on library or web-based information, analysis of the SRCC database, analysis of current sampling methods, or additions to the student-constructed and maintained SRCC web page. All results are submitted and archived in the electronic SRCC database.

This can be used towards Natural Science Credit.

For more information contact Craig Williamson cew0@lehigh.edu