The oklahoma department of wildlife conservation will subaward this grant to the university of tulsa

This $156,067.53 Formula Grant award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the State Wildlife Grants (CFDA 15.634) program will support research and conservation efforts focused on the invasive Ozark dusky salamander (Desmognathus monticola) in Oklahoma.

The grant will be sub-awarded to the University of Tulsa to: 1) assess the potential for the dusky salamander to spread throughout Oklahoma based on climate data, 2) conduct population surveys of native Ozark salamander species (Eurycea tynerensis and E. spelaea) in the Spavinaw Basin as a baseline, and 3) perform laboratory experiments to evaluate the behavioral and stress responses of native salamanders to the invasive dusky salamander. This work will provide critical information on the potential distributional limits and impacts of the dusky salamander on Oklahoma's native salamander species of greatest conservation need.

Twenty years ago an isolated population of an otherwise appalachian dusky salamander (seal salamander desmognathus monticola) was discovered in the spavinaw creek drainage in the ozarks of northwest arkansas. Subsequent genetic analyses suggested that ozark d. Monticola population likely originated from a human mediated introduction and recent surveys show the species has spread at least 10 KM within the upper spavinaw drainage basin. There has yet to be an assessment of the impact of d. Monticola on endemic ozark salamander populations. Spavinaw creek drains directly into oklahoma and has two resident salamander species of greatest conservation need inhabiting its tributaries (eurycea tynerensis and e. Spelaea). Previous studies in the appalachians found strong competitive interactions between desmognathus and eurycea species with direct impacts on survival and growth and larval activity of eurycea. Here we propose to 1) use climatic data based on the known native and introduced distributions of d. Monticola to determine its invasion potential throughout oklahoma 2) conduct fine scale population surveys of native salamander species (e. Tynerensis and e. Spelaea) throughout the oklahoma portion of the spavinaw basin as a baseline in the event of future incursion into our state and 3) conduct laboratory based behavioral and stress response experiments of larvae and adults to determine the potential consequences of interactions between desmognathus and native eurycea. This study will provide important information on potential future distributional limits of d. Monticola in oklahoma and a preliminary assessment of potential deleterious effects on native oklahoma salamander species of conservation concern.