THE IMPORTANCE OF SALAMANDERS: By G. C. Kim
Currently, fishing with salamanders is legal in Iowa, Kansas, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and many other states throughout the U.S. Although salamanders are used widely as bait, they should be taken off of the bait list because they are beneficial to the environment. Salamanders are a keystone species, which means that the environment is dependent on their well-being. Therefore, by using salamanders as bait, fishermen are harming the environment, as well as salamanders. Another reason why salamanders are so beneficial to the environment is because they help reduce the effects of global warming. Lastly, fishermen should not use salamanders as bait because by fishing with them they could potentially be spreading Chytrid, a fungal disease that has decimated the world's amphibian populations. Salamanders should be removed from the bait list because of these three reasons.
Firstly, salamanders should be removed from the bait list because they are a keystone species. A keystone species is an abundant species that helps maintain the health of the environment. According to researchers from the University of Missouri, the average population of salamanders in wooded areas of the Missouri Ozarks is two to four times higher than expected. On the east coast it is ten times higher than expected (Sossamon 1). While salamanders are abundant, they face numerous threats. Currently, they face habitat destruction, a deadly disease, water pollution, and fishermen. If these threats are not regulated, then this keystone species may die off. The Wandering Herpetologist, an organization that specializes in studying amphibians, made a prediction about what would happen if salamanders start to die off. “...salamanders (and other amphibians) are very important to the health of forests. Since they make up such a large biomass of an area as they experience more and more population declines so do other species that rely on them” (Viernum 3). This means that if salamanders start to die, the environment will start to die as well. This also implies that by using salamanders as bait fishermen are crippling other animals that rely on salamanders, which in turn damages the environment.
While the environment is dependent on the well-being of salamanders, these creatures actually play an important role in the global carbon cycle. This important role was discussed by the California Academy of Science. Researchers from northern California created two isolated environments and filled one of the enclosures with Ensatina, a type of salamander. Since salamanders prey on insects that break down leaf litter into carbon, the researchers expected to find less amounts of carbon in the enclosure with the Ensatina than the one without. Over a period of two seasons, the researchers found that their assumption was correct. The enclosure that had Ensatina had lower carbon levels than the enclosure that did not have Ensatina (Michelson 2). In their article explaining their experiment, the researchers attempted to calculate how much carbon the Ensatina prevented from being released into the atmosphere. They found that “...across the range of Ensatina this would equate to 72.3 metric tons of C retained by this one species in a single season, preventing it from entering the atmosphere” (Best and Welsh 17). Salamanders are not just essential to the environment, but they are also important to the global carbon cycle as well. On top of being a keystone species, these creatures also help mitigate global warming. By using them as bait, fishermen are not only hurting the environment but increasing the effects of global warming.
The final reason why salamanders shouldn't be used as bait is because that when anglers fish with them, they have the risk of spreading Chytrid. According to Amphibiaweb, a website that provides a vast storage of knowledge on amphibians, Chytrid is a deadly fungal disease that only affects amphibians. This deadly disease has already eradicated a large portion of the world's amphibian population (Yap and Koo 1-2). Amphibian Ark, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for Chytrid, said as follows: “...the most common way that Bd zoospores spread from place to place are in water, moist or wet materials (including soil or equipment) or on the skin of infected amphibians” (Amphibian Ark 2). Since Chytrid spreads through the skin of contaminated amphibians, if a fisherman used an infected salamander as bait, he would be spreading Chytrid. Upon being spread, Chytrid would steadily wipe out all salamanders in the area, which would cause the surrounding environment to deteriorate in health.
Salamanders are important to the health of the environment. The environment depends on them to mitigate global warming. These facts are why salamanders should be taken off of all bait lists. In addition to that, by outlawing salamanders as bait, the chances of Chytrid spreading would be considerably reduced. If salamanders are continued to be used as bait, these creatures will eventually disappear. Then the environment will suffer, and the effects of global warming will escalate. The first step to helping these creatures is to stop using them as bait.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Best, Michael, and Hartwell Welsh. “The trophic role of a forest salamander: impacts on invertebrates, leaf litter retention, and the humification process.”
Ecological Society of America, 10 February 2014,
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/ES13-00302.1/full
Accessed 14 Dec. 2016.
“Chytrid Fungus.”
Amphibian Ark, n.d.,
http://www.amphibianark.org/the-crisis/chytrid-fungus/.
Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.
Michelson, Molly. “Salmanders' Important Role.”
California Academy of Science, 16 April 2014,
http://www.calacademy.org/explore-science/salamanders-important-role.
Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.
Sossamon, Jeff. “Salamanders Are a More Abundant Food Source in Forest Ecosystems Than Previously Thought.” University of Missouri, 18 November 2014,
http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2014/1118-salamanders-are-a-more-abundant-food- source-in-forest-ecosystems-than-previously-thought/.
Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.
Viernum, Sara. “The Importance of Amphibians.”
The Wandering Herpetologist, 14 May 2012,
http://www.wanderingherpetologist.com/importance-of-amphibians/.
Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.
Yap, Tiffany, and Michelle Koo. “Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans: Deadly fungal threat to salamanders.” Amphibiaweb, July 31 2015,
http://amphibiaweb.org/chytrid/Bsal.html.
Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.
Currently, fishing with salamanders is legal in Iowa, Kansas, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and many other states throughout the U.S. Although salamanders are used widely as bait, they should be taken off of the bait list because they are beneficial to the environment. Salamanders are a keystone species, which means that the environment is dependent on their well-being. Therefore, by using salamanders as bait, fishermen are harming the environment, as well as salamanders. Another reason why salamanders are so beneficial to the environment is because they help reduce the effects of global warming. Lastly, fishermen should not use salamanders as bait because by fishing with them they could potentially be spreading Chytrid, a fungal disease that has decimated the world's amphibian populations. Salamanders should be removed from the bait list because of these three reasons.
Firstly, salamanders should be removed from the bait list because they are a keystone species. A keystone species is an abundant species that helps maintain the health of the environment. According to researchers from the University of Missouri, the average population of salamanders in wooded areas of the Missouri Ozarks is two to four times higher than expected. On the east coast it is ten times higher than expected (Sossamon 1). While salamanders are abundant, they face numerous threats. Currently, they face habitat destruction, a deadly disease, water pollution, and fishermen. If these threats are not regulated, then this keystone species may die off. The Wandering Herpetologist, an organization that specializes in studying amphibians, made a prediction about what would happen if salamanders start to die off. “...salamanders (and other amphibians) are very important to the health of forests. Since they make up such a large biomass of an area as they experience more and more population declines so do other species that rely on them” (Viernum 3). This means that if salamanders start to die, the environment will start to die as well. This also implies that by using salamanders as bait fishermen are crippling other animals that rely on salamanders, which in turn damages the environment.
While the environment is dependent on the well-being of salamanders, these creatures actually play an important role in the global carbon cycle. This important role was discussed by the California Academy of Science. Researchers from northern California created two isolated environments and filled one of the enclosures with Ensatina, a type of salamander. Since salamanders prey on insects that break down leaf litter into carbon, the researchers expected to find less amounts of carbon in the enclosure with the Ensatina than the one without. Over a period of two seasons, the researchers found that their assumption was correct. The enclosure that had Ensatina had lower carbon levels than the enclosure that did not have Ensatina (Michelson 2). In their article explaining their experiment, the researchers attempted to calculate how much carbon the Ensatina prevented from being released into the atmosphere. They found that “...across the range of Ensatina this would equate to 72.3 metric tons of C retained by this one species in a single season, preventing it from entering the atmosphere” (Best and Welsh 17). Salamanders are not just essential to the environment, but they are also important to the global carbon cycle as well. On top of being a keystone species, these creatures also help mitigate global warming. By using them as bait, fishermen are not only hurting the environment but increasing the effects of global warming.
The final reason why salamanders shouldn't be used as bait is because that when anglers fish with them, they have the risk of spreading Chytrid. According to Amphibiaweb, a website that provides a vast storage of knowledge on amphibians, Chytrid is a deadly fungal disease that only affects amphibians. This deadly disease has already eradicated a large portion of the world's amphibian population (Yap and Koo 1-2). Amphibian Ark, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for Chytrid, said as follows: “...the most common way that Bd zoospores spread from place to place are in water, moist or wet materials (including soil or equipment) or on the skin of infected amphibians” (Amphibian Ark 2). Since Chytrid spreads through the skin of contaminated amphibians, if a fisherman used an infected salamander as bait, he would be spreading Chytrid. Upon being spread, Chytrid would steadily wipe out all salamanders in the area, which would cause the surrounding environment to deteriorate in health.
Salamanders are important to the health of the environment. The environment depends on them to mitigate global warming. These facts are why salamanders should be taken off of all bait lists. In addition to that, by outlawing salamanders as bait, the chances of Chytrid spreading would be considerably reduced. If salamanders are continued to be used as bait, these creatures will eventually disappear. Then the environment will suffer, and the effects of global warming will escalate. The first step to helping these creatures is to stop using them as bait.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Best, Michael, and Hartwell Welsh. “The trophic role of a forest salamander: impacts on invertebrates, leaf litter retention, and the humification process.”
Ecological Society of America, 10 February 2014,
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/ES13-00302.1/full
Accessed 14 Dec. 2016.
“Chytrid Fungus.”
Amphibian Ark, n.d.,
http://www.amphibianark.org/the-crisis/chytrid-fungus/.
Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.
Michelson, Molly. “Salmanders' Important Role.”
California Academy of Science, 16 April 2014,
http://www.calacademy.org/explore-science/salamanders-important-role.
Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.
Sossamon, Jeff. “Salamanders Are a More Abundant Food Source in Forest Ecosystems Than Previously Thought.” University of Missouri, 18 November 2014,
http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2014/1118-salamanders-are-a-more-abundant-food- source-in-forest-ecosystems-than-previously-thought/.
Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.
Viernum, Sara. “The Importance of Amphibians.”
The Wandering Herpetologist, 14 May 2012,
http://www.wanderingherpetologist.com/importance-of-amphibians/.
Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.
Yap, Tiffany, and Michelle Koo. “Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans: Deadly fungal threat to salamanders.” Amphibiaweb, July 31 2015,
http://amphibiaweb.org/chytrid/Bsal.html.
Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.