HOMEHOME
RARE & ENDANGERED WILDLIFE STUDIESRARE & ENDANGERED WILDLIFE STUDIES
WETLAND DELINEATION & PERMITTINGWETLAND DELINEATION & PERMITTING
GIS / GPS MAPPINGGIS / GPS MAPPING
CONSERVATION & MANAGEMENT PERMITSCONSERVATION & MANAGEMENT PERMITS
VERNAL POOL ECOLOGYVERNAL POOL ECOLOGY
RESEARCHRESEARCH
PRINCIPAL & STAFFPRINCIPAL & STAFF
CONTACT USCONTACT US
PHOTO GALLERYPHOTO GALLERY
 RESEARCH
Applied Conservation Biology

Vernal Pool Ecology - Organisms that depend on vernal pools are vulnerable to direct and indirect impacts resulting from land development mostly because they often are not detected by field surveys during the wrong seasonal conditions and because current wetland regulations do not protect vernal pools if they are not within a jurisdictional wetland resource area. Oxbow has been involved with data collection for certifying many vernal pools throughout Massachusetts and we have also been involved with designing and monitoring a constructed vernal pool where we translocated amphibians and insects to establish a vernal pool community and monitor use of the pool and surrounding habitat using drift fences. The results of our research has given us the ability to work with developers to design projects approved by MA Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program because the design incorporated appropriate mitigation measures to minimize adverse impacts to rare salamanders and/or invertebrates found in some vernal pools.
Oxbow provided consultation services to remove invasive fish from a unique vernal pool at the summit of Wachusett Mountain Study ponds at Wachusett Mountain
Preserving Turtle Habitat within a Developing Landscape - Oxbow has been studying freshwater and terrestrial turtles in New England for many years because we believe turtles are fascinating creatures. Many of the turtles we have studied over the years require a diverse mosaic of habitat including a mix of deep permanent marshes, vernal pools, upland woods, and open uplands for nesting. The variety of habitat required by some of the state-listed rare turtles is an important variable to consider when planning development near any rare turtle habitat. Since Oxbow has been using radio-telemetry to track turtles for over two decades, we have an understanding of where, when and why certain species use specific habitat features. Many of our recent projects have incorporated mitigation nesting habitat to increase the potential nesting habitat in a given area. The data we are now collecting will be extremely valuable to determine even better methods for creating mitigation nesting sites.
Brian and Scott setting up experimental field enclosures Brian and Scott setting up experimental field enclosures
Turtle Ecology

In general, we are interested in how environmental variables influence the natural history of the different turtle species that inhabit our region. Specifically, we have been studying both common and rare species to better understand their feeding, breeding, nesting, egg and hatchling ecology, overwintering, population genetics, connectivity between breeding populations, and predator-prey interactions. We have used trapping, mark-recapture studies, and radio-telemetry to study many of these questions in the field. Our turtle research is most valuable because it is a combination of volunteer research where we work on preserved land on interesting ecological questions (no development proposed) and client-based, site specific studies, to determine how a project can proceed without negatively impacting the local population.

Blanding's turtle - Oxbow has been working with US Fish & Wildlife to monitor a population of Blanding's turtle for over 20 years. Our data has been used to make important land management decisions including reclaiming overgrown nesting habitat. We have also used radio-telemetry to monitor a number of other populations of Blanding's turtles in eastern MA. For several projects we have used our on-site research to incorporate important mitigation measures into the proposed project including turtle barriers, special turtle crossing tunnels, and mitigation nesting areas.

Spotted turtle - We have more experience with this turtle than any other of the state-listed species. We have conducted numerous trapping, mark-recapture, and radio-telemetry studies on many populations throughout MA. Although this species is supposedly well understood in the scientific literature, it continues to surprise us with its quirky unpredictable behavior in the field. For several projects we have used our on-site research to incorporate important mitigation measures into the proposed project including turtle barriers, special turtle crossing culverts, and mitigation nesting areas.

Eastern Box turtle - Eastern box turtles are at the northern limit of their range in southern New England, therefore, we have been finding that many of the populations in MA have different characteristics compared to many of the populations reported in the scientific literature. Currently, Oxbow is collaborating with other researchers from the MA, DE, and SC to compare a number of life history characteristics across the range of the turtle. We have also used radio-telemetry to monitor a number populations of eastern box turtles in eastern and western MA. For several projects we have used our on-site research to incorporate important mitigation measures into the proposed project including turtle barriers, special turtle crossing tunnels, and mitigation nesting areas.

Spotted Salamander Population Biology and Life History Variability

Spotted salamanders occur in distinct populations associated with their breeding habitat in vernal pools. Since 2000 Oxbow has been working with a number of colleagues to quantify the average body size of breeding adults from different populations across MA. Our results so far indicate that the average body size of adult male spotted salamanders is variable between populations, specifically, and that this may be caused by environmental variables associated with the non-breeding habitat (i.e., the upland characteristics). The largest salamanders found to date breed at the summit of Wachusett Mountain and preliminary age analysis indicates that these animals may be older than other, smaller sized populations.
Photo #1 Photo #2
Cross section of spotted salamander toe with lines of arrested growth (LAGs) Cross section of spotted salamander toe with lines of arrested growth (LAGs)
Cross section photos courtesy of Matson's Lab
How many growth rings do you see in the cross section photos above?

Click on the images shown above to enlarge and count the growth rings.

Once you are ready to enter your guess, select a number of growth rings for each photo and and click the guess button.
Photo #1 Photo #2 View results
The Functional Role of Larval Caddisflies in Vernal Pools

The 'log cabin' caddisfly (Limnephilus indivisus) is one of the most abundant organisms in the vernal pools within southern New England and, like many vernal pool organisms, depends on seasonal wetlands for egg deposition and larval development. Oxbow staff has been examining how these animals function in the food web of vernal pools. We have found that they do not function effectively as predators on eggs or newly hatched larval spotted salamanders, but can capture and kill larval salamanders if no cover is available. However, since leaf litter cover is always available in vernal pools, we do not believe that this species of caddisflies are likely to be important predators on even the smallest larval salamanders. Another experiment we conducted demonstrated that larval caddisflies grow faster when fed oak leaves or a mix of oak and maple leaves compared to when they are fed maple leaves only. This is an important finding considering forest clearing practices around vernal pools and landscape level vegetative community shifts over time due to environmental changes (e.g., regional climate changes).
Copyright © 2005 Oxbow Associates, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Artwork Copyright © 2005 David M. Carroll Site design by AGTI