A Salamander Summer
Established through a generous anonymous donation and managed directly by our faculty, the AIS Summer Travel Study and Research Grant Program supports the professional development of teachers each summer. Two of this year’s recipients share their stories in this issue.
The Summer Travel Study and Research grant allowed me the opportunity to continue my study of the salamander and amphibian population in the Taunus hills of central Germany.
I lived and worked at Frankfurt International School in Germany from 1984 until 1995. In that time I raised and released hundreds of native tiger salamander into streams where their population seemed low or totally absent. Also, as part of a program with the Hofheim Angling Club, I set up several amphibian sanctuary areas in ponds that had been set aside for fishing. The goal was to increase the amphibian populations that had been seriously lowered due to the introduction of fish into their breeding sites. My aim this summer was to see if there was any evidence that what I had done some ten years ago had been successful.
Method
The analysis involved capturing and counting the water dwelling immature salamander from several local streams and comparing numbers with those from data collected in 1988.
Results
Control streams of Hofheim/Langenhein: Some of the original streams analyzed were dry due to drought, but those that were still flowing had a density between 1 and 7 salamanders per meter of stream. This population was very similar to 1988 levels and suggested that the salamander population in these streams was fairly constant.
Release sites in Wallau and strong: The streams of Wallau tested in 1988 had shown no salamander at all, suggesting that the salamander population was either low or non-existent. No salamander were located in 2004. The streams of Lorsbach had very few salamander in 1988 and a salamander breeding area had been constructed in one stream in the early 1980s. The 1988 salamander population was extremely low to non-existent in these streams. In 2004, salamander were found in all streams tested, with populations up to 4 per meter recorded.
Amphibians of Langenhein: Langenhein was a major area where pond structure was altered and planted in order to increase amphibian survival rates. Certain bank areas of one pond were designated as “sanctuary” areas and off limits to anglers. The time of my trip was not ideal for much analysis here due to the fact that the young of both toad and frog species would have left their aquatic home and taken up residence in the forest. However the population of fire bellied newts, which were still residing in any pond lacking large fish, was excessive.
Conclusion
It does appear that, in some areas, the population of salamanders has increased from 1988. However, a few streams still seem to be devoid of salamander and the reasons for this are not clear and would require a far more detailed investigation before any conclusion is reached. At least with respect to one amphibian, the fire bellied newt, the population has increased markedly.
Note: Since I left Germany in 1995, work on amphibian protection by the Hofheim Angling Club has ceased and the salamander breeding area in Lorsbach that had been maintained up to 1995 has now been destroyed.
The direct effect of my trip on my teaching at AIS will probably be minimal; however, in many small ways it will be extremely beneficial. As many students know, I try to relate real life experiences to the material we are studying in class and this experience has added to my repertoire. I also had an opportunity to visit Frankfurt International School, where I taught for 11 years and, after my visit, I realized that I much prefer to be at AIS!