Local herpetological knowledge in the North
Dissertation (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2016 Amphibians are important components of ecological communities and of human cultures, even in high northern latitudes where species diversity for this group is low. Despite their ecological and cultural value, and their ability to serve as ind...
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ftunivalaska:oai:scholarworks.alaska.edu:11122/6640 2023-05-15T18:27:27+02:00 Local herpetological knowledge in the North Ream, Joshua Taylor Toowóo, Xíxch'i Lopez, Juan Andres Gerlach, Scott Craig Schneider, William Carothers, Courtney 2016-05 http://hdl.handle.net/11122/6640 en_US eng http://hdl.handle.net/11122/6640 Graduate Program in Fisheries Dissertation phd 2016 ftunivalaska 2023-02-23T21:36:42Z Dissertation (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2016 Amphibians are important components of ecological communities and of human cultures, even in high northern latitudes where species diversity for this group is low. Despite their ecological and cultural value, and their ability to serve as indicators of ecosystem health, information on the biology of amphibians in Alaska and high latitude segments of their geographic range is limited. By combining local knowledge of herpetology and citizen science approaches, it is possible to circumvent some of the logistical constraints of research in a vast, sparsely populated region to enhance scientific understanding of amphibian populations. The first objective of this investigation is to document the nature and extent of local herpetological knowledge within a rural Alaska community, including perceptions of local human-amphibian relationships. Secondly, this study explores various methods of obtaining this knowledge and engaging the public in citizen science programs for the production of herpetological data. Finally, this study examines the species diversity, distribution and population trends of amphibians in the Stikine River region of Alaska. I demonstrate that local herpetological knowledge, when combined with standard biological techniques, can be used to better understand amphibian populations in Alaska. This study documented 3,645 amphibian observations in the state, including 2,320 observations contributed by citizen scientists and members of the public. Six native species and three non-native species were included in these observations. I found that each method of data acquisition resulted in varying degrees of efficiency and resulting contributions, and that members of the public were generally willing to share their knowledge of amphibians on local landscapes. The nature and extent of contributor knowledge varied, though many participants provided detailed information on past observations. Many respondents also perceive amphibians as important to ... Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis Stikine River Alaska University of Alaska: ScholarWorks@UA Fairbanks Stikine ENVELOPE(-131.803,-131.803,56.699,56.699) Stikine River ENVELOPE(-131.839,-131.839,56.654,56.654) |
institution |
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University of Alaska: ScholarWorks@UA |
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ftunivalaska |
language |
English |
description |
Dissertation (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2016 Amphibians are important components of ecological communities and of human cultures, even in high northern latitudes where species diversity for this group is low. Despite their ecological and cultural value, and their ability to serve as indicators of ecosystem health, information on the biology of amphibians in Alaska and high latitude segments of their geographic range is limited. By combining local knowledge of herpetology and citizen science approaches, it is possible to circumvent some of the logistical constraints of research in a vast, sparsely populated region to enhance scientific understanding of amphibian populations. The first objective of this investigation is to document the nature and extent of local herpetological knowledge within a rural Alaska community, including perceptions of local human-amphibian relationships. Secondly, this study explores various methods of obtaining this knowledge and engaging the public in citizen science programs for the production of herpetological data. Finally, this study examines the species diversity, distribution and population trends of amphibians in the Stikine River region of Alaska. I demonstrate that local herpetological knowledge, when combined with standard biological techniques, can be used to better understand amphibian populations in Alaska. This study documented 3,645 amphibian observations in the state, including 2,320 observations contributed by citizen scientists and members of the public. Six native species and three non-native species were included in these observations. I found that each method of data acquisition resulted in varying degrees of efficiency and resulting contributions, and that members of the public were generally willing to share their knowledge of amphibians on local landscapes. The nature and extent of contributor knowledge varied, though many participants provided detailed information on past observations. Many respondents also perceive amphibians as important to ... |
author2 |
Lopez, Juan Andres Gerlach, Scott Craig Schneider, William Carothers, Courtney |
format |
Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis |
author |
Ream, Joshua Taylor Toowóo, Xíxch'i |
spellingShingle |
Ream, Joshua Taylor Toowóo, Xíxch'i Local herpetological knowledge in the North |
author_facet |
Ream, Joshua Taylor Toowóo, Xíxch'i |
author_sort |
Ream, Joshua Taylor |
title |
Local herpetological knowledge in the North |
title_short |
Local herpetological knowledge in the North |
title_full |
Local herpetological knowledge in the North |
title_fullStr |
Local herpetological knowledge in the North |
title_full_unstemmed |
Local herpetological knowledge in the North |
title_sort |
local herpetological knowledge in the north |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11122/6640 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-131.803,-131.803,56.699,56.699) ENVELOPE(-131.839,-131.839,56.654,56.654) |
geographic |
Fairbanks Stikine Stikine River |
geographic_facet |
Fairbanks Stikine Stikine River |
genre |
Stikine River Alaska |
genre_facet |
Stikine River Alaska |
op_relation |
http://hdl.handle.net/11122/6640 Graduate Program in Fisheries |
_version_ |
1766209564405923840 |