Naturalists, herpetologists, and ecologists alike agree that tracking herpetofauna is a uniquely challenging undertaking. Over the last 20 years, scientists in the state of Maryland have expressed growing concern about the potential decline of once-familiar amphibian and reptile species, but their evidence was too localized and anecdotal to support any real conclusions about the health of these populations. In order to better understand how amphibians and reptiles are distributed in the Old Line State and explain future trends in an era of accelerated climate change and environmental threats, many agreed that their best bet was to conduct a comprehensive statewide survey to update distribution maps not touched since the mid-1970s. However, this endeavor was of an impossible scope for scientists alone to tackle. Enter the Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas project, comprising nearly a thousand dedicated citizen scientists who discovered and recorded the locations of amphibians and reptiles throughout every corner of Maryland.
In The Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas, Heather R. Cunningham and Nathan H. Nazdrowicz bring together the findings of this massive undertaking. The authors pair nearly 160 comprehensive new herpetological maps with historical distribution maps and in-depth species accounts. Numerous color photos illustrate the 89 species of frogs, salamanders, turtles, snakes, and lizards that call the state home. Essays discuss historical contributions to herpetology in Maryland, the current environmental character of the state'focusing on the effects of Maryland's climate, geology, and habitat diversity'and the myriad conservation issues that these animals face.
This richly detailed book represents a triumph of citizen science and the culmination of an intensive research partnership. Exploring an enigmatic natural world, The Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas will appeal to a broad audience of both amateurs and professionals interested in herpetology, natural history, and ecology, as well as those with a special interest in Maryland's biodiversity.
Acknowledgments Acronyms and Abbreviations Introduction Overview of Amphibians and Reptiles in Maryland The Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas Project Citizen Science and Herpetological Research Goals of the Atlas Organization of the Atlas History of Herpetofaunal Distributions in Maryland. Charles A. Davis Discovery Collections and Descriptions Organizing for Discovery and the Early Amphibian and Reptile Collections Limitations and Challenges of Assessing Historical Ranges: Where Were the Rattlesnakes? Early Geographic Lists More Efforts to Organize Efforts to Update the Distributional Survey Challenges and Practices for Gathering Distributional Data Additional Institutional Efforts That Document Amphibian and Reptile Distributions Rare Species Surveys Increasing Access to Herpetofaunal Information Maryland's Environment 00 Physiographic Provinces Habitat Types Climate Land Use Conservation of Maryland's Herpetofauna. Lynn M. Davidson and Glenn D. Therres Legislation, Regulation, and Monitoring Programs Protected Lands Designing and Implementing the Atlas Project Coordination Survey Methodology The Volunteer Network Data Collection Data Management Results of the Atlas Project Overall Results County-Level Results Volunteer Results Data Verification Taxonomic Results Species Accounts Amphibians Reptiles Appendixes A. Quadrangle and Block Total Species Summary B. Quadrangle and Block Effort-Hours Summary C. County Summary D. Species Summary References Index
""A meticulously detailed guide, with lush color photos.""
