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9781421425955 Academic Inspection Copy

The Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas

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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.""

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