Natural History Ch.6- Endangered Species, Reintroductions, and the ATBI

what are the 3 species of plants that are endangered in the park?

spread avens, rock gnome lichen, and virginia spiraea

what is the 1 invertebrate species that is endangered in the park?

spruce fir spider

what are the 9 vert species that are definitely endangered?

spotfin chub, smokey madtom, yellowfin madtom, citico darter, bald eagle, peregrine falcon, indiana bat, gray bat, and carolina flying squirrel

what are the 4 vert species that are sort of endangered?

red cockaded woodpecker, gray wolf, red wolf, and eastern cougar

extirpated

extinct from a specific area

where does rock gnome lichen grow?

high elevations on boulders, in streams, or other high moisture environments

how many known patches of rock gnome lichen are there?

225

is rock gnome lichen affected by acid rain?

concerns were shown to be unfounded as patches appear to deal with it. currently the population is stable

how many populations of spreading avens are there?

only one found at high elevation on rocky openenings and outcrops

how was spreading avens in 2021?

plant seemed to be doing well. location confidential. population stable

what does recent genetics work indicate about spreading avens?

plants found in the park are genetically distinct from other populations in the park

where is virginia spiraea found in the park?

just one location on the west side

what does virginia look like and where does it occur?

like joe pye weed but white flowers. occurs in rocky areas along riparian zones

how was virginia spiraea in 2021?

4 clonal patches over 200 m occurred. location is confidential and population appears stable but is threatened by invasive species and hog rooting

what is the world's smallest spider?

spruce fir spider at 0.38 cm

when was spruce fir spider discovered?

in 1923 on mt mitchell, 1926 on mt leconte, and clingman's dome and mt collins in 1970

what are the metapopulations of the spruce fir spider considered?

sky islands

what group is the spruce fir moss spider part of?

primitive tube web spinning spiders

where is the spruce fir moss spider endemic to?

southern appalachia, specifically east TN, west NC, and SW virginia

what is the habitat of the spruce fir moss spider?

moist but well drained bryophyte mats growing in well sheltered and shaded north sloped in spruce fir forests above 4500 ft in the interface between rocks and moss

what did population surveys in 2004 say about the spruce fir spider?

highly stable and well spread population despite declines on Kuwohi due to death of frasier fir

what are the sites of the spruce fir moss spider?

Kuwohi, Leconte, Mt Buckley, Mt Love, and Mt Chapman

what are the three park caves that are hibernation sites for the Indiana bat?

blowhole, bull and scott

what is the threat to the Indianan bat?

being disturbed by humans while hibernating

what is white nose syndrome fungus?

irritation that wakes them from hibernation

what is the population of the bat like in the park?

currently on the decline

is the northern flying squirrel common in the park

no

what is the northern flying squirrel like?

larger than southern flying squirrel and much more carnivorous

what does the northern flying squirrel eat?

insects, inverts, birds, eggs, mice, carrion and in the fall hoard nuts and acors

where was the first northern flying squirrel taken from?

Blanket mtn, southwest of Elkmont on February 20, 1935

what is the preferred habitat of the northern flying squirrel?

spruce fir and mixed conifer northern hardwood

where did the eastern cougar once roam?

all NA

what is the role of the eastern cougar in GSM

critically important top predator of GSM through ecology of fear

what is the cherokee name of eastern cougar and how is it pronounced?

tlv-da-tsi pronounced plah-dah-ge

what was the cherokee story about the eastern cougar?

cougar and owl were only two to stay awake during creation of the world so they were blessed with night vision

when was the last known cougar killed in the GSM?

1920

are there cougars in the park today?

no breeding population exists, scattered sighting are roaming cats from out west

what happened in 2011 for the cougar?

declared extinct by the US Fish and Wildlife Service

how many reintroductions have been made to the park?

9 vert, 4 fish, 2 birds, and 3 mammals

what are the four reintroduced fish?

smoky madtom, yellowfin madtom, spotted chub, and duskytail darter

what are the two birds reintroduced?

peregrine falcon and barn owls

what are the three mammals reintroduced?

elk, otter, and red wolf

what is the sad story of the red wolf>

once roamed all SE US. by 1950s aggressive predator control had nearly wiped it out. pop dropped so low in 1980 it was declared functionally extinct. as of February 2021, 10 known radio collared roamed NE NC and 250 comprised the captive breeding program

what was the failed attempt with the red wolf?

first fam released Nov 1991, 2 more released in 1992 at tremont and cades cove. many problems with how program was run and how wolves were handled. around 40 pups were born but none survived. wolves would mate, have pups, but then would die due to parvo virus. in 1998 was announced project would be ending experiment. all but one of the wolves released in the park with radio collarrs were recaptured

what were the reasons for failure with the red wolf experiment?

lack of public support, lack of understanding of wolves' needs and behaviors, lack of prefattening and acclimation

what is the good from the red wolf project?

helped with introducing elk in GSMPNP and wolves in YS

what is the story about the peregrine falcon?

historically 25 eyries in eastern mountains, by 1965 the effects of DDT decimated pop, NPS used hacking where young birds raised in captivity were released into historic breeding grounds. 44 fledging peregrines were released from 4 sites in TN in 1984-93. in 1997 biologist recorded first successful breeding pair. currently 2 active eyries in the state both in GSM but still endangred

what is special about the peregrine falcon?

flight speed if 25-34 mph, reaches 69 when in pursuit and when diving toward prey 200 mph making it fasts bird in the world. unlike most birds have adapted to living in cities bc tall buildings with ledges simulate cliffs for nesting

what is the story about elk?

once roamed S appalachian mtns but were elimiated from over hunting and habitat loss. last elk in NC was believed to have killed in late 1700s and in TN in mis 1800s. 25 elk were brought in 2001 and 27 in 2002. current pop is 150-200 in NC on public land, private land and within GSMNP

what is the purpose of the ATBI?

identify every species of plant and animal living within the boundaries of GSMNP

what is the ATBI the first of?

comprehensive biological inventory ever attempted

what is the history of ATBI?

created in 1997, a pilot program began in 2000, and funding via UNNPS, USGS, friends of the smokies, and GSM association all procured to make it happen

what are the additional goals of the smokies?

discover parkwide distribution of all species, determine relative abundance of each species, and gather data on the seasonality and ecological relationships of all species in the park

how many scientists have contributed to ATBI work?

200

what is citizen science?

public participates voluntarily in the scientific process, addressing real world problems. example include monarch butterfly tagging, otter sightings, and elk counts

what is Discover Life in America?

founded in 1998 it is a nonprofit organization that provides grants to scientists and technicians to do work on inventorying flora and fauna. it organizes volunteers, coordinates developments, markets the projects and is involved in public relations and assists with educational programs

what are ATBI results?

1052 species new to science, 10,654 species not previously known to exist in the park, now 21,380 species in the park, of these only 31 new to the park vert species including 3 amphibians, 2 reptiles, 17 birds, and 6 mammals

why is the ATBI important?

nearly every important product for humans in terms of health and welfare has come from some form of living so every species discovered could be of massive importance to humans beings

tell me about diatoms

diatoms are microscopic algae that are at the base of the food chain and found in nearly all aquatic habitats. remove up to half the world's CO2 and produce 25% of O we breathe. used as env indicators to determine a watershed's biological integrity

what are the characteristics of diatoms?

quick turnover, small size, easy to capture, can double population in a day, usually first to colonize a new water system, some highly pollution tolerant and some not

how do scientists capture critters?

variety of ways, each appropriate to the organism.