Santa Barbara County Distinct Population Segment of the California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense) by Christina Cazares

It is incredibly easy to forget about the organisms that we do not encounter on a day to day basis. They remain hidden away from our sight, but are often integral to the successful workings of an environment. This is definitely the case with an organism fairly local to us in San Luis Obispo: the Santa Barbara County Distinct Population Segment (also known as DPS) of the California Tiger Salamander, formally, Ambystoma californiense. As metamorphs (living on land and in water) their status is worrisome as their well-being impacts the health of both the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems surrounding them.  

Image from: http://cdn2.arkive.org/media/9A/9AC270B2-BBB2-4F02-A879-6CB3F162A803/Presentation.Large/California-tiger-salamander-close-up.jpg 
Description and Ecology 

The California Tiger Salamander starts its humble life during California’s rainy season, in January and February, as a small egg attached to twigs or grass in a vernal pool. This egg hatches into a yellowish-gray larva after two to four weeks. While they are this small, the larvae feed on zooplankton, small crustaceans, and insects. As they grow larger, they start to consume the tadpoles of other amphibians, spiders, and earthworms. It takes about three months for them to grow into salamanders with this species’ characteristic stocky body, blunt and rounded snout, and black coloring with white or yellow markings (as can be seen in the photo above). From this phase, the California Tiger Salamander is no longer confined to vernal pools and it is free to migrate to cool, wet grasslands and woodlands, where it will live in underground burrows abandoned by other animals. This underground, nocturnal life provides a safe haven for these salamanders to continue to grow for four to five years, until they are 6-9 inches long and have reached breeding maturity.

Some fun facts about the ecology of the California Tiger Salamander:

1.“Recent genetic studies show that there has been little, if any, gene flow between the Santa Barbara County DPS and other populations for a substantial period of time,” this is because California Tiger Salamanders will go out of their way to migrate back to the same vernal pool they were born in when it comes time to breed--sometimes making journeys as far as 1.2 miles (“U.S.”).

2. Adult California Tiger Salamanders spend a quarter of their lives underground.
Geographic and Population Changes, Listing Date, Type of Listing, Threats

The Santa Barbara DPS of California Tiger Salamanders are currently found in six metapopulation areas, that can be seen below, within these areas are sixty known and consistent breeding ponds.

Image from: http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/Draft%20Recovery%20Plan%20for%20the%20Santa%20Barbara%20DPS%20of%20California%20Tiger%20Salamander%20(1).pdf

On January 19, 2000, this species was emergency listed as endangered. Earning a 3C on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife endangered species scale means that within these areas, there is a high potential for the recovery of this organism. With implementation of this recovery plan, it is estimated that the Santa Barbara DPS of the California Tiger Salamander could shed its endangered status by 2045. The “C” part of its rating means that its primary threat is, “construction or other development projects or other forms of economic activity,” (“U.S.”). In conjunction with the habitat loss from urbanization, this salamander faces several other perils to its survival. Climate change has caused the vernal pools that are normally the salamanders’ breeding grounds to dry up much earlier, or fail to exist altogether. Without proper breeding grounds, reproduction decreases significantly, along with the survival rates of the existing larvae. This aspect is devastating to the population of this species. Because they take up to five years to reach breeding maturity they naturally have low reproduction rates, with less than 50% of California Tiger Salamanders surviving to breed more than once. Another danger to their existence is biologists’ limited knowledge of their terrestrial life. For a majority of their life, this organism lives underground where it is difficult to monitor their day-to-day existence. This makes it difficult to conclude the best possible ways to help their endangered status.
Recovery Plan

The recovery strategy being implemented to ensure the survival of this species focuses heavily on preventing the urbanization of known breeding grounds in order to preserve vernal pool habitats. Santa Barbara County is also working towards creating education programs about necessary habitat conservation methods in order to generate support from both the general public and private landowners who inhabit the salamanders’ environment.

What can you do to help and what are other resources containing information about the Santa Barbara DPS of the California Tiger Salamander? 
The general public has to make the conscious effort to prevent construction projects in areas known to contain vernal pools rather than exploit the economic advantages that may be possible. Protecting these areas will ensure that the salamanders have sufficient breeding grounds. For more information on this species and their conservation visit Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Service’s page specific to this topic: https://www.fws.gov/sacramento/es_kids/CA-Tiger-Salamander/es_kids_ca-tiger-salamander.htm

Works Cited

"Saving the California Tiger Salamander." Center for Biological Diversity. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. <http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/amphibians/California_tiger_salamander/>.

Swenty, Sarah, External Affairs Divison, Sacramento Fish & Wildlife Office. "Species Information, California Tiger Salamander." Sacramento Fish and Wildlife. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. <https://www.fws.gov/sacramento/es_species/Accounts/Amphibians-Reptiles/es_ca-tiger-salamander.htm>.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2015. Draft recovery plan for the Santa Barbara County Distinct Population Segment of the California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Ventura, California. vi + 76 pp.