Douglas Charles Horchler
Marshall University Herpetology Lab
About Me: I was born in Virginia Beach, VA. After high school, I attended Longwood
University in central Virginia where I received my B.S. in biology. It was here
that I fell in love with ecology. I was given the opportunity to co-design a
multi-year “living shorelines” study at Hull Springs Farm along a tributary of
the Potomac River. Upon graduation, I was accepted to Marshall University,
where I am a second year graduate student and a Human Physiology teaching
assistant. However, ecological field research is my true passion. Currently I
am studying the Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus
alleganiensis alleganiensis) in eastern West Virginia. I am interested in
long-term growth and population dynamics. From a personal perspective, Hellbenders
have opened numerous doors for me. I have met some great people who have
volunteered to help me out in the field. I recently had the great opportunity
to take out people from National Geographic, the Smithsonian and the National
Aquarium to aid me in my research. Upon graduation from Marshall, I plan on
either continuing my education and obtaining a PhD, or looking for a career in
the environmental field.
Long-term growth and monitoring of the
Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus a.
alleganiensis) in an Eastern West Virginia stream.
Amphibian declines have been well documented,
specifically in the last decade. Special concern has been given to this
widespread and rapid decline of amphibian species. The Eastern Hellbender, Cryptobranchus a. alleganiensis, North America’s largest salamander
species, has suffered dramatic declines throughout much of its range, with
estimated declines of up to 77 percent recently documented. Likely causes of
declines include habitat degradation, siltation, acid mine drainage and
over-collecting. Through the use of area
constrained searches and mark-recapture with passive integrated transponder
(P.I.T.) tags, we will start data collection on the status of hellbender
populations in Eastern West Virginia. We will sample 200-meter transects along
the study streams (The West and East Fork of the Greenbrier), and will collect
data using two methods across seasons: 1) night-time visual searches, 2)
daytime snorkeling and lifting rocks. We
will utilize snorkeling in hopes of detecting larvae, as a recent study found
larvae were primarily found in large, deep gravel beds. On the West Fork of the
Greenbrier, long-term growth and survivorship data will be collected and
compared to Marshall University surveys done in 1998 by Jeff Humphries. As
there is currently no long-term (>10 years) growth data on Eastern
Hellbenders, I am interested in the growth of recaptured animals eleven years
later. Of the 29 hellbenders tagged within the West Fork site in 1998, 11 were
recaptured in 2009. Eleven year mean growth of recaptured hellbenders is 3.43
cm (range 0.6cm - 4.5 cm, n=11). This recapture data will allow the development
of a growth/age model for salamanders greater than 40cm long. This is valuable,
as age estimates for these large size class animals are poorly understood. If sustained recovery of this species is to
occur, immediate conservation measures may be required.
Longwood
Living Shorelines Research