Bipalium adventitium -- An Introduced Soil Invertebrate

Bipalium adventitium is an introduced terrestrial flatworm that inhabits soils and predates earthworms.
I observed Bipalium adventitium for the second time on the property, yesterday.  I was checking amphibian cover boards and observed two individuals in what looked as if they were copulating.  I collected the specimens and ran back to the office to confirm my identification.  My colleague Jeff Greenwood, WMCC Education Director, ran an errand on the property shortly afterwards and found another individual.  This brought us up to 3 specimens in one day (April 26, 2012) and we weren't even focusing a search for them!

I am not an invertebrate zoologist, so I was quite surprised to learn about this animal last year.  Nicki Hall and I were checking snake cover boards for the last monitoring visit of the season (October 2011) and discovered what looked like a brown "leech".  We didn't think much of it at the time, except that it was on land and that it was after all of the rain we received after Hurricane Irene.  About a week later some colleagues in the state asked me if I had seen this mystery animal and in fact I had!  After a short review from the internet, I found that this organism is introduced to North America from Asia and it is a predator to other soil invertebrates, especially earthworms.  There are a few investigators trying to search for these animals in North America to document the spread.  Peter Ducey, SUNY Cortland, is examining the natural history and the ecological role of Bipalium adventitium as potential competitor to native herpetofauna that consume earthworms.

Blue-spotted x Jefferson Salamander is a state endangered species in CT
 that inhabits White Memorial and eats earthworms.

All of the earthworms that inhabit Connecticut's soils are considered introduced because our region was covered in glaciers only 15,000 years ago.  Therefore, earthworms were not able to colonize this region until humans introduced them.  Several of these species originated from other continents and are now changing our soils.  In forest habitats, these animals are consuming the leaf litter layer that blankets the forest floor so fast that the entire layer is consumed and the soil is exposed to rain, thereby causing extensive erosion.  This lowers water quality and decreases the ability of the forest to regenerate after other disturbances.  Many species of forest dwelling plants depend on the leaf layer as part of their natural history and these species are declining as result of this ecological damage.  I briefly mentioned in a previous blog post how Japanese Barberry, an invasive shrub, is also contributing to this scenario.

If introduced earthworms are doing damage to the forest leaf layer, then wouldn't another predator controlling earthworm populations be a good thing?  John Gorsuch, an undergraduate student at the University of Cincinnati, is examining the effectiveness of B. adventitium as a predator to various earthworm species.  John's preliminary observations suggest that B. adventitium can be an effective predator to some earthworm species but not all.  Amynthas agrestis is an introduced earthworm from Asia and it is one of the few dirty words among forest ecologists (please pardon the pun).  A. agrestis in one of those aforementioned earthworms that are aggressively consuming the leaf litter, but it also has several defense mechanisms to predators, B. adventitium and herpetofauna alike.  Therefore, we are potentially left with several predator species that are generalists consuming every earthworm species except for one species that is causing severe ecological damage to a critical habitat!

What can you do?

Report all of your sightings of B. adventitium to Peter Ducey.  Since these species (earthworms and flatworms) have been introduced to North America from the horticultural industry, it is best to use native species in your garden raised by local growers using local stock for their plants, soils, and amendments.  If you use worms as bait for fishing, throw any remaining worms into the garbage NOT YOUR GARDEN!  And finally, learn as much as you can about this topic (soil, earthworms, invasive species, forest ecosystems, etc.) on your own because soil is one of our vital natural resources that we all need, so take care of it.


Amphibian Cover Board Monitoring

Redback Salamander observed under a cover board.
Photo By James Fischer
I checked the cover board grids that we use to monitor amphibian populations in the Museum vicinity.  We monitor a total of 8 grids that are placed near or in critical habitats.  I observed a total of 46 Redback Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) under the boards.  I observed a total of 32 salamanders under coniferous tree canopy and only 14 under the deciduous tree canopy.  I hypothesize this pattern is due to the difference in the forest floor under the two canopy types because the leaf phenology is different right now.  The deciduous trees' leaves are beginning to burst buds while the conifer trees are evergreen.  The forest floor under these two cover types differs a little bit.  The forest floor under the conifer cover was a little bit more damp and cooler while the deciduous forest floor was little bit drier and maybe warmer.  The lack of leaves in the deciduous cover is letting the sunlight penetrate the canopy and dry the forest floor. I wanted to know if this pattern was significantly different from a random or equal distribution.  I chose to use a chi-square analysis to detect if the observed pattern was statistically significantly different enough from the expected pattern (a random or equal number under each canopy type).  The chi-square analysis confirms that the pattern that I observed was significantly different from an equal distribution.  This statistical test does not necessarily confirm my hypothesis entirely but it tells me that I might be on the right track with my reasoning.

Invasive Plant Patrol Controls Fig Buttercup (a.k.a. Lesser Celandine)

Jeff Greenwood, WMCC Education Director, brought his Invasive Plant Patrol to help with pulling and controlling Fig Buttercup (Ranunculus ficaria).  We have only detected one population of this invasive plant on the property.  Early detection of this plant increases our chances of controlling it and preventing it from becoming established throughout the property.  The Patrol used hand trowels, garden shovels, and buckets to remove small patches of Fig Buttercup by hand.  The Patrol also learned how to distinguish between other invasive species and native plants found in proximity with this invasive plant.  Faye Curran helped us with removing the plants closest to Bantam River, which are most likely to disperse to other favorable habitat for Fig Buttercup.

Hand-pulled Fig Buttercup, an invasive plant, destined for the dumpster.
Work was accomplished by Mr. Greenwood's Invasive Plant Patrol.
Hand trowels and elbow grease are the best tools to remove small patches of Fig Buttercup.

Housatonic River Watershed Basin Stream Flow Data



The Bantam River and it's associated tributaries stream flows have been quite low lately.  I found some data at the USGS WaterWatch that helped me explore the current stream flows.  The Housatonic River Watershed Basin stream flow that incorporates the Bantam and Shepaug Rivers is monitored at the Stevenson Dam, located along the town lines of Oxford and Monroe, CT.  The above graph shows stream flow from January 1, 2011 to April 15, 2012 as a bold black line. The other colored regions show you the 28 day average level of much above normal water levels (dark blue), above normal (light blue), normal (green), below normal (orange), and much below normal (brown).  Normal seasonal stream flow is high in spring, while it is low in winter and summer.  Notice that autumn stream flow is normally low but it has a wide range, therefore it can be high in certain years and not be unexpected.  For example, the stream flow rate in autumn 2011 was very high because of Hurricane Irene and because we had lots of rain throughout the season.  Now look at our current stream flows!  It is below the much below normal flow rates and it is the spring season!  I think this is a pretty interesting pattern, but I am not sure what this means for the living organisms that rely on this vital resource (water).  We are currently living in an obvious drought.  Therefore, we all must conserve the water that we have in our homes and yards.  Use this tool to investigate your watershed and examine it's current stream flow at various ranges.

Small Mammal Inventory -- Cranberry Pond Mesic Forest

Male Southern Red-backed Vole (Myodes gapperi)

Mesic forest dominated by Yellow Birch, Eastern Hemlock, Spicebush,
and loads of mosses, skunk cabbage, and other plants in the herbaceous layer.
Small mammal trapping in the mesic forest south of Cranberry Swamp yielded White-footed Mice (Peromyscus leucopus) and a Southern Red-backed Vole.  The habitat is quite moist even though this spring has been so dry.  Yellow Birch, Eastern Hemlock, and Red Maple dominate the canopy while Spicebush is abundant in the sub-canopy.  The forest floor is blanketed by a variety of moss species.

CT DEEP Fisheries Northern Pike Management

Northern Pike have been a integral sport fish in Bantam Lake for many years.  The success of this introduction effort is largely due to using the local herbaceous inland wetlands on the White Memorial Foundation property as spawning areas for adult fish every spring.  Once the adults have spawned, the adults are captured so they can be returned to the Bantam Lake where they are important predator and game fish. 

Jason and Abby (CT DEEP Fisheries Division) deploy a gill net to capture adult Northern Pike. 

Several of White Memorial's herbaceous inland wetlands are used for spawning areas for
Northern Pike that are released into other lakes throughout the state.  
Abby removed the fish from the gill net and
Jason waits with a net to quickly transport the fish to a holding tank. 

Northern Pike in net and about to be released into Bantam Lake.  


Once the juvenile fish grow and develop into a size class referred to as fingerlings, they will try to swim into Bantam Lake.  A weir has been installed at a culvert under the road to capture the fingerlings so that they can be measured and released into other lakes in CT.

This gate traps fingerlings that try to disperse from the spawning area.  

Fish Kill Observed Along North Shore of Bantam Lake

Dead fish can be observed along the north shore of Bantam Lake.
How did this happen?

Several hundred dead fish can be observed along the north shore of Bantam Lake, Litchfield & Morris, Litchfield Co., Connecticut, USA.  Several people have made this observation and have asked how this happened.  My sources at CT DEEP have explored this and state that the water column became depleted of oxygen for a short period of time.  After a preliminary investigation, they observed that an algal bloom occurred in the northern portion of the lake near the Bantam Lake Inlet.  The depleted oxygen was also encouraged by the mild winter and low rainfall/snow melt which is contributing to overall low water levels in the lake.  The phenomenon appears to be localized to the north bay of the lake because the algal bloom occurred near the Bantam Lake Inlet.  This observation is considered normal for the spring season and can be observed in other lake systems.  If larger quantities of dead fish are observed in Bantam Lake, please contact CT DEEP to report your observation.  The lake is a very important fishery and contributes several important resources to this region.

Latest Edition of The Research and Conservation Forum -- April 2012

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Vernal Pool Volunteer Monitoring Workshop

Blue-spotted x Jefferson Salamander is frequently observed breeding in White Memorial's vernal pools.

A total of 9 volunteers attended the Vernal Pool Monitoring workshop on Saturday, March 31, 2012.  We explored a nearby pool to observe the life found inhabiting it.  Amphipods, Isopods, and Fingernail Clams were quite abundant.  A few Spotted Salamander egg masses were also observed.  This work is important because several of these species are obligate most, if not all, of their breeding activity in vernal pools.  The long-term conservation of these species depends on the conservation of this habitat.  These habitats are difficult to classify because they can be ephemeral and isolated far away from other habitats used by these species.

Wildlife Research Technician Position Announcement


The White Memorial Conservation Center, Inc.

Job Announcement

Job Title:  Wildlife Research Technician (Seasonal)

Job Description:

Job involves working with various wildlife monitoring projects throughout the summer season on a 4000 acre refuge in northwestern Connecticut.  Projects include and are limited to mammal surveys, bird surveys, and reptile & amphibian cover object monitoring.  Short written reports in a format suitable for a general audience will be required regularly (approximately daily).  Field equipment such as GPS units and other digital instruments will be used and must be maintained.  This is a 40 hour per week position working Monday through Friday with occasional Saturday times, for a total of 16 weeks between mid-May and mid-September.  Schedule can vary by applicant’s availability.

Job Qualifications:

B.S. or have completed at least 3 years of higher education towards a B.S. in biology, ecology, natural resource management, environmental science, or other related discipline.  Applicants with a completed Associates degree in similar discipline will also be considered.
Familiar with all Connecticut wildlife species, including but not limited to birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.  Able to recognize all species by direct observation or by evidence such as call/song, tracks, scat or other sign.  Knowledgeable of management and conservation initiatives with all wildlife species within the state of Connecticut and southern New England.
Familiar with biological field research protocols and procedures.
Able to write short reports describing technical work for a general audience.
Have a valid driver’s license
Be able to drive a pick-up truck (automatic transmission and occasionally in 4WD off road)
Be able to work with volunteers and the public
Capable of working independently and as part of a team, cheerfully in all weather conditions, and with biting insects/ticks.
Able to work with Microsoft Office Suite software and capable of learning other platforms to suit the needs of the position.
Familiar with the proper usage and maintenance of field equipment.

Please send copy of resume and contact information for 2 references to:

James Fischer
Research Director
The White Memorial Conservation Center, Inc.
80 Whitehall Rd.
P.O. Box 368
Litchfield, CT  06759

e-mail: james@whitememorialcc.org
phone: 860-567-0857
fax: 860-567-2611
www.whitememorialcc.org
http://wmrcp.blogspot.com

Application Period:  Open until filled, Application period begins April 1, 2012.