In Oregon and Washington coastal streams, there are relatively diverse faunas on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington (Chehalis fauna), in the lower Columbia River, and on the south-central Oregon coast (Tyee fauna). Adjacent to the Tyee fauna are groups of streams with depauperate faunas (0–2 primary freshwater fishes). To the north, from the Nehalem River to the Alsea River, streams have 0–1 species (Oregon Coast Range Isolates), and to the south, from the Rogue River to the Klamath River, streams have 0–2 species (Klamath Isolates). Throughout the entire area there was no relationship between drainage area and freshwater fish diversity. Multiple processes are responsible for these patterns. Two endemic genera, Oregonichthys and Novumbra, originated by the Miocene (23–5.3 Mya) and current distributions are largely bordered by the continental flood-basalt flows of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG). It is hypothesized that both genera were isolated by early Miocene Grande Ronde basalt flows, Oregonichthys to the south of the flows in an ancestral Umpqua River, and Novumbra to the north of the flows in an ancestral Chehalis River. The depauperate streams of the Oregon Coast Range Isolates are hypothesized to be the result of bisection of ancient coastal streams by uplift of the Oregon Coast Range and subsequent extinction of the ancestral fauna on west-slope streams either from changing habitats or stochastic events in smaller streams. The Klamath Isolate streams drain the southern Oregon Coast Range and Klamath Mountains, an ancient region otherwise known for its faunal and floral diversity. It is hypothesized that these streams, some of which are relatively large and would be expected to have relatively diverse faunas, have been isolated from diverse primary freshwater fish faunas to the north (Columbia) and south (Sacramento), and most taxa have simply never had access to these streams.

The Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata) has been declining throughout its range due to several stressors, including habitat degradation and loss, exotic competitors, nonnative predators, and epidemic disease. California's only native turtle is listed as a Species of Special Concern and a candidate species for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act. Few studies have examined their population ecology in lentic environments subject to livestock grazing. From 2011 through 2016, staff and volunteers from the East Bay Regional Park District used radiotelemetry or tracked visually the seasonal movement patterns, habitat use, and nest site selection of Western Pond Turtles (n = 38) in eastern Contra Costa County, California. Statistical analyses of this multiple-year database showed that male and female turtles used the pond environment differently; however, they all overwintered in the same relative location. Gravid females on average moved 24.4 m (s = 17.5 m.) away from the ponds during the first 2 wk of June to oviposit on south-facing slopes (aspect = 134°, s = 31.9°), with mean residual-dry-matter levels of 1345 lbs/ac (1510 kg/ha) and vegetation heights ranging between 26.6 and 39.5 cm. These findings on how Western Pond Turtles used their pond and upland environments may have significant conservation and management implications for rangelands.

We conducted 7 y of herpetological inventories in the Stikine River Region of Southeast Alaska between 2010 and 2018. We observed a total of 2555 individuals representing 6 amphibian species in 5 families at more than 30 sites. This study did not document any reptiles. Among sampled sites, Shakes Hot Springs and Twin Lakes Warm Springs exhibited the greatest density of amphibians across all study years, and both served as breeding habitat for 1 or more species. The Twin Lakes, Shakes Hot Springs, and Paradise Slough sites exhibited the greatest species diversity, with 4 amphibian species recorded at each site. We also compared occurrence and breeding activity to historical data to elucidate possible changes in site-specific assemblages over time. We report new distribution records for the Long-toed Salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum), and confirmed recent presence of this species at Twin Lakes, where it was thought to have been extirpated. We also confirm the presence of Columbia Spotted Frogs (Rana luteiventris) on Wrangell Island. We were unable to verify the presence of the Northwestern Salamander (Ambystoma gracile) or the Common Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis) in this region. The observations reported here provide baseline amphibian population data for comparison with future surveys.

Ungulate species select habitat types to increase foraging opportunities and avoid predation, and may disproportionately select high-quality habitat types relative to their abundance on the landscape. Identifying cover types that are associated with improved survival is important in one of the most anthropogenically modified landscapes in North America, the Northern Great Plains. Our objective was to assess if 8 habitat types (open water, developed, forest, shrub, grassland, cropland, wetland, and pasture) present in the buffered area surrounding capture locations for newborn White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns differed from the surrounding area by using data collected in 13 counties comprising 3 states in the Northern Great Plains region. We found that grasslands, developed areas, and shrubby areas were the most prevalent habitat types at fawn-capture locations, whereas cropland, pastures, forests, and open water were least prevalent. Although grasslands and shrubby areas were considered high-quality fawning habitat, developed areas generally were not, and the greater amount of developed habitat found at fawn-capture locations is likely evidence of an increased amount of hiding cover available to fawns and potentially limited habitat at more distant locations. Conversely, the high proportion of agriculture found at capture locations and the surrounding area likely maximizes forage availability, but also limits cover during some seasons. Conservation programs that incorporate diverse habitat types in areas where agriculture dominates the landscape will increase the amount of available hiding cover for fawns.

This study tested whether amphipods (Crangonyx spp.), traditionally thought to be detritivores, prey on Northern Red-legged Frog (Rana aurora) embryos at the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge in California (HBNWR). Following observations that amphipods were associated with the disappearance of frog embryos, we performed experiments in which embryos were placed in 1 of 4 treatments: chambers open to all predators; screened chambers allowing access by small predators <1.5 mm in diameter (including amphipods); enclosed chambers with all visible predators excluded; and enclosed chambers with amphipods added and all other visible predators excluded. Trials with the first 2 treatments were repeated at a nearby site with no amphipods (BL). We found that average predation rates on viable embryos were similar among open/screened chambers at HBNWR and open chambers at BL (21–32%), whereas the average predation rate in amphipod-addition chambers was 15%. Egg-loss rates were ≤1% for amphipod-exclusion chambers at HBNWR and screened chambers at BL. We conclude that embryo predation by amphipods does occur and has the potential to be as important a mortality factor as predation by other larger predators. However, the significance of this interaction is likely to be highly context-dependent and affected by factors such as amphipod density and food availability, and the size and cohesiveness of egg masses.